The prospect of kids not going back to school until 2021

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:FWIW - Elsie Whitlow Stokes Charter School (one of the DC Bilingual Charters) already made the decision that students will start 100% remote learning in August.

Copy and pasted letter from Director Below:

Dear Stokes School families,

On Saturday, June 13th, Stokes School’s Board of Trustees held their annual meeting. It was the first virtual annual meeting
and it was a pleasure to see so many members of our school community in attendance. For those who were unable to attend,
the Power Point presentation given during the meeting is posted on our website as well as the answers to questions posed by
parents and staff before and during the meeting. Spanish language interpretations of these documents will be provided upon
request.

To summarize what was covered:

• Stokes School will begin the school year with 100% remote instruction.

• When DC government officials deem it safe to reopen school buildings, (in Stage 2 or 3 of the ReOpen DC Plan) we will
welcome a limited number of educationally high-risk students into the building for supervised remote learning.

• Stokes School will transition to in-person attendance for all students when DC enters Stage 4 of the ReOpen DC Plan
and there is an effective vaccine or cure for COVID-19.


Stokes School’s reopening plan is based on the most recent recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC) and the DC Health Department for schools during the recovery period from the COVID-19 public health
emergency, the ReOpen DC Advisory Group Recommendations, and input from our parent and staff surveys. As we create
Stokes School’s reopening plan we are planning for multiple contingencies, focusing on equity and maintaining the safety and
well-being of our students, staff and families. These plans are subject to change as local and federal guidance changes.
At the appropriate time and with social distancing measures in place, the Brookland Campus will be able to hold 60 students
and staff, and the East End Campus will be able to accommodate 90 students and staff.

To determine which students will be eligible for these spaces, a multidisciplinary team with representation from both
campuses including the Deans of Students, SST Coordinators, Director of Data and Compliance, Special Education Coordinator,
Special Education Director, and the Chief Academic Officer, developed a weighted system based on the following criteria and
needs:

• students who receive Special Education services including those with IEP’s and 504 Plans;
• students who are at-risk (homeless, or qualify for TANF or SNAP benefits);
• English Language Learners (ELL);
• students who scored in the low range on the NWEA in reading, math, or both;
• students who struggled with distance learning during the spring trimester;
• students who receive support from the Student Support Team; and
• other mitigating factors that are not conducive to distance learning.
The first round of in-person invitations will be extended by July 15.

We appreciate your continued partnership and support as we navigate this time together. Enjoy your summer!
Sincerely,
[Report Post]

This is lazy and without any regard for facts and educational needs of kids. Not entirely surprising for charters though.

[Anonymous]

There sure are a lot of people here who know more than health authorities all over the planet.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You guys saying the kids will go back when there is a vaccine are really crazy.

That could be 6 months or it could be 5 years. Are you honestly ok with kids not going back to school for 5 years?

I'm honestly not ok with a mediocre education 1 hour a day for the next 5 years. They are going to be the lost generation.

Yes. And lack of education is a public health outcome.

It’s maybe an outcome .... it’s definitely a contributor to poor health. Look up SDOH.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:Do you folks also think war is unfair? Cancer, car accidents, terrorism? I feel like I’m reading a lot of people on here just shocked that tragedy can be so unfair to them. This is literally a global catastrophe. It doesn’t care how this will “work” for you.

It's not nearly the global catastrophe you are making it out to be.

Also, it's not a catastrophe that required schools to close.

You’re wrong. 465,000 people are dead. 9/11 killed less than 3,000. It is an unparalleled tragedy. You are alone if you think that’s just business as usual.

Huh? No it's not. It might be a paralleled tragedy, but it sure isn't an unparalleled one.

Yeah, it’s awful, but unparalleled tragedy? No. Frankly, our administration’s handling of it is the bigger tragedy. They’re responsible for many needless deaths.

I’ve said it before on here and I’ll say it again: COVID-19 is not the only public health problem right now. Also: kids not going to school for potentially several years is a significant public health problem.

How is distance learning a significant public health problem? Please, enlighten us.

DP. Things that come to mind without much thinking: Mental health of kids due to isolation, child abuse, physical and mental stress related to financial problems.

I don’t see any reasonable statistician who believes that children will suffer dire mental health consequences of distance learning. Child abuse has not and can not be prevented by attending school for seven hours a day, five days a week, ten months out of the year. Stop trying to blame school systems for abusive parents-that is a case of harm being directly inflicted on a child by their own family. The school doesn’t shoulder that blame.
None of those issues would cause anywhere near half a million deaths in a few months, as COVID already has-I’m sorry, but mitigation of the virus is more important than any of those i things.

The executive director of UNICEF would beg to differ.

https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/19/opinions/time-to-reopen-schools-covid-19-fore/index.html

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There sure are a lot of people here who know more than health authorities all over the planet.

You're referring to the people who think kids should be deprived of an education until there's a vaccine, right?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
DP. Things that come to mind without much thinking: Mental health of kids due to isolation, child abuse, physical and mental stress related to financial problems.

I don’t see any reasonable statistician who believes that children will suffer dire mental health consequences of distance learning. Child abuse has not and can not be prevented by attending school for seven hours a day, five days a week, ten months out of the year. Stop trying to blame school systems for abusive parents-that is a case of harm being directly inflicted on a child by their own family. The school doesn’t shoulder that blame.
None of those issues would cause anywhere near half a million deaths in a few months, as COVID already has-I’m sorry, but mitigation of the virus is more important than any of those i things.

A statistician? Why would you consult a statistician about the mental health consequences of closed schools for children? That's not statisticians' field of expertise.

-a statistician

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do you folks also think war is unfair? Cancer, car accidents, terrorism? I feel like I’m reading a lot of people on here just shocked that tragedy can be so unfair to them. This is literally a global catastrophe. It doesn’t care how this will “work” for you.

It's not nearly the global catastrophe you are making it out to be.

Also, it's not a catastrophe that required schools to close.

You’re wrong. 465,000 people are dead. 9/11 killed less than 3,000. It is an unparalleled tragedy. You are alone if you think that’s just business as usual.

Huh? No it's not. It might be a paralleled tragedy, but it sure isn't an unparalleled one.

Yeah, it’s awful, but unparalleled tragedy? No. Frankly, our administration’s handling of it is the bigger tragedy. They’re responsible for many needless deaths.

I’ve said it before on here and I’ll say it again: COVID-19 is not the only public health problem right now. Also: kids not going to school for potentially several years is a significant public health problem.

How is distance learning a significant public health problem? Please, enlighten us.

DP. Things that come to mind without much thinking: Mental health of kids due to isolation, child abuse, physical and mental stress related to financial problems.

If your DCUM kid can't handle a few months without every single thing they want then there is a bigger problem here. Is it easy to be socially distant? No, but FOR NOW, it is necessary. Timmy feeling sad because he can't skateboard with his friends is NOT more important than someone else's life. The inability of people here to make even the smallest sacrifice is astounding.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do you folks also think war is unfair? Cancer, car accidents, terrorism? I feel like I’m reading a lot of people on here just shocked that tragedy can be so unfair to them. This is literally a global catastrophe. It doesn’t care how this will “work” for you.

It's not nearly the global catastrophe you are making it out to be.

Also, it's not a catastrophe that required schools to close.

You’re wrong. 465,000 people are dead. 9/11 killed less than 3,000. It is an unparalleled tragedy. You are alone if you think that’s just business as usual.

Huh? No it's not. It might be a paralleled tragedy, but it sure isn't an unparalleled one.

Yeah, it’s awful, but unparalleled tragedy? No. Frankly, our administration’s handling of it is the bigger tragedy. They’re responsible for many needless deaths.

I’ve said it before on here and I’ll say it again: COVID-19 is not the only public health problem right now. Also: kids not going to school for potentially several years is a significant public health problem.

How is distance learning a significant public health problem? Please, enlighten us.

DP. Things that come to mind without much thinking: Mental health of kids due to isolation, child abuse, physical and mental stress related to financial problems.

If your DCUM kid can't handle a few months without every single thing they want then there is a bigger problem here. Is it easy to be socially distant? No, but FOR NOW, it is necessary. Timmy feeling sad because he can't skateboard with his friends is NOT more important than someone else's life. The inability of people here to make even the smallest sacrifice is astounding.

A few months? If they go through with dL into January our kids would have been dealing with this for almost a year. That is not a short period of time. Also, let's not forget that this all started with a temporary 2 week closure. And we were all just told that the goal was to reduce the spread and flatten the curve. Then it just continued indefinitely. With the goal ever changing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

If your DCUM kid can't handle a few months without every single thing they want then there is a bigger problem here. Is it easy to be socially distant? No, but FOR NOW, it is necessary. Timmy feeling sad because he can't skateboard with his friends is NOT more important than someone else's life. The inability of people here to make even the smallest sacrifice is astounding.

Who said anything about skateboarding with friends? I'm talking about school. Education. The thing that DCUM has always claimed to value.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do you folks also think war is unfair? Cancer, car accidents, terrorism? I feel like I’m reading a lot of people on here just shocked that tragedy can be so unfair to them. This is literally a global catastrophe. It doesn’t care how this will “work” for you.

It's not nearly the global catastrophe you are making it out to be.

Also, it's not a catastrophe that required schools to close.

You’re wrong. 465,000 people are dead. 9/11 killed less than 3,000. It is an unparalleled tragedy. You are alone if you think that’s just business as usual.

Huh? No it's not. It might be a paralleled tragedy, but it sure isn't an unparalleled one.

Yeah, it’s awful, but unparalleled tragedy? No. Frankly, our administration’s handling of it is the bigger tragedy. They’re responsible for many needless deaths.

I’ve said it before on here and I’ll say it again: COVID-19 is not the only public health problem right now. Also: kids not going to school for potentially several years is a significant public health problem.

How is distance learning a significant public health problem? Please, enlighten us.

DP. Things that come to mind without much thinking: Mental health of kids due to isolation, child abuse, physical and mental stress related to financial problems.

If your DCUM kid can't handle a few months without every single thing they want then there is a bigger problem here. Is it easy to be socially distant? No, but FOR NOW, it is necessary. Timmy feeling sad because he can't skateboard with his friends is NOT more important than someone else's life. The inability of people here to make even the smallest sacrifice is astounding.

You obviously do not have any teenager, or you are astoundingly insensitive, or both.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do you folks also think war is unfair? Cancer, car accidents, terrorism? I feel like I’m reading a lot of people on here just shocked that tragedy can be so unfair to them. This is literally a global catastrophe. It doesn’t care how this will “work” for you.

It's not nearly the global catastrophe you are making it out to be.

Also, it's not a catastrophe that required schools to close.

You’re wrong. 465,000 people are dead. 9/11 killed less than 3,000. It is an unparalleled tragedy. You are alone if you think that’s just business as usual.

Huh? No it's not. It might be a paralleled tragedy, but it sure isn't an unparalleled one.

Yeah, it’s awful, but unparalleled tragedy? No. Frankly, our administration’s handling of it is the bigger tragedy. They’re responsible for many needless deaths.

I’ve said it before on here and I’ll say it again: COVID-19 is not the only public health problem right now. Also: kids not going to school for potentially several years is a significant public health problem.

How is distance learning a significant public health problem? Please, enlighten us.

DP. Things that come to mind without much thinking: Mental health of kids due to isolation, child abuse, physical and mental stress related to financial problems.

If your DCUM kid can't handle a few months without every single thing they want then there is a bigger problem here. Is it easy to be socially distant? No, but FOR NOW, it is necessary. Timmy feeling sad because he can't skateboard with his friends is NOT more important than someone else's life. The inability of people here to make even the smallest sacrifice is astounding.

A few months? If they go through with dL into January our kids would have been dealing with this for almost a year. That is not a short period of time. Also, let's not forget that this all started with a temporary 2 week closure. And we were all just told that the goal was to reduce the spread and flatten the curve. Then it just continued indefinitely. With the goal ever changing.

People just want to resume dumping their kids off at school. Before it's safe to do so, in the midst of a global pandemic.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

People just want to resume dumping their kids off at school. Before it's safe to do so, in the midst of a global pandemic.

My kids are in high school. I'm not dumping them anywhere. I want them to get an education. At school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

The devil is in the details. My friend in NoVa told me last week that her ES kid will most likely go in person 2 times per week and the other 3 days will be DL.

How will this work for families where parents have paid employment?

1. the kids will stay home alone
2. the kids will go to work with their parents
3. a parent (probably the mother) will quit their job

Apples and oranges. Schools aren't daycares. Health considerations come first, obviously.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

People just want to resume dumping their kids off at school. Before it's safe to do so, in the midst of a global pandemic.

My kids are in high school. I'm not dumping them anywhere. I want them to get an education. At school.

They will--but only when safety issues permit.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

The devil is in the details. My friend in NoVa told me last week that her ES kid will most likely go in person 2 times per week and the other 3 days will be DL.

How will this work for families where parents have paid employment?

1. the kids will stay home alone
2. the kids will go to work with their parents
3. a parent (probably the mother) will quit their job

Apples and oranges. Schools aren't daycares. Health considerations come first, obviously.

Yes, for example, the health considerations of children staying home alone, going to work with their parents (potentially in dangerous situations), or living in families with insecure housing and/or food due to job loss/lack of income.

So tired of this dumb "schools aren't daycares" thing on DCUM.