Barriers to more fully opening schools

[Anonymous]

I am trying to determine the requirements that are preventing schools from opening more fully for a letter to DOH and the mayor/councilmembers. Here are the ones I have come up with so far and would appreciate it if others would chime in if there are others:

1. Six feet of distance between each student/desk in the classroom.

2. No classroom can be used for more than one cohort (is this per day? or needs to be cleaned between cohorts?)

3. Bathrooms- how many classrooms/kids can use at the same time?

4. No more than 11 students in a classroom at a time.

[Anonymous]

How many cohorts a teacher can interact with. I think it's two? Not sure, and that shouldn't be an issue in elementary school, but I'm sure it is for middle and high schools.

Great that you are working on this!

[Anonymous]

Teacher vaccination priority, perhaps?
I think only those who were ready to come back were vaccinated, but how do we get the rest vaccinated with the goal of eventually getting everyone back?

[Anonymous]

Also, the current state of emergency or (??) that allows teachers to leave at 66% of salary to take care of kids

And those who are being allowed to work from home due to health concerns related to the virus.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Also, the current state of emergency or (??) that allows teachers to leave at 66% of salary to take care of kids

And those who are being allowed to work from home due to health concerns related to the virus.

These are two big ones. The first (2/3 pay) should expire March 31, 2021 unless it's extended. The second (working from home) is a problem for term 4 because DCPS signed an MOU with WTU allowing this for terms 3 and 4. We should push for all the other items to be resolved so we can reopen more for term 4, and fully reopen for the Fall.

OP, thanks for doing this. Would you mind posting your letter once it's done so we can copy and send it too?

[Anonymous]

Staffing. That’s the only barrier. -teacher

[Anonymous]

Echoing the "staffing" comment...

No matter what, schools are still going to have to offer DL because there is virtually no schools where 100 percent of students can safely attend due to health conditions, etc. As more students return to IPL, it is going to be a real struggle to offer both DL and IPL, but it will have to make it happen. Schools are going to need staffing for IPL and DL- in order to do both well, they need more money to expand staffing.

[Anonymous]

DCPS needs to open a virtual-only school like Friendship. Then students who cannot attend in person in the fall can temporarily enroll (or permanently if DL is working well for them) to that virtual school. DCPS could technically "hold their spot" at their current school for the year (I know many people are worried about losing a lottery spot or overcrowding because IB kids will be coming back eventually.) That would create a lot of efficiencies so that every school at every grade didn't have to have a DL teacher to accommodate those students.

[Anonymous]

The hygiene theatre of a “deep clean” on Wednesdays and/or between cohorts. Not that I don’t think schools don’t need to be clean, but it’s pretty clear that covid is not spread via surfaces the way we were originally told.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The hygiene theatre of a “deep clean” on Wednesdays and/or between cohorts. Not that I don’t think schools don’t need to be clean, but it’s pretty clear that covid is not spread via surfaces the way we were originally told.

This. So tired of Wednesdays off due to hygiene theater.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Staffing. That’s the only barrier. -teacher

100% schools are finding it difficult to staff classrooms. Self contained teacher here with 4 kids in person learning and 4 kids virtual and two virtual paraprofessionals. There is no one in the building to support the students that are in person.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Staffing. That’s the only barrier. -teacher

100% schools are finding it difficult to staff classrooms. Self contained teacher here with 4 kids in person learning and 4 kids virtual and two virtual paraprofessionals. There is no one in the building to support the students that are in person.

Uh your school made your paras virtual...? I'm a CES teacher too but my paras are both with me...

I echo staffing and space, especially when you are self contained and already have a tiny classroom!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DCPS needs to open a virtual-only school like Friendship. Then students who cannot attend in person in the fall can temporarily enroll (or permanently if DL is working well for them) to that virtual school. DCPS could technically "hold their spot" at their current school for the year (I know many people are worried about losing a lottery spot or overcrowding because IB kids will be coming back eventually.) That would create a lot of efficiencies so that every school at every grade didn't have to have a DL teacher to accommodate those students.

I wonder about whether just putting them all at Friendship. At least temporarily. Since that is a program that’s already established. It might just need to be scaled up. Not sure of the issues with that.

Also, is it hard to lottery into the Friendship virtual only option, generally?

[Anonymous]

Awesome that you are putting this together, OP!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DCPS needs to open a virtual-only school like Friendship. Then students who cannot attend in person in the fall can temporarily enroll (or permanently if DL is working well for them) to that virtual school. DCPS could technically "hold their spot" at their current school for the year (I know many people are worried about losing a lottery spot or overcrowding because IB kids will be coming back eventually.) That would create a lot of efficiencies so that every school at every grade didn't have to have a DL teacher to accommodate those students.

I wonder about whether just putting them all at Friendship. At least temporarily. Since that is a program that’s already established. It might just need to be scaled up. Not sure of the issues with that.

Also, is it hard to lottery into the Friendship virtual only option, generally?

A former student attended and her mom said they returned to in person because it was more like hone schooling than online learning. Parents needed to be very involved. I know it’s the same now for most DCPS, just pointing out it may not be as great an option as it would seem.