DC Charter School Alliance advocating for updated public health guidance

[Anonymous]

"The District of Columbia’s public charter schools are committed to providing safe, nurturing, learning environments for our 44,000 students and safe working environments for the thousands of teachers, staff, and leaders who support them. As school leaders look ahead to the 2021–22 school year, they recognize that it will be difficult—if not impossible—to provide quality in-person learning environments for substantially more students given current public health guidance.

To expand in-person learning opportunities, charter school leaders offer the following recommendations for updated public health guidance:

Essential Updates to Enable In-Person Learning for Substantially More Students

Increase the maximum cohort size to at least 20 or, if possible, 30.
Allow students to move between classes or cohorts to mix.
Provide clear, timely public health metrics and indicators to inform schools’ decision-making about in-person learning.
Additional/Alternate Updates to Enable In-Person Learning for Substantially More Students


Utilize space guidelines (e.g., 36 square feet per student in a classroom) instead of cohort-size guidelines, which would allow schools to make better use of large classrooms and open spaces.
Reduce the distance between students to three (3) feet.
Allow increased cohort sizes if certain mitigation measures are in place (e.g., enhanced in-room filtration units).
Remove the requirement that schools clean outside play equipment between groups, but require students to wash their hands after recess or physical education classes.
Make the health screening requirement optional.
Require cleaning and disinfecting high-touch hard surfaces between groups rather than “deep cleaning”.
Allow schools to use their health suites as isolation spaces.
Provide less restrictive guidance for outdoor learning.
Prioritize vaccinations for students who are 14 years old or older in early August, or as soon as possible.
Be clear about when and how DC Health’s recommendations are different from those of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention."

https://www.dccharters.org/public-health-guidance-recs/

[Anonymous]

This might be useful for the charter parents advocating for more in-person learning.

[Anonymous]

Thanks goodness someone is..

[Anonymous]

Thank goodness. I am worried my middle and high school students will never get to go back in person in any meaningful way until they can be allowed to change classes.

[Anonymous]

glad to see the charter sector waking up!!!

[Anonymous]

They won’t succeed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:They won’t succeed.

Why?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They won’t succeed.

Why?

This forum is so unpredictable. Some folks assure us that the Charter School Lobby always gets its way and others are convinced charters have no political sway. Of course, that likely means that the truth is somewhere in the middle. I disagree with the assessment that they won't succeed- if parents back up the idea that these (and other) suggestions should be considered, I think it could move the needle.

On this issue, I am just happy schools are somehow standing up and saying these guidelines don't work for getting kids back in school. That conversation is necessary and DCPS is never going to start that conversation publicly because they are under the same thumb of the DME who worked with OSSE to develop the guidelines.

I think the guidelines made sense at one time, but now that adults in schools have priority for vaccines and we better understand the risks for severe COVID in kids, I think it is time for someone to call for this type of review.

[Anonymous]

30 kids in a classroom? 😳

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:30 kids in a classroom? 😳

I think that's cohorts, which is perhaps a different issue that classrooms.

At any rate, for Montessori, the number of kids in a class is greater (like 24) due to having three grade levels and 2 teachers (plus aides). Classrooms also tend to be larger than the non-Montessori classrooms I've seen. So I expect this is related to pressure is related to the structure of these types of schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:30 kids in a classroom? 😳

I think that's cohorts, which is perhaps a different issue that classrooms.

At any rate, for Montessori, the number of kids in a class is greater (like 24) due to having three grade levels and 2 teachers (plus aides). Classrooms also tend to be larger than the non-Montessori classrooms I've seen. So I expect this is related to pressure is related to the structure of these types of schools.

Montessori classrooms are up to 30 kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:"The District of Columbia’s public charter schools are committed to providing safe, nurturing, learning environments for our 44,000 students and safe working environments for the thousands of teachers, staff, and leaders who support them. As school leaders look ahead to the 2021–22 school year, they recognize that it will be difficult—if not impossible—to provide quality in-person learning environments for substantially more students given current public health guidance.

To expand in-person learning opportunities, charter school leaders offer the following recommendations for updated public health guidance:

Essential Updates to Enable In-Person Learning for Substantially More Students

Increase the maximum cohort size to at least 20 or, if possible, 30.
Allow students to move between classes or cohorts to mix.
Provide clear, timely public health metrics and indicators to inform schools’ decision-making about in-person learning.
Additional/Alternate Updates to Enable In-Person Learning for Substantially More Students


Utilize space guidelines (e.g., 36 square feet per student in a classroom) instead of cohort-size guidelines, which would allow schools to make better use of large classrooms and open spaces.
Reduce the distance between students to three (3) feet.
Allow increased cohort sizes if certain mitigation measures are in place (e.g., enhanced in-room filtration units).
Remove the requirement that schools clean outside play equipment between groups, but require students to wash their hands after recess or physical education classes.
Make the health screening requirement optional.
Require cleaning and disinfecting high-touch hard surfaces between groups rather than “deep cleaning”.
Allow schools to use their health suites as isolation spaces.
Provide less restrictive guidance for outdoor learning.
Prioritize vaccinations for students who are 14 years old or older in early August, or as soon as possible.
Be clear about when and how DC Health’s recommendations are different from those of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention."

https://www.dccharters.org/public-health-guidance-recs/

It would be nice to see some (mine included) of the charters who are represented by this group support this advocacy.

[Anonymous]

Why can't DCPS make the same recommendations?

[Anonymous]

Good news that charters are being proactive about advocating to change the guidelines.

It’s needed and long overdue now that the vaccines are out and everyone will have access to it soon.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Good news that charters are being proactive about advocating to change the guidelines.

It’s needed and long overdue now that the vaccines are out and everyone will have access to it soon.

Maybe for next school year, if that's what you mean by soon