Reply to The prospect of kids not going back to school until 2021

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Kids need to return to school. Period. Get back to work, teachers, or get a new job.[/quote]

Teachers don’t decide whether they go back to F2F - administrators and the school Board do. Teachers have every right to advocate for a return with as many safety measures as possible in place. Wouldn’t you? I absolutely would advocate for PPE, social distancing, staggered schedules, etc. if I were a teacher returning to class.

Those in charge have to weigh all competing interests, including the needs of teacher, students, parents, logistics, budget, etc. to make a decision on the best course. Transportation is huge problem in all of this.   I don’t know where most of you work, but many businesses are taking measures to protect public facing employees, like installing plexiglass partitions, markers, for social distancing, etc. I am not a teacher, but the complete disregard for any concerns teachers may have is concerning.  Maybe one way to go would be to put teachers behind a partition to protect them from students (for those who think there is little risk to kids).

I have posted multiple times in this thread asking for realistic suggestions for returning full time face to face. Remember that school board and administrators aren’t public health experts either. They don’t know what to do. No one does. They have to make decisions based on what health experts tell them weighing in all competing interests to come up with a feasible solution. Not only that, but if they plan for what everyone is demanding, full time F2F, then they need to have very specific health screening policies in effect and probably a way to enforce them, plus they need to be ready to close either individual schools or the entire district if the virus is spreading. Planning for all of these contingencies with so many unknowns is extremely challenging. There is no way to do what is best for everyone, and that is nothing new. I don’t think it is right, just, or appropriate that our school district just redistricted and forced rising sophomores to change schools either. In a perfect world that wouldn’t happen. But this isn’t a perfect world.

Here is an interesting point made last night during the Howard County school board meeting last night. The district plans to offer an online “Virtual Academy” for all families who want to opt out of face to face learning. However, if you choose that option, you have to stay online for the entire school year. There is no opting back in if COVID is better contained. I wonder how many families would change their minds about opting out if they have to commit for the full year?

If Maryland districts must have a plan to the State by July 10, they have to quickly obtain input from all stakeholders and make difficult decisions. I have had plenty of concerns about teachers over the years, but seriously people. These are professionals who can’t even get cleaning supplies and tissues in their classroom under normal circumstances and you want them to walk back into schools without significant protections in place? 
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Personnel in school buildings can wear masks depending on the level of positivity rate at that time. As far as kids are concerned, all the statistics undeniably show that flu is way more dangerous for kids. Furthermore there is a growing evidence that kids are not meaningful transmitters of Covid-19. Having said this, of course the students can wear masks if they wish, and I'm sure some will do it. But the point is protecting adults in school buildings is not as daunting as you think, there are not more adults in school buildings than there are in typical office buildings.[/quote]

You are comparing apples and oranges.
My younger brother’s work place has the same number of adults that my school does, however:
My brother can get to his building at 6:30 am, walk from his car into the empty main office, go to his office, and shut the door. If he brings lunch and limits bathroom trips, he does not need to interact with anyone else for eight hours and then he can go home. 
In addition to my adult colleagues, I also interact with 165 tweens and teens minimum, often far more than that because I have to move classrooms and walk through the halls. I also end up covering a class without a sub a couple times a week, putting me in contact with another 35-70 students a week. 
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