Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Since MD is on all the quarantine list for states than have things under control — you aren’t close yet

Yet the NYT says most MD schools can reopen. https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/08/14/opinion/politics/covid-school-reopening-guidelines.html

If you take a closer look it says the schools can reopen "with conditions."

The problem is our school system can't meet those conditions.

They suggest having no cafeteria time, barring the use of lockers, and that classrooms can be relatively safe "with proper funding."

Good luck.

Is that some unreasonable, unattainable goal? Honestly, we are making this out to be like it’s impossible and it’s not. How about we come up wiry a solutions instead of just saying it’s impossible because it’s not. Bad ventilation systems? Get portable hepa filters for each class. Create a pod based model and mandate masks. It’s not that hard. People have already figured out the basics to this already. I get funding is an issue, but the state is just going to have to step up and the federal government will send money eventually. It’s not like distance learning platforms were free or anything.

Funding is a huge issue. The state is running a major deficit, and Trump isn’t about to help us. Don’t expect any extra money.

Other areas are using the state-wide metrics MD published last week, which was < 5% infection rate that is declining and one or two other items.

Most jurisdictions in Western MD will be partially reopening for in-person schooling starting next week, like with Pre-K or special needs/ESL, then slowly expanding.

Here's an article about Washington County starting the opening process next week:
https://www.heraldmailmedia.com/news/education/some-wcps-students-will-return-to-school-sept-16/article_9c8078f0-3a75-5aad-9824-c6fd49277248.html

Here's the thing to watch in your school district. To start reopening, they need to have all the preparations in place -- reconfigured classrooms, hand sanitizer stations, hallway directional indicators, and so on. None of that is difficult, but it just takes time and some things need to be ordered. Watch your school board meetings and see if they have even done this. We moved from MCPS and it's clear they're not even in the preparation stages of reopening yet, so once the metrics are deemed acceptable to them, it'll take a while for them to actually be ready to reopen.

Anonymous wrote:Do any Maryland districts have publicly available, concrete, numbers-and-data-based metrics for when schools can reopen? I know AACPS does not (but "hope" to have something by the end of August) From the MCPS board posts, sounds like they don't either.
Anyone else out there have some real data that will help drive decisions?

Yes, everywhere except MoCo and Wash DC. Rest of the country has functional city and county governments that aren’t playing political games.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Since MD is on all the quarantine list for states than have things under control — you aren’t close yet

Yet the NYT says most MD schools can reopen. https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/08/14/opinion/politics/covid-school-reopening-guidelines.html

If you take a closer look it says the schools can reopen "with conditions."

The problem is our school system can't meet those conditions.

They suggest having no cafeteria time, barring the use of lockers, and that classrooms can be relatively safe "with proper funding."

Good luck.

Is that some unreasonable, unattainable goal? Honestly, we are making this out to be like it’s impossible and it’s not. How about we come up wiry a solutions instead of just saying it’s impossible because it’s not. Bad ventilation systems? Get portable hepa filters for each class. Create a pod based model and mandate masks. It’s not that hard. People have already figured out the basics to this already. I get funding is an issue, but the state is just going to have to step up and the federal government will send money eventually. It’s not like distance learning platforms were free or anything.

Wake up. There is something much more sinister going on here. This thing has been over for weeks, months. One single death in all of NYC last week. Several days even in July where there no deaths at all. Please wake up.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Since MD is on all the quarantine list for states than have things under control — you aren’t close yet

Well that’s the problem - without data-based goals, you really have no way of knowing if we’re close. We are very close to coming off the ny/no/ct list.
As they say “you get what you measure”

I truly think people would behave differently if they had a goal and tracking - “if our cases per 100,000 for a rolling 14 day average are below 10 (or 5 or 3 or 50 - I don’t know the right number since I’m not an epidemiologist) - and Ro is below 1, then schools will be open” is pretty powerful incentive for people to behave.

Instead we’re just aimlessly living through this without any goal or end in sight.

I agree! I was just having this discussion with another AACPS mom yesterday - really wish Dr K would publish some type of metrics that they could use for reopening decisions. Instead he just keeps saying it's "too risky" - but the AA Co positivity rate is below the state average.

Also, I wish AACPS would move away from a "one size fits all" construct and consider opening elementary schools only. Our cluster (South River) is very overcrowded and it would be tough, if not impossible, to open the MS or the HS. But I do think a hybrid model (A/B days) could work at the elementary school.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Since MD is on all the quarantine list for states than have things under control — you aren’t close yet

Yet the NYT says most MD schools can reopen. https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/08/14/opinion/politics/covid-school-reopening-guidelines.html

If you take a closer look it says the schools can reopen "with conditions."

The problem is our school system can't meet those conditions.

They suggest having no cafeteria time, barring the use of lockers, and that classrooms can be relatively safe "with proper funding."

Good luck.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Since MD is on all the quarantine list for states than have things under control — you aren’t close yet

Yet the NYT says most MD schools can reopen. https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/08/14/opinion/politics/covid-school-reopening-guidelines.html

No, it says most in MD can re-open partially. It's all yellow.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Since MD is on all the quarantine list for states than have things under control — you aren’t close yet

Well that’s the problem - without data-based goals, you really have no way of knowing if we’re close. We are very close to coming off the ny/no/ct list.
As they say “you get what you measure”

I truly think people would behave differently if they had a goal and tracking - “if our cases per 100,000 for a rolling 14 day average are below 10 (or 5 or 3 or 50 - I don’t know the right number since I’m not an epidemiologist) - and Ro is below 1, then schools will be open” is pretty powerful incentive for people to behave.

Instead we’re just aimlessly living through this without any goal or end in sight.

I think setting some kind of a goal or a bar is good, but I think you're highly overestimating its affect on people.

Many people who don't care will continue to not care. Many more will not even know of it. A lot of the rest will suffer from optimism bias, e.g. "I can do xyz because I'm careful, and it won't happen to me."

Anonymous wrote:Since MD is on all the quarantine list for states than have things under control — you aren’t close yet

Yet the NYT says most MD schools can reopen. https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/08/14/opinion/politics/covid-school-reopening-guidelines.html

Anonymous wrote:Since MD is on all the quarantine list for states than have things under control — you aren’t close yet

Well that’s the problem - without data-based goals, you really have no way of knowing if we’re close. We are very close to coming off the ny/no/ct list.
As they say “you get what you measure”

I truly think people would behave differently if they had a goal and tracking - “if our cases per 100,000 for a rolling 14 day average are below 10 (or 5 or 3 or 50 - I don’t know the right number since I’m not an epidemiologist) - and Ro is below 1, then schools will be open” is pretty powerful incentive for people to behave.

Instead we’re just aimlessly living through this without any goal or end in sight.

Since MD is on all the quarantine list for states than have things under control — you aren’t close yet

This is the problem...most places have nothing. Even in the places with metrics, once the teachers cry, you are DL, no matter how good the numbers are.

Do any Maryland districts have publicly available, concrete, numbers-and-data-based metrics for when schools can reopen? I know AACPS does not (but "hope" to have something by the end of August) From the MCPS board posts, sounds like they don't either.
Anyone else out there have some real data that will help drive decisions?