Anonymous
Post 08/27/2020 11:41     Subject: MD Dept of Health to issue reopening metrics?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I'm listening to the AACPS Board of Ed meeting, and the AACo Health Officer just said that he doesn't have a metric/number on reopening but that he's been told by Maryland Department of Health that MDH and MD BoE that they will be issuing a state-wide standard (ie, cases per 100,000s) for school's reopenings..

Fingers crossed that's actually true and will happen ASAP!


Really hope this is true and set at the state level as Hogan is the only one who is reasonable. If Dr K and Pittman come up with the metrics, they won't reopen schools until the case count = 0. And the Teachers Union will still fight any reopening decision.


Honestly, I feel a little badly for Dr. K. He's not a public health expert or epidemiologist. He expected that if there were a major, national public health event that he would have support and real, meaningful guidance from the CDC and state health departments - the people with real access to the real experts. He didn't get that, so I understand that he's erring on the side of caution.

And now I REALLY hope that the press conference today issues measurable and reasonable goals.


I completely agree about feeling sorry for the decision makers who aren't being given proper assistance from actual public health experts. We can blame some problems on the federal government, but on a local level, we still are expecting non-public health experts to make decisions with public health implications. No educator is qualified to do that. I know it is a pandemic and that we are in uncharted territory, but better leadership from the State Department of Health it is overdue. They need to step up and guide the local school district with these decisions.

By the way, unlike some other counties, Anne Arundel is approving private school reopening plans, so that is good.


Yup. I have one in AACPS and one in an AACo private. There was that one day of poor communication about private reopening, but other than that it sounds like the AACO Dept of Health have given the privates as good support as can be expected. Our school's plan was approved the very next day after it was submitted, and it sounds like that was pretty standard.
Anonymous
Post 08/27/2020 11:07     Subject: MD Dept of Health to issue reopening metrics?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I'm listening to the AACPS Board of Ed meeting, and the AACo Health Officer just said that he doesn't have a metric/number on reopening but that he's been told by Maryland Department of Health that MDH and MD BoE that they will be issuing a state-wide standard (ie, cases per 100,000s) for school's reopenings..

Fingers crossed that's actually true and will happen ASAP!


Really hope this is true and set at the state level as Hogan is the only one who is reasonable. If Dr K and Pittman come up with the metrics, they won't reopen schools until the case count = 0. And the Teachers Union will still fight any reopening decision.


Honestly, I feel a little badly for Dr. K. He's not a public health expert or epidemiologist. He expected that if there were a major, national public health event that he would have support and real, meaningful guidance from the CDC and state health departments - the people with real access to the real experts. He didn't get that, so I understand that he's erring on the side of caution.

And now I REALLY hope that the press conference today issues measurable and reasonable goals.






I completely agree about feeling sorry for the decision makers who aren't being given proper assistance from actual public health experts. We can blame some problems on the federal government, but on a local level, we still are expecting non-public health experts to make decisions with public health implications. No educator is qualified to do that. I know it is a pandemic and that we are in uncharted territory, but better leadership from the State Department of Health it is overdue. They need to step up and guide the local school district with these decisions.

By the way, unlike some other counties, Anne Arundel is approving private school reopening plans, so that is good.



Yes! So thankful AA Co is allowing private schools to reopen. Seems like every day another kid is withdrawing from our local ES to go private. I anticipate we will lose over 100+ kids this year between private schools and homeschooling - which will eliminate at least 4-5 teaching positions at our school. Oh well!
Anonymous
Post 08/27/2020 11:02     Subject: MD Dept of Health to issue reopening metrics?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I'm listening to the AACPS Board of Ed meeting, and the AACo Health Officer just said that he doesn't have a metric/number on reopening but that he's been told by Maryland Department of Health that MDH and MD BoE that they will be issuing a state-wide standard (ie, cases per 100,000s) for school's reopenings..

Fingers crossed that's actually true and will happen ASAP!


Really hope this is true and set at the state level as Hogan is the only one who is reasonable. If Dr K and Pittman come up with the metrics, they won't reopen schools until the case count = 0. And the Teachers Union will still fight any reopening decision.


Honestly, I feel a little badly for Dr. K. He's not a public health expert or epidemiologist. He expected that if there were a major, national public health event that he would have support and real, meaningful guidance from the CDC and state health departments - the people with real access to the real experts. He didn't get that, so I understand that he's erring on the side of caution.

And now I REALLY hope that the press conference today issues measurable and reasonable goals.


I completely agree about feeling sorry for the decision makers who aren't being given proper assistance from actual public health experts. We can blame some problems on the federal government, but on a local level, we still are expecting non-public health experts to make decisions with public health implications. No educator is qualified to do that. I know it is a pandemic and that we are in uncharted territory, but better leadership from the State Department of Health it is overdue. They need to step up and guide the local school district with these decisions.

By the way, unlike some other counties, Anne Arundel is approving private school reopening plans, so that is good.
Anonymous
Post 08/27/2020 10:55     Subject: MD Dept of Health to issue reopening metrics?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I'm listening to the AACPS Board of Ed meeting, and the AACo Health Officer just said that he doesn't have a metric/number on reopening but that he's been told by Maryland Department of Health that MDH and MD BoE that they will be issuing a state-wide standard (ie, cases per 100,000s) for school's reopenings..

Fingers crossed that's actually true and will happen ASAP!


Really hope this is true and set at the state level as Hogan is the only one who is reasonable. If Dr K and Pittman come up with the metrics, they won't reopen schools until the case count = 0. And the Teachers Union will still fight any reopening decision.


Honestly, I feel a little badly for Dr. K. He's not a public health expert or epidemiologist. He expected that if there were a major, national public health event that he would have support and real, meaningful guidance from the CDC and state health departments - the people with real access to the real experts. He didn't get that, so I understand that he's erring on the side of caution.

And now I REALLY hope that the press conference today issues measurable and reasonable goals.
Anonymous
Post 08/27/2020 10:37     Subject: MD Dept of Health to issue reopening metrics?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I'm listening to the AACPS Board of Ed meeting, and the AACo Health Officer just said that he doesn't have a metric/number on reopening but that he's been told by Maryland Department of Health that MDH and MD BoE that they will be issuing a state-wide standard (ie, cases per 100,000s) for school's reopenings..

Fingers crossed that's actually true and will happen ASAP!


Really hope this is true and set at the state level as Hogan is the only one who is reasonable. If Dr K and Pittman come up with the metrics, they won't reopen schools until the case count = 0. And the Teachers Union will still fight any reopening decision.


My kids go to the same public school as Pittman's kids and we have had less than 10 cases of COVID in the past month and less than 45 cases in our town since the pandemic started. Our "positivity" rate is something like 0.005 - but yet it isn't safe to go to local school. I'm convinced we aren't going back in person for 2-3 years at this rate.
Anonymous
Post 08/27/2020 10:23     Subject: Re:MD Dept of Health to issue reopening metrics?
Governor Hogan, Dr. Salmon, and the acting Deputy Sec. of Health are having a press conference this afternoon at 4 p.m.
Anonymous
Post 08/27/2020 10:17     Subject: MD Dept of Health to issue reopening metrics?
Anonymous wrote:I'm listening to the AACPS Board of Ed meeting, and the AACo Health Officer just said that he doesn't have a metric/number on reopening but that he's been told by Maryland Department of Health that MDH and MD BoE that they will be issuing a state-wide standard (ie, cases per 100,000s) for school's reopenings..

Fingers crossed that's actually true and will happen ASAP!


Really hope this is true and set at the state level as Hogan is the only one who is reasonable. If Dr K and Pittman come up with the metrics, they won't reopen schools until the case count = 0. And the Teachers Union will still fight any reopening decision.
Anonymous
Post 08/26/2020 11:08     Subject: MD Dept of Health to issue reopening metrics?
OH PLEASE GOD YES
Anonymous
Post 08/26/2020 11:08     Subject: MD Dept of Health to issue reopening metrics?
I'm listening to the AACPS Board of Ed meeting, and the AACo Health Officer just said that he doesn't have a metric/number on reopening but that he's been told by Maryland Department of Health that MDH and MD BoE that they will be issuing a state-wide standard (ie, cases per 100,000s) for school's reopenings..

Fingers crossed that's actually true and will happen ASAP!