I think the governor will probably require that all districts make a 5-day a week option available. It might be a staggered half day for all kids and asynchronous for the rest of the day. With all the billions funneled to schools for Covid relief, I would hope that ACPS would be able to use some funds to improve ventilation and stop spending so much money on consultants. Purchasing portable HEPA filterers for all rooms is not a huge budgetary outlay and it would be far less expensive than renovating antiquated HVAC systems - especially ones that do not allow for windows, where avialble, to be opened for fear of mold growth or some other reason. As others have noted, surrounding school districts and many across the country are using portable HEPA filterers - sometimes medical-grade ones - but even just duct-taping a MERV 13 filter on a box fan would improve ventilation.

Unless the governor forces their hand, I'm predicting it will be hybrid. We're planning to homeschool our rising kindergartner.

Anonymous wrote:To the ACPS teachers, are you not allowed to open the window in your classroom?

Someone posted on Facebook that they were not allowed to because it would overwhelm the ancient crappy HVAC systems.

I’m sure the superintendent will announce it soon—just like FCPS did—to get in front of the bill on the governor’s desk mandating a 5-day in-person option in the Fall anyway. Optics!

The Superintendent will magically announce that now it is the time to open 5 days school, just like last time when he announced hybrid plan abruptly.

But ACPS did change air filters to be Merv13.

Anonymous wrote:Instead of building another echo chamber of negativity and guessing in an online anonymous forum, why don't you channel your energy into actually getting facts directly from the source? If you don't like your PTA or PTAC, call or email ACPS directly.

Thank you for acknowledging that the PTAs and PTAC are allied/directed by ACPS instead of by their membership.

Anonymous wrote:FCPS just announced plans for 5 days. I think ACPS will follow.

Yeah, ACPS tends to follow what they do, so now that FCPS AND APS are doing it I think they'll fall in line.

I hope.

To the ACPS teachers, are you not allowed to open the window in your classroom?

Anonymous wrote:Instead of building another echo chamber of negativity and guessing in an online anonymous forum, why don't you channel your energy into actually getting facts directly from the source? If you don't like your PTA or PTAC, call or email ACPS directly.

Oh I have!

I teach in ACPS and think we will be open 5 days based on conversations in my building . CDC is changing guidance on spacing, cohort mixing, and cohort size. Especially if other school divisions are open 5 day.

ACPS is consistently months behind in planning. We seem to be the only school district that never bothered to invest in HEPA filters for classrooms and won’t allow opening of windows in buildings. I predict another clusterf*ck of a year for 2021-2022. I predict they will offer five days a week, along with full-time virtual option, and try to funnel as many students as possible into virtual to limit in-person and capacity/crowding issues.

Instead of building another echo chamber of negativity and guessing in an online anonymous forum, why don't you channel your energy into actually getting facts directly from the source? If you don't like your PTA or PTAC, call or email ACPS directly.

FCPS just announced plans for 5 days. I think ACPS will follow.

The Superintendent has said that there won't be five day in person. I believe he said it would be "impossible".

It will be what is happening now. Two days in person and two days online.

If what happened this summer is any indication they aren't planning for this fall.

They will pretend that they are but the said they had hybrid all ready to go last July. And then when they were forced to open, it was obvious that they had nothing ready.

So ACPS will open two days a week. PTAC and the PTAs will sing about how great that is & silence parents who say otherwise. The school board will just nod their heads and tell Hutchings how great he is. Hutchings will say some snotty things about parents who complain and will probably put his other kid in private too.

Same thing, different school year.

There is no reason that ACPS shouldn't be 5 days per week next year. Arlington already announced for chrissake! The central office should be planning NOW as to how it will open, not giving us a million reasons why they can't do anything. The CDC will change it's guidelines (officially) and Hutcheson will be forced to open by the legislature or governor.

So my prediction is we will be five days, but here's my question: what do we think the fall will look like for elementary? Will there be tablets? Will there be encores? Will kids be "locked" in their desks?

What's your best guess?