I do think that the school board needs to stop treating this as all the grades must do the same thing. Concurrent is the only option for HS. The hybrid plan staffing not working for HSs was why Brabrand said DL only for all. Whether ES goes with the previous hybrid plan or the concurrent plan or some mix probably depends on how the pilot goes and how the shools are set up, but the two should be considered separately. Thigs that would work in HS/MS like a teacher teaching from home while an IA monitors the class if needed would work for HS/MS but are entirely inappropriate for ES (or st least the younger grades of ES)

I think for lower ES the goal should be full DL classes where possible and concurrent for the kids going in person and in situations where it wasn't possible to separate in-person and DL students (e.g. immersion programs, any AAPs that couldn't make it work, any schools that didn't already split and would require massive teacher rearrangements etc). Try to minimize teacher changes where possible unless parents prefer it to access a full DL teacher or to access in person instruction (e.g. for schools that did split if a parent changes their mind, I can't imagine them running a class with say 1-2 kids in person with the rest of the class at home).

As a full DL parent I do have concerns that the concurrent plan would mean my kids are gettig substandard education because the new plan includes a full day in person with the sample schedule including a 1hr block of afternoon activities where a lot of K-2 in this area have seemed to drop that to doing nothing or a small 15 min "assignment". It works for DL but for in person they'll obviously be doing something so what are the kids at home full time missing out on? As FCPS moves to put more emphasis on teacher recommendations for AAP programs will the kids at home be out of luck because the teachers don't even actually know them and barely get to see the work they're capable of? Maybe you want to call that FOMO but to me it's more of my kids being hurt by the system and me having concerns about that. I can handle them asking questions about why some kids get to do things we aren't doing because that already comes up via morning meeting when some kids share travel plans or going out to eat and we aren't doing those things.

I’d be fine with k-2 doing 2 day hybrid and the rest of the grades going concurrent. If that’s what it takes. Fine! The older kids need more school than that.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When FCPS pivoted from the choice of hybrid to all DL, parents were told to deal with it.

Now that DL might look different, other parents might have to deal with it.

Oh the irony. 😚

I really don’t think a lot of DL parents care as long as their kids stay home and keep their teachers—this plan does that. No need to pick a fight. The people that oppose it are the teachers that want to stay home all year.

There are a lot of parents who do not like the concurrent teaching idea, because they don’t want their kids to see the other kids in the classroom vs at home like they are. Like you, I think this is the best plan for keeping current teachers’ assignments.

Uh they won’t be seeing them, they don’t see them now, except in breakout groups. Cameras are hardly EVER on.

My kid is in lower ES—cameras are 100% on, because younger kids love to raise their hands and they do not have the ability to type or read the chat.

Okay, so what. The rest of us can’t have school because K-2 need to sit and stare at eachother online? Even when they raise their hands they don’t need to see eachother to listen. But honesty my guess is that at the lower level the classes were easier to split to begin with and you’ll be in an all DL cohort anyway. Different needs for different groups. Maybe it’s worth it to change a teacher at that level since there’s so little academics going on as it is.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When FCPS pivoted from the choice of hybrid to all DL, parents were told to deal with it.

Now that DL might look different, other parents might have to deal with it.

Oh the irony. 😚

I really don’t think a lot of DL parents care as long as their kids stay home and keep their teachers—this plan does that. No need to pick a fight. The people that oppose it are the teachers that want to stay home all year.

There are a lot of parents who do not like the concurrent teaching idea, because they don’t want their kids to see the other kids in the classroom vs at home like they are. Like you, I think this is the best plan for keeping current teachers’ assignments.

Uh they won’t be seeing them, they don’t see them now, except in breakout groups. Cameras are hardly EVER on.

My kid is in lower ES—cameras are 100% on, because younger kids love to raise their hands and they do not have the ability to type or read the chat.

Anonymous wrote:

In person students will still need to use their laptops. They will often be accessing the same documents as the virtual students.

Yes, this. Which means they will need chargers, plugs, charging carts, or something.

And wifi access?

You child has already had these things at school.

Anonymous wrote:

In person students will still need to use their laptops. They will often be accessing the same documents as the virtual students.

Yes, this. Which means they will need chargers, plugs, charging carts, or something.

And wifi access?

You might need to use your laptops for part of the day but bandwidth won’t be an issue if they’re not relying on it for BBCU in class? Which they won’t. This was covered in the presentation. I think they can figure out how to charge laptops.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I like it a lot. I hope they get it off the ground.

+1

I emailed my school board members and the at large members and told them this. I'll email again this week and repeat that the concurrent plan sounds good and say how poorly my kid is doing right now, academically and emotionally, with DL.

Cool. I just did the opposite. Not so much as "oppose" concurrent but urged a slow approach that doesn't punish DL kids by taking away their teachers (and some other concerns), as some on here seem to be suggesting. Looks like I'll be doing that on the regular until a decision is make.
Thanks for the reminder.

Concurrent keeps your kid with his teacher.

Sigh.

But she has other concerns that probably center around FOMO. Hence, the slow approach.

First, "Concurrent keeps kid with your teacher" is not entirely correct. Second, I never have FOMO. Don't be childish.

Yes it does, as long as your teacher doesn’t quit. No reason to change classes since every teacher will be either teaching concurrently or DL. So yeah, stop worrying about that. More likely to get reassigned with the old hybrid model.

Also, since everyone has to DL at least part of the time with concurrent, you’re likely to get a better experience.

In person students will still need to use their laptops. They will often be accessing the same documents as the virtual students.

Yes, this. Which means they will need chargers, plugs, charging carts, or something.

And wifi access?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I like it a lot. I hope they get it off the ground.

+1

I emailed my school board members and the at large members and told them this. I'll email again this week and repeat that the concurrent plan sounds good and say how poorly my kid is doing right now, academically and emotionally, with DL.

Cool. I just did the opposite. Not so much as "oppose" concurrent but urged a slow approach that doesn't punish DL kids by taking away their teachers (and some other concerns), as some on here seem to be suggesting. Looks like I'll be doing that on the regular until a decision is make.
Thanks for the reminder.

So that’s what is really going on, dl folks are unhappy. Buckle up folks, it is all downhill for dl from here.

Of course it's downhill. It WILL end at some point, and I'm ok with that. But, in the interim, if you think for one minute I'll accept a substandard DL experience for my child while you rush yours out the door, you can think again.

And I said that if you thought you could keep my HS senior home because you were okay with DL for your kids you can think again. You won’t have a choice. The Board does not GAF about what parents want. If you like it up to now, great. But no one is going to be happy at all points this year.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How's the tech going to work especially for middle/HS?
Are there laptop chargers for every kid? how can laptop hold charge all day?
What about wifi and tech issues? Even in my work we CONSISTENTLY have tech issues and we have been doing virtual meetings and events with private resources for years.

In person kids will not be using laptops... teacher will share her screen with the class via smartboard or projector. At home kids will do what they’ve been doing. Fewer kids online on any given day with concurrent=fewer tech problems.

In person students will still need to use their laptops. They will often be accessing the same documents as the virtual students.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I like it a lot. I hope they get it off the ground.

+1

I emailed my school board members and the at large members and told them this. I'll email again this week and repeat that the concurrent plan sounds good and say how poorly my kid is doing right now, academically and emotionally, with DL.

Cool. I just did the opposite. Not so much as "oppose" concurrent but urged a slow approach that doesn't punish DL kids by taking away their teachers (and some other concerns), as some on here seem to be suggesting. Looks like I'll be doing that on the regular until a decision is make.
Thanks for the reminder.

So that’s what is really going on, dl folks are unhappy. Buckle up folks, it is all downhill for dl from here.

Right - the only reason I can think to oppose concurrent is because you don’t want anyone to have in person - or that you don’t want your all virtual kid in the concurrent environment with others going in. It’s really 6 of one, half a dozen of the other if you compare hybrid to concurrent - even for the teachers IMO and I’m a former teacher and spouse is a current teacher so it’s not like IDGAF about teachers either.

Are you not able to read? I explicitly said that I did NOT -that's negative, not- oppose concurrent in and of itself. And that is what I communicated, subject to my own concerns about how it's implemented.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Will the bell schedules be changed if/when concurrent happens? My MSer will go 15 mins earlier, which isn't a big deal, but my ESer would start after 10am and not get out until almost 5pm. That is huge.

This is actually a good question. Someone should send it in to the town hall tonight.

I thought this was addressed and the answer was that bell schedules will not change. I hope they won’t, because 5 PM for ES is too damn late.

When was it addressed? I do not recall it being addressed but I could have missed it.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I like it a lot. I hope they get it off the ground.

+1

I emailed my school board members and the at large members and told them this. I'll email again this week and repeat that the concurrent plan sounds good and say how poorly my kid is doing right now, academically and emotionally, with DL.

Cool. I just did the opposite. Not so much as "oppose" concurrent but urged a slow approach that doesn't punish DL kids by taking away their teachers (and some other concerns), as some on here seem to be suggesting. Looks like I'll be doing that on the regular until a decision is make.
Thanks for the reminder.

Concurrent keeps your kid with his teacher.

Sigh.

But she has other concerns that probably center around FOMO. Hence, the slow approach.

First, "Concurrent keeps kid with your teacher" is not entirely correct. Second, I never have FOMO. Don't be childish.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I like it a lot. I hope they get it off the ground.

+1

I emailed my school board members and the at large members and told them this. I'll email again this week and repeat that the concurrent plan sounds good and say how poorly my kid is doing right now, academically and emotionally, with DL.

Cool. I just did the opposite. Not so much as "oppose" concurrent but urged a slow approach that doesn't punish DL kids by taking away their teachers (and some other concerns), as some on here seem to be suggesting. Looks like I'll be doing that on the regular until a decision is make.
Thanks for the reminder.

So that’s what is really going on, dl folks are unhappy. Buckle up folks, it is all downhill for dl from here.

Of course it's downhill. It WILL end at some point, and I'm ok with that. But, in the interim, if you think for one minute I'll accept a substandard DL experience for my child while you rush yours out the door, you can think again.