Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Any sign that APS is getting on board with the regional trend? Or have they given up?

Duran seems to be derailed. And yesterday's message completely lacked any reference to caring about the mental health and academic loss of our students. This tells me he's not changing his mind anytime soon.

The same message said they are announcing a return date for the first group on the 18th

At this point he should just write "we are waiting to see what FCPS does and then we let you know we are doing the same thing"

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ok then stop supporting Duran. He didn’t handle it well and the school board just did nothing. No one is safer or better off with these school closures. Duran is to blame 100 percent.

exactly.. so lazy and not putting our kids first. I'm surprised we haven't heard rumbles of a class-action lawsuit

Because most parents don't think this.

He has handled the pandemic very well.

Clearly you don't have kids in APS.. He's done absolutely nothing but follow FCPS and disregard science, at our kids expense. This is not "handling the pandemic".

I have two kids in APS, including one with special needs.

He has prioritized APS approach appropriately and provided clear communication. He's taken feedback and adjusted course as things change. He's also handled criticism well.

It was a challenging environment for him to step into and he's handled it very well.

Good for you - stick with DL if you like but everyone else deserves the choice to return to school.

My kids are hybrid - and I'm happy we are waiting until the teachers get vaccinated.

There is a plan. Dates will be announced Feb 12. And another parent here who is happy that teachers will likely be vaccinated fullly before they return. For those wanting more than hybrid, where is APS supposed to do that while following CDC guidelines to give 6 feet.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Any sign that APS is getting on board with the regional trend? Or have they given up?

Duran seems to be derailed. And yesterday's message completely lacked any reference to caring about the mental health and academic loss of our students. This tells me he's not changing his mind anytime soon.

i’m honestly curious, how two days In person with teachers handling concurrent learning is going to make up for learning loss?

It's not.. it's a pathetic approach to silence those that want in-person. And the bigger question is what will happen in the fall (hybrid still??)

It's a ramp-up to fall. It gets teachers and half the student population back into the classroom. They can build from there.

Back into a classroom where the teacher is juggling half kids in person and half on the screen and all learning is on the iPad. Does not seem to be better (from a learning loss perspective) than DL. There are other intangible benefits to getting staff and students back but lets not pretend its education with this model.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ok then stop supporting Duran. He didn’t handle it well and the school board just did nothing. No one is safer or better off with these school closures. Duran is to blame 100 percent.

exactly.. so lazy and not putting our kids first. I'm surprised we haven't heard rumbles of a class-action lawsuit

Apparently you cannot class action in Virginia. Already entertained that idea....

Something else needs to happen then. Concerned parents with kids that are suffering should not be forced to sit back and wait the pandemic out, while other schools and counties all around us and the country are focusing on what's best for the students and getting them back in school. Any lawyers on here have advice? I would have sent my child to private but can't afford it and now they are all waitlisted anyway.

Aren't you paying attention? Kids are going back after teachers are vaccinated.

Maybe if you weren't whining so much you'd be able to keep up.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Any sign that APS is getting on board with the regional trend? Or have they given up?

Duran seems to be derailed. And yesterday's message completely lacked any reference to caring about the mental health and academic loss of our students. This tells me he's not changing his mind anytime soon.

The same message said they are announcing a return date for the first group on the 18th

At this point he should just write "we are waiting to see what FCPS does and then we let you know we are doing the same thing"

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes. Community rates are so high now that ensuring teacher vaccinations before return is the only responsible option. So just hang on for a few more weeks and APS will start opening next month! You’ve come this far. Let your teachers get fully immunized.

NO. This not true. The data from VDH clearly confirms that cases and positivity rates have been declining for weeks and positivity rates alone have been dropping for over a month.

Sigh. Declining and still being high we’re not mutually exclusive.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Any sign that APS is getting on board with the regional trend? Or have they given up?

Duran seems to be derailed. And yesterday's message completely lacked any reference to caring about the mental health and academic loss of our students. This tells me he's not changing his mind anytime soon.

The same message said they are announcing a return date for the first group on the 18th

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Any sign that APS is getting on board with the regional trend? Or have they given up?

Duran seems to be derailed. And yesterday's message completely lacked any reference to caring about the mental health and academic loss of our students. This tells me he's not changing his mind anytime soon.

i’m honestly curious, how two days In person with teachers handling concurrent learning is going to make up for learning loss?

It's not.. it's a pathetic approach to silence those that want in-person. And the bigger question is what will happen in the fall (hybrid still??)

It's a ramp-up to fall. It gets teachers and half the student population back into the classroom. They can build from there.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:He’s waiting out the pandemic and my kid’s education is suffering. And their complete lack of instructional focus — which was the case before, during and I’m sure after the pandemic — will mean our kids are behind the rest of their APS education.

We are working on alternatives — mainly moving to a cheaper area so we can spend less on a house and more on education.

But parents need to pay attention. They have no plan to address learning loss or wider disparities in knowledge when kids return.

OK bye. Hopefully your new area won't mind that you are disconnected from reality.

Okay. So point me to this plan? My ES kids have teachers who have all told me it is nearly impossible for them to assess writing ability and reading in this virtual environment without dedicated one on one time — which they don’t have. What are their plans to make these assessments? What plan do they have to make up for curriculum that they won’t get to this year?

Just as they did at the beginning of this year, they will shift the curriculum next year to cover any topics that were missed or need to be covered again.

Of course, they will address learning loss. Just as every single school in the US will.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:He’s waiting out the pandemic and my kid’s education is suffering. And their complete lack of instructional focus — which was the case before, during and I’m sure after the pandemic — will mean our kids are behind the rest of their APS education.

We are working on alternatives — mainly moving to a cheaper area so we can spend less on a house and more on education.

But parents need to pay attention. They have no plan to address learning loss or wider disparities in knowledge when kids return.

OK bye. Hopefully your new area won't mind that you are disconnected from reality.

Okay. So point me to this plan? My ES kids have teachers who have all told me it is nearly impossible for them to assess writing ability and reading in this virtual environment without dedicated one on one time — which they don’t have. What are their plans to make these assessments? What plan do they have to make up for curriculum that they won’t get to this year?

Just as they did at the beginning of this year, they will shift the curriculum next year to cover any topics that were missed or need to be covered again.

Of course, they will address learning loss. Just as every single school in the US will.

That’s not making up for learning loss. That is kicking the cam down the road. And next year may be hybrid. APs can say it’s curriculum is whatever it wants but my fifth grader isn’t getting anywhere near the end of hers. And it is already not the full curriculum it would have been two years ago. Yet we know many people who have been in school full time who aren’t playing this game of shifting curriculum to a later year. At some point kids leave APS. And you are saying it is totally fine that they haven’t learned what they should have.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Any sign that APS is getting on board with the regional trend? Or have they given up?

Duran seems to be derailed. And yesterday's message completely lacked any reference to caring about the mental health and academic loss of our students. This tells me he's not changing his mind anytime soon.

i’m honestly curious, how two days In person with teachers handling concurrent learning is going to make up for learning loss?

It's not.. it's a pathetic approach to silence those that want in-person. And the bigger question is what will happen in the fall (hybrid still??)

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:He’s waiting out the pandemic and my kid’s education is suffering. And their complete lack of instructional focus — which was the case before, during and I’m sure after the pandemic — will mean our kids are behind the rest of their APS education.

We are working on alternatives — mainly moving to a cheaper area so we can spend less on a house and more on education.

But parents need to pay attention. They have no plan to address learning loss or wider disparities in knowledge when kids return.

OK bye. Hopefully your new area won't mind that you are disconnected from reality.

Okay. So point me to this plan? My ES kids have teachers who have all told me it is nearly impossible for them to assess writing ability and reading in this virtual environment without dedicated one on one time — which they don’t have. What are their plans to make these assessments? What plan do they have to make up for curriculum that they won’t get to this year?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ok then stop supporting Duran. He didn’t handle it well and the school board just did nothing. No one is safer or better off with these school closures. Duran is to blame 100 percent.

exactly.. so lazy and not putting our kids first. I'm surprised we haven't heard rumbles of a class-action lawsuit

Apparently you cannot class action in Virginia. Already entertained that idea....

Something else needs to happen then. Concerned parents with kids that are suffering should not be forced to sit back and wait the pandemic out, while other schools and counties all around us and the country are focusing on what's best for the students and getting them back in school. Any lawyers on here have advice? I would have sent my child to private but can't afford it and now they are all waitlisted anyway.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ok then stop supporting Duran. He didn’t handle it well and the school board just did nothing. No one is safer or better off with these school closures. Duran is to blame 100 percent.

exactly.. so lazy and not putting our kids first. I'm surprised we haven't heard rumbles of a class-action lawsuit

Because most parents don't think this.

He has handled the pandemic very well.

Clearly you don't have kids in APS.. He's done absolutely nothing but follow FCPS and disregard science, at our kids expense. This is not "handling the pandemic".

I have two kids in APS, including one with special needs.

He has prioritized APS approach appropriately and provided clear communication. He's taken feedback and adjusted course as things change. He's also handled criticism well.

It was a challenging environment for him to step into and he's handled it very well.

Good for you - stick with DL if you like but everyone else deserves the choice to return to school.