Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We are lucky to have Dr. Duran. I hope he isn’t fed up enough with personal attacks from Open Schools Now crowd to quit. I know he has experience from Fairfax dealing with nutty parents, but god bless him. I couldn’t stand these attacks from the parents on this. Please stay, Dr. D. We need someone like you who is focused on the students.

Not true in FFX. They don't do this community engagement nonsense. They objectively plan and make critical decisions with the best available information and let parents know their decision. Period. Too bad he didn't bring that skillset with him. But to suggest he's dealt with nutty FFX parents simply isn't the case. They do not take input from nutty over and over again like APS does. Stop the madness. Make tough choices and move along.

+1M the need for inclusion in Arlington is counterproductive.
Also, the same people who complain probably voted for the APS bond.

The last group he is focused on is the students. First priority , his job security by pandering to AEM. Then his popularity with staff and teachers who want to stay home . Third, politicizing education. If he cared about students, he may have checked in at least once to even see if this technology was even working and kids were actually learning. He may have helped special needs students get the services and education they need. He would have started planning in for school reopening in the summer. He would acknowledge the burden this has placed on working families. I could go on and on. This guy is just pathetic. No wonder Fairfax sent him to Arlington.

Anonymous wrote:We are lucky to have Dr. Duran. I hope he isn’t fed up enough with personal attacks from Open Schools Now crowd to quit. I know he has experience from Fairfax dealing with nutty parents, but god bless him. I couldn’t stand these attacks from the parents on this. Please stay, Dr. D. We need someone like you who is focused on the students.

Not true in FFX. They don't do this community engagement nonsense. They objectively plan and make critical decisions with the best available information and let parents know their decision. Period. Too bad he didn't bring that skillset with him. But to suggest he's dealt with nutty FFX parents simply isn't the case. They do not take input from nutty over and over again like APS does. Stop the madness. Make tough choices and move along.

Anonymous wrote:We are lucky to have Dr. Duran. I hope he isn’t fed up enough with personal attacks from Open Schools Now crowd to quit. I know he has experience from Fairfax dealing with nutty parents, but god bless him. I couldn’t stand these attacks from the parents on this. Please stay, Dr. D. We need someone like you who is focused on the students.

If he was focused on the students he would be actively seeking out information on learning loss instead of having to be pushed to even be willing to acknowledge that its a slight possibility.

if he was focused on the students he would have brought Phase 1 students, who by definition cannot learn on an Ipad, back with their actual teachers to teach them in person instead of bringing them back with extended day workers to continue distance learning on an Ipad.

If he was focused on the students, he would have at least held a town hall with student athletes about cancelling winter sports instead of slipping it into a slide in a school board update with no discussion whatsoever.

If he was focused on the students, he would be thinking creatively about how to get K-3 back in the building ASAP, instead of just continuing to push it off.

Anonymous wrote:I really wish he'd be forward looking. It feels like APS is always 3-6 months behind. For instance:

I wish he'd start making plans for outdoor classes to begin once the weather turns in the spring. Buy tents. Consider options. Put together a plan now, not in April.

I wish he'd find a corporate partner for testing. Would Amazon or Nestle help fund testing so students can go back? What about Kaiser or Inova or CVS?

I wish he'd look into improved ventilation and HEPA filters. We can't consider fixing ventilation without his office putting together an estimate. If the vaccine efforts arent successful, we'll need better ventilation for a safe return in fall 2021.

I wish he'd acknowledged the massive learning loss happening and make rigorous plans for summer school. It's entirely plausible that schools will end up being closed to in person education for a full year (March-March). Couldn't we try to make that up with a large summer school effort this summer? For this, planning needs to start now. Seek funding. Hire teachers. Sort out who would attend. Start prepping parents and teachers. Plan to start overcoming those losses.

Totally agree. I'd also add that we APS needs a virtual academy for next school year. consolidate all the kids that will be virtual. Let the brick and mortar schools focus on in-person education. We need a massive summer school program - lobby the governor and county for funds NOW to make that happen.

We are lucky to have Dr. Duran. I hope he isn’t fed up enough with personal attacks from Open Schools Now crowd to quit. I know he has experience from Fairfax dealing with nutty parents, but god bless him. I couldn’t stand these attacks from the parents on this. Please stay, Dr. D. We need someone like you who is focused on the students.

Anonymous wrote:I really wish he'd be forward looking. It feels like APS is always 3-6 months behind. For instance:

I wish he'd start making plans for outdoor classes to begin once the weather turns in the spring. Buy tents. Consider options. Put together a plan now, not in April.

I wish he'd find a corporate partner for testing. Would Amazon or Nestle help fund testing so students can go back? What about Kaiser or Inova or CVS?

I wish he'd look into improved ventilation and HEPA filters. We can't consider fixing ventilation without his office putting together an estimate. If the vaccine efforts arent successful, we'll need better ventilation for a safe return in fall 2021.

I wish he'd acknowledged the massive learning loss happening and make rigorous plans for summer school. It's entirely plausible that schools will end up being closed to in person education for a full year (March-March). Couldn't we try to make that up with a large summer school effort this summer? For this, planning needs to start now. Seek funding. Hire teachers. Sort out who would attend. Start prepping parents and teachers. Plan to start overcoming those losses.

^THIS

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Dude. Cases are going up. It was the right call and took some serious balls given the amount of whiny parents.

His communication has been very clear.

Want your kids back in school? Push the county to close the bars. Get the MAGA losers to wear masks.

Dude, the cases are going up because of testing is up. Testing isn’t certainty that either you have Covid or not. Closing down the bars isn’t a solution to open schools and makes minimal difference. The metrics being used to open schools are incorrect.

Bringing in MAGA into this, masks protect but isn’t sustainable or hygienic.
Really boils down to White collar jobs require people to comeback into the office. This is not going to happen anytime soon. In fact, federal agencies are reducing footprint.

Duran says we are in PAUSE. The amount fear of the virus has paralyzed this county including schools.
I feel for the kids and especially now not being able to participate in team sports.

Dude. So much wrong here.

Wear your fcking mask.

I really wish he'd be forward looking. It feels like APS is always 3-6 months behind. For instance:

I wish he'd start making plans for outdoor classes to begin once the weather turns in the spring. Buy tents. Consider options. Put together a plan now, not in April.

I wish he'd find a corporate partner for testing. Would Amazon or Nestle help fund testing so students can go back? What about Kaiser or Inova or CVS?

I wish he'd look into improved ventilation and HEPA filters. We can't consider fixing ventilation without his office putting together an estimate. If the vaccine efforts arent successful, we'll need better ventilation for a safe return in fall 2021.

I wish he'd acknowledged the massive learning loss happening and make rigorous plans for summer school. It's entirely plausible that schools will end up being closed to in person education for a full year (March-March). Couldn't we try to make that up with a large summer school effort this summer? For this, planning needs to start now. Seek funding. Hire teachers. Sort out who would attend. Start prepping parents and teachers. Plan to start overcoming those losses.

Anonymous wrote:Disagree with PP. His job is to put students interests first. He has done nothing to address the students educational deficits from HIS decision to stay closed and he is doing nothing to improve DL. He is not even learning from the school districts that have opened safely. He is taking sports away from HS students when a lot of us have been safely on the soccer field since September. A good leader isn’t rigid like this. He adapts as new data come in. He listens to the scientific evidence. The school board is just weak and useless.

I'm with you. He has no balls on this and no balls to address the boundary process. They just cower to anything remotely difficult. Same old APS just a new face. So disappointing.

Anonymous wrote:Dude. Cases are going up. It was the right call and took some serious balls given the amount of whiny parents.

His communication has been very clear.

Want your kids back in school? Push the county to close the bars. Get the MAGA losers to wear masks.

I see very few 'maga losers' in Arlington- I rarely go anywhere inside, but when I do people are masked.
The county has no authority to close bars- that has to come from the Governor.
The Governor is not going to close bars b/c he doesn't think its necessary to reopen schools. He has allowed schools to reopen, and most of Virginia has. Those that haven't mostly have a plan to do so in the near term and are allowing sports.
Arlington Dept of Health stated that we need to learn to live with the virus and take appropriate precautions. They are not pushing for further restrictions on businesses.
Nor would further restrictions necessarily be effective. At the last press conference the Governor stated that most of our current spread is coming from small family gatherings, where people take their masks off and are in close proximity with one another for an extended period of time.
The Governor puts restrictions on businesses to keep hospitals from becoming overwhelmed. Currently there are about 1050 people hospitalized with COVID state wide, and slightly more than 200 in the ICU statewide. Its been around that number for several months. It started to go over 1300 in late July/ early August driven by the eastern district, and the Governor restricted liquor license sales after 10 pm in the eastern district. He was able to trace the increase directly to that.
The hospital numbers were more like 1600 in April/May.

Disagree with PP. His job is to put students interests first. He has done nothing to address the students educational deficits from HIS decision to stay closed and he is doing nothing to improve DL. He is not even learning from the school districts that have opened safely. He is taking sports away from HS students when a lot of us have been safely on the soccer field since September. A good leader isn’t rigid like this. He adapts as new data come in. He listens to the scientific evidence. The school board is just weak and useless.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Dude. Cases are going up. It was the right call and took some serious balls given the amount of whiny parents.

His communication has been very clear.

Want your kids back in school? Push the county to close the bars. Get the MAGA losers to wear masks.

Dude, the cases are going up because of testing is up. Testing isn’t certainty that either you have Covid or not. Closing down the bars isn’t a solution to open schools and makes minimal difference. The metrics being used to open schools are incorrect.

Bringing in MAGA into this, masks protect but isn’t sustainable or hygienic.
Really boils down to White collar jobs require people to comeback into the office. This is not going to happen anytime soon. In fact, federal agencies are reducing footprint.

Duran says we are in PAUSE. The amount fear of the virus has paralyzed this county including schools.
I feel for the kids and especially now not being able to participate in team sports.

The cases are going up for many reasons, but the number of people I see not wearing masks out and about in Arlington doesn’t help. As the governor of Maryland said yesterday to his constituents: “Wear your damn masks”

I like Duran. Give him a chance. This is a very difficult time to transition into his position. He has communicated and listened much better than his predecessor did and I appreciate that. Just because the open school folks aren’t getting their way is no reason to completely trash him.

Anonymous wrote:Dude. Cases are going up. It was the right call and took some serious balls given the amount of whiny parents.

His communication has been very clear.

Want your kids back in school? Push the county to close the bars. Get the MAGA losers to wear masks.

Dude, the cases are going up because of testing is up. Testing isn’t certainty that either you have Covid or not. Closing down the bars isn’t a solution to open schools and makes minimal difference. The metrics being used to open schools are incorrect.

Bringing in MAGA into this, masks protect but isn’t sustainable or hygienic.
Really boils down to White collar jobs require people to comeback into the office. This is not going to happen anytime soon. In fact, federal agencies are reducing footprint.

Duran says we are in PAUSE. The amount fear of the virus has paralyzed this county including schools.
I feel for the kids and especially now not being able to participate in team sports.