Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:One issue is that at middle schools most 6th graders are 11 when school begins so they aren’t eligible until either the lower age group opens up or they turn 12. In high schools all students are vaccine eligible so perhaps. I’m an APS elementary teacher and we’ve been told that right now they are planning to continue masks indoors, air cleaners in all classrooms, and Qualtrics survey each morning. No masks outside at recess and no temp checks.

I can't imagine the logistics of qualtrics when everyone is back in person, I'm surprised they're even considering keeping it.

They aren't. See page 3 https://go.boarddocs.com/vsba/arlington/Board.nsf/files/C3MRT7661BEF/$file/D-1%20School%20Year%202020-21%20Update%206-3-2021.pdf

Anonymous wrote:One issue is that at middle schools most 6th graders are 11 when school begins so they aren’t eligible until either the lower age group opens up or they turn 12. In high schools all students are vaccine eligible so perhaps. I’m an APS elementary teacher and we’ve been told that right now they are planning to continue masks indoors, air cleaners in all classrooms, and Qualtrics survey each morning. No masks outside at recess and no temp checks.

I can't imagine the logistics of qualtrics when everyone is back in person, I'm surprised they're even considering keeping it.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Serious questions. The vaccine is much more effective than masks at preventing you from getting or giving covid.

So why do we feel like masks protect us better than the vaccine? We are willing to allow kids/teens to do things masked, but not unmasked and vaccinated. The latter -- unmasked and vaxxed -- is much safer than the former. Is it just because we can SEE the masks so it makes us feel better? I would imagine that the lying-about-being-vaxxed people pose the same risk as the ineffective-mask-wearing people do.

Good points. We love our masks tooo much around here. Prior to the vaccine, masks were important. Now that we have a vaccine, masks are so much less important. Really, distancing, cleaning and masks are not very helpful at this point. Vaccines and being outside are our best preventions!

No. Half of the schoolkids won't be able to be vaccinated. Masks are still very necessary for the unvaccinated.

Why would anyone think masks are unnecessary for unvaccinated?

What, I never said unvaccinated should stop wearing masks. If policy people can't sort out how to let the vaccinated go maskless, so be it. But let's get great minds working on it! I get middle school is tricky dues to under 12 issue. But high school?

Here's the thing...tweens bodies mature at different rates. I see it with my children and I see it with other people's, too. So while the CDC and others throw out the age of "12" as some great divide, it isn't as though the day before a child's twelfth birthday it is safe to be around the unvaccinated child, and the day after a child's twelfth birthday it isn't safe. It seems silly to be using 12 as the line in the sand. The line needs to be wider imo. I also think it is a problem to expect a teacher to know who needs to wear a mask and who doesn't. That seems super distracting and not at all where I want the teacher's attention to be. I think it would be better to require masks for all at all times until there is more data and better direction.

Anonymous wrote:I’m a high school teacher and hope masks are not required in the fall at the secondary level. Anyone who wanted a vaccine by then could have gotten one at my school. We can’t mask forever because some people do not want it or can’t get it for medical reasons. I understand it’s different in elementary school. If the cases or community spread rises then it can be reevaluated but cases are low right now.

I literally don't know any high school teacher who agrees with you. What school are you at? Because at my school I am pretty sure almost everyone wants masks.

The bodies of teens are more like the bodies of adults than kids. I don't want to be in a room with someone unvaccinated for a long period of time. I don't want to get sick even if the illness is mitigated by the vaccine. I am not putting myself at risk for health problems down the road because some kid didn't get vaccinated and isn't wearing a mask. I'll walk before that.

I’m a high school teacher and hope masks are not required in the fall at the secondary level. Anyone who wanted a vaccine by then could have gotten one at my school. We can’t mask forever because some people do not want it or can’t get it for medical reasons. I understand it’s different in elementary school. If the cases or community spread rises then it can be reevaluated but cases are low right now.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Serious questions. The vaccine is much more effective than masks at preventing you from getting or giving covid.

So why do we feel like masks protect us better than the vaccine? We are willing to allow kids/teens to do things masked, but not unmasked and vaccinated. The latter -- unmasked and vaxxed -- is much safer than the former. Is it just because we can SEE the masks so it makes us feel better? I would imagine that the lying-about-being-vaxxed people pose the same risk as the ineffective-mask-wearing people do.

Good points. We love our masks tooo much around here. Prior to the vaccine, masks were important. Now that we have a vaccine, masks are so much less important. Really, distancing, cleaning and masks are not very helpful at this point. Vaccines and being outside are our best preventions!

No. Half of the schoolkids won't be able to be vaccinated. Masks are still very necessary for the unvaccinated.

Why would anyone think masks are unnecessary for unvaccinated?

What, I never said unvaccinated should stop wearing masks. If policy people can't sort out how to let the vaccinated go maskless, so be it. But let's get great minds working on it! I get middle school is tricky dues to under 12 issue. But high school?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m a high school teacher. I’m all about safety, but I’d like to think that by fall we’d be able to go without them. The summer provides a reasonable amount of time for teens to get their vaccines. The vast majority of my students have already started.

+1

-1000 Every single teacher at my school who has spoken with me about it wants masks on everyone 100% of the time. We don't want to have to worry about which kid is vaccinated and which isn't when we're looking at the sea of faces and having to teach. We all want ALL kids to show proof of vaccination before returning to the classroom anyway.

I'm an APS parent and I could get behind no masks IF AND ONLY IF APS requires proof of vaccination. Anyone who is unvaxxed should definitely wear masks. Unvaxxed and no masks = recipe for covid spread and I want schools to stay open and be safe.

I am a teacher. I'm vaccinated and I've been back in school since March. If they say no masks and that unvaccinated kids are going to be in my classroom, then I'll need to quit. It is my agreement with my husband. My kids and family are more important to me than this stupid job.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Serious questions. The vaccine is much more effective than masks at preventing you from getting or giving covid.

So why do we feel like masks protect us better than the vaccine? We are willing to allow kids/teens to do things masked, but not unmasked and vaccinated. The latter -- unmasked and vaxxed -- is much safer than the former. Is it just because we can SEE the masks so it makes us feel better? I would imagine that the lying-about-being-vaxxed people pose the same risk as the ineffective-mask-wearing people do.

Good points. We love our masks tooo much around here. Prior to the vaccine, masks were important. Now that we have a vaccine, masks are so much less important. Really, distancing, cleaning and masks are not very helpful at this point. Vaccines and being outside are our best preventions!

No. Half of the schoolkids won't be able to be vaccinated. Masks are still very necessary for the unvaccinated.

Why would anyone think masks are unnecessary for unvaccinated?

+1

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m a high school teacher. I’m all about safety, but I’d like to think that by fall we’d be able to go without them. The summer provides a reasonable amount of time for teens to get their vaccines. The vast majority of my students have already started.

+1

-1000 Every single teacher at my school who has spoken with me about it wants masks on everyone 100% of the time. We don't want to have to worry about which kid is vaccinated and which isn't when we're looking at the sea of faces and having to teach. We all want ALL kids to show proof of vaccination before returning to the classroom anyway.

I'm an APS parent and I could get behind no masks IF AND ONLY IF APS requires proof of vaccination. Anyone who is unvaxxed should definitely wear masks. Unvaxxed and no masks = recipe for covid spread and I want schools to stay open and be safe.

What about masks during flu season..and are we going to ask proof for flu shots. The schools already require proof of vaccination for many diseases.

Masks for rhinoviruses or norovirus?

You're conflating viruses, PP, but good try. Covid is deadly and has killed 3.7 million (3,717,000) people in a year. The average flu, not so much, at about 290,000 a year. That's a sizable difference. I'm sure even you can see that, can't you???

Although masks during flu season makes sense. The reports from the CDC do indicate that because people were at home AND wearing masks AND social distancing this flu season, the number of reported cases was down significantly.

On second thought...maybe we should just go back to all that? I'm game if it keeps me away from rocket scientists like you, PP.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Serious questions. The vaccine is much more effective than masks at preventing you from getting or giving covid.

So why do we feel like masks protect us better than the vaccine? We are willing to allow kids/teens to do things masked, but not unmasked and vaccinated. The latter -- unmasked and vaxxed -- is much safer than the former. Is it just because we can SEE the masks so it makes us feel better? I would imagine that the lying-about-being-vaxxed people pose the same risk as the ineffective-mask-wearing people do.

Good points. We love our masks tooo much around here. Prior to the vaccine, masks were important. Now that we have a vaccine, masks are so much less important. Really, distancing, cleaning and masks are not very helpful at this point. Vaccines and being outside are our best preventions!

No. Half of the schoolkids won't be able to be vaccinated. Masks are still very necessary for the unvaccinated.

Why would anyone think masks are unnecessary for unvaccinated?

Anonymous wrote:Serious questions. The vaccine is much more effective than masks at preventing you from getting or giving covid.

So why do we feel like masks protect us better than the vaccine? We are willing to allow kids/teens to do things masked, but not unmasked and vaccinated. The latter -- unmasked and vaxxed -- is much safer than the former. Is it just because we can SEE the masks so it makes us feel better? I would imagine that the lying-about-being-vaxxed people pose the same risk as the ineffective-mask-wearing people do.

Good points. We love our masks tooo much around here. Prior to the vaccine, masks were important. Now that we have a vaccine, masks are so much less important. Really, distancing, cleaning and masks are not very helpful at this point. Vaccines and being outside are our best preventions!

Anonymous wrote:Serious questions. The vaccine is much more effective than masks at preventing you from getting or giving covid.

So why do we feel like masks protect us better than the vaccine? We are willing to allow kids/teens to do things masked, but not unmasked and vaccinated. The latter -- unmasked and vaxxed -- is much safer than the former. Is it just because we can SEE the masks so it makes us feel better? I would imagine that the lying-about-being-vaxxed people pose the same risk as the ineffective-mask-wearing people do.

Good points. We love our masks tooo much around here. Prior to the vaccine, masks were important. Now that we have a vaccine, masks are so much less important. Really, distancing, cleaning and masks are not very helpful at this point. Vaccines and being outside are our best preventions!

Serious questions. The vaccine is much more effective than masks at preventing you from getting or giving covid.

So why do we feel like masks protect us better than the vaccine? We are willing to allow kids/teens to do things masked, but not unmasked and vaccinated. The latter -- unmasked and vaxxed -- is much safer than the former. Is it just because we can SEE the masks so it makes us feel better? I would imagine that the lying-about-being-vaxxed people pose the same risk as the ineffective-mask-wearing people do.

APS has already posted that there will be no health screening, just “honor system” for symptoms rather than the daily health screening. I took this to mean they won’t use Qualtrics through the summer/fall.

I’m fine with showing that my kid is vaccinated. I would ask for APS to do the same for teachers (both covid and flu). They do not require either and I think they should.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m a high school teacher. I’m all about safety, but I’d like to think that by fall we’d be able to go without them. The summer provides a reasonable amount of time for teens to get their vaccines. The vast majority of my students have already started.

+1

-1000 Every single teacher at my school who has spoken with me about it wants masks on everyone 100% of the time. We don't want to have to worry about which kid is vaccinated and which isn't when we're looking at the sea of faces and having to teach. We all want ALL kids to show proof of vaccination before returning to the classroom anyway.

I'm an APS parent and I could get behind no masks IF AND ONLY IF APS requires proof of vaccination. Anyone who is unvaxxed should definitely wear masks. Unvaxxed and no masks = recipe for covid spread and I want schools to stay open and be safe.

What about masks during flu season..and are we going to ask proof for flu shots. The schools already require proof of vaccination for many diseases.

Masks for rhinoviruses or norovirus?