So this is the CDC’s definition:

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/php/contact-tracing/contact-tracing-plan/appendix.html#contact

Term
Close Contact
Definition
Close Contact through Proximity and Duration of Exposure: Someone who was within 6 feet of an infected person (laboratory-confirmed or a clinically compatible illness) for a cumulative total of 15 minutes or more over a 24-hour period (for example, three individual 5-minute exposures for a total of 15 minutes). An infected person can spread SARS-CoV-2 starting from 2 days before they have any symptoms (or, for asymptomatic patients, 2 days before the positive specimen collection date), until they meet criteria for discontinuing home isolation.

Exception: In the K–12 indoor classroom setting, the close contact definition excludes students who were within 3 to 6 feet of an infected student (laboratory-confirmed or a clinically compatible illness) if both the infected student and the exposed student(s) correctly and consistently wore well-fitting masks the entire time.
This exception does not apply to teachers, staff, or other adults in the indoor classroom setting.

Exception?! Exception???

The CDC knows this is going to lead to spread. For alpha, I was with them. The transmission risk was a lot lower and if some kids got it fine.

But delta is a different ball of wax, as Francis Collins and Fauci have been saying this week.

F. This is going to be a hot mess.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I expect my kid to be in person, five days a week, for the entire school year.

HAHAHA. Aww, you’re cute.

This is a reasonable assumption for a vaccinated kid.

I'm impressed by the number of people on this thread that are waking up and realizing they don't know the new OSSE guidance, how masks factor in to "close contacts", and how vaccination factors into quarantine.

This thread is about elementary schools. That is, unvaccinated kids. Yes, vaccinated kids are different, and we should have much less worry about them.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The whole class won’t go virtual or go home though. Only the kids they determine to be close contacts will. I think the idea is that’s few to no kids.

Yes, this is the CDC guidance that is now in the OSSE handbook.

Apparently a lot of people on this thread know more than CDC.

The CDC guidance was predicated on alpha, not delta.

The virus has changed.

Sure, I'll wait to see what the CDC says, not the rando on the internet.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I expect my kid to be in person, five days a week, for the entire school year.

HAHAHA. Aww, you’re cute.

This is a reasonable assumption for a vaccinated kid.

I'm impressed by the number of people on this thread that are waking up and realizing they don't know the new OSSE guidance, how masks factor in to "close contacts", and how vaccination factors into quarantine.

The denialism and the gaslighting are no longer possible all over the board are counterproductive.

We are in a high transmission area.

Delta is extremely contagious.

There is no longer any doubt that children can be infected and they can infect their peers and their family, they can be hospitalized and die, and they can have long-covid.

The vaccination rates in DC are not great. The teen vaccination rates are terrible, particularly considering that 1 shot does little against delta.

The asymptomatic testing program last year was abysmal, which some teachers and some families suspected, but we didn't actually know until yesterday, when the DC Auditor dropped their report about it. There is no good reason to trust it won't be abysmal this year as well. Just saliva pool-testing, of too few kids, too infrequently.

The CDC definition of 'close contact' for the purpose of K12 contact tracing and quarantine has absolutely no grounding in the reality of delta being airborne and highly contagious. It is not grounded in science, much less current science. It basically guarantees that infected children will stay in their classroom and infect other classmates.

There are still several DCPS buildings with HVAC that doesn't even keep cool, much less provide covid-safe air exchanges.

Not all masks are created equal, and all DCPS infographics show flat surgical masks that are woefully inadequate against the current variant. We hear nothing about mask requirements, or mask availability at school. Last year, a child would be handed a itty bitty bikini surgical mask if they didn't bring their own. That mask with not protect the wearer nor the wearer's classmates from delta. It's better than nothing, yes, it's better than banning mask mandates, but floppy surgical masks will not adequately reduce transmission, especially in a classroom with a few non-quarantined, obviously exposed, probably contagious, classmates.

Objectively, this is a shit show.

Anonymous wrote:So if DCPS really plans on not quarantining after exposure in a classroom (my god!) then the question becomes: when other schools have done this, with masking, how much spread was there?

Good news is we have a week and half to wait for other schools to test this about delta for us.

The UK already did. Without masks even. (Let me be clear I am in favor of masks)

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The whole class won’t go virtual or go home though. Only the kids they determine to be close contacts will. I think the idea is that’s few to no kids.

Yes, this is the CDC guidance that is now in the OSSE handbook.

Apparently a lot of people on this thread know more than CDC.

The CDC guidance was predicated on alpha, not delta.

The virus has changed.

Anonymous wrote:I expect my kid to be in person, five days a week, for the entire school year.

I mean so do I. But I understand the chance of that happening is about 5%.

Anonymous wrote:My understanding is that there will be no quarantining because our mask mandate will allow everyone to pretend there was no close contact bc everyone was wearing masks. What I want to know is whether when I as a parent decide that enough is enough, how I keep my kids home safe away from this shit show.

Better make that choice quick!

Anonymous wrote:The whole class won’t go virtual or go home though. Only the kids they determine to be close contacts will. I think the idea is that’s few to no kids.

Yes, this is the CDC guidance that is now in the OSSE handbook.

Apparently a lot of people on this thread know more than CDC.

So if DCPS really plans on not quarantining after exposure in a classroom (my god!) then the question becomes: when other schools have done this, with masking, how much spread was there?

Good news is we have a week and half to wait for other schools to test this about delta for us.

My understanding is that there will be no quarantining because our mask mandate will allow everyone to pretend there was no close contact bc everyone was wearing masks. What I want to know is whether when I as a parent decide that enough is enough, how I keep my kids home safe away from this shit show.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:https://www.macon.com/news/state/georgia/article253518079.html

Georgia school district halts classes for 3 weeks because of surging COVID cases

The Ware County Schools took a series of steps “regarding a safe reopening,” including encouraging students and staff to wear masks, establishing a 3-foot social distancing and limiting the access of parents to the building.

If DCPS doesn’t consider “sharing enclosed room air” as an exposure then all the kids are going to get Delta.

Which people might be fine with. But let’s just be clear about how this is going to work.

We already had litigation about air filtration. Your children won't be sitting in stagnant air.

Tell us you don’t know anything about medicine or delta without telling us you don’t know anything about medicine or delta.





(Delta transmits through air much much more effectively than the alpha variant.)

Amazing. A school district more poorly run than DCPS

Anonymous wrote:https://www.macon.com/news/state/georgia/article253518079.html

Georgia school district halts classes for 3 weeks because of surging COVID cases

The Ware County Schools took a series of steps “regarding a safe reopening,” including encouraging students and staff to wear masks, establishing a 3-foot social distancing and limiting the access of parents to the building.

If DCPS doesn’t consider “sharing enclosed room air” as an exposure then all the kids are going to get Delta.

Which people might be fine with. But let’s just be clear about how this is going to work.

From your article: WTF

"As a result, the cancellation goes beyond in-person classes to include remote classes, the district said. However, “in-season extra-curricular practices and competitions will continue,” the district said."

Because teachers are quarantining and not confirmed ill?!

Also, they don't require masks.