Anonymous wrote:Met with someone today who spoke to someone pretty high up in central office at MCPS. According to her, at the elementary level, the top proposal is a split day and split weeks combined.

You'd have one set of kids (A) go mornings only, on M-W the first week, and Th-Fr (mornings) on the second week. Then (B) goes M-W afternoons only on first week, and Th-Fr afternoons second week. Then you have groups C and D doing the opposite schedule. This also ensures every kid is in school at least a few days per week, so they can distribute free meals.

In other words, the classes would be 1/4 the size they are now, as they're broken into 4 groups, and each kid is in school 1/4 of the time they used to be.

Didn't get any info on middle and high school plans.

We have kids in ES. Ok, that's better than online only, and it ensures social distancing, but having kids in school 1/4 of the time isn't great. I'm not blaming MCPS on this one (and usually, I do) as this is a tough situation to plan for.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Met with someone today who spoke to someone pretty high up in central office at MCPS. According to her, at the elementary level, the top proposal is a split day and split weeks combined.

You'd have one set of kids (A) go mornings only, on M-W the first week, and Th-Fr (mornings) on the second week. Then (B) goes M-W afternoons only on first week, and Th-Fr afternoons second week. Then you have groups C and D doing the opposite schedule. This also ensures every kid is in school at least a few days per week, so they can distribute free meals.

In other words, the classes would be 1/4 the size they are now, as they're broken into 4 groups, and each kid is in school 1/4 of the time they used to be.

Didn't get any info on middle and high school plans.

We have kids in ES. Ok, that's better than online only, and it ensures social distancing, but having kids in school 1/4 of the time isn't great. I'm not blaming MCPS on this one (and usually, I do) as this is a tough situation to plan for.

Do they have a timeline for how long this would be for? Like this Can't work for the long term. Are they thinking until winter break.

This is so dumb because by fall literally everything else will be open.

Anonymous wrote:Met with someone today who spoke to someone pretty high up in central office at MCPS. According to her, at the elementary level, the top proposal is a split day and split weeks combined.

You'd have one set of kids (A) go mornings only, on M-W the first week, and Th-Fr (mornings) on the second week. Then (B) goes M-W afternoons only on first week, and Th-Fr afternoons second week. Then you have groups C and D doing the opposite schedule. This also ensures every kid is in school at least a few days per week, so they can distribute free meals.

In other words, the classes would be 1/4 the size they are now, as they're broken into 4 groups, and each kid is in school 1/4 of the time they used to be.

Didn't get any info on middle and high school plans.

We have kids in ES. Ok, that's better than online only, and it ensures social distancing, but having kids in school 1/4 of the time isn't great. I'm not blaming MCPS on this one (and usually, I do) as this is a tough situation to plan for.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Even Fauci said today it’s time to open schools.

No he did not.

"I hesitate to make any broad statements about whether it is or is not quote 'safe' for kids to come back to school," Fauci told CNN.

He says it is time to THINK about reopening schools; you can read for yourself the caveats according to him at https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/03/us/fauci-schools-reopening-coronavirus/index.html

SCHOOL. IS. HAPPENING.

Anthony S. Fauci, the nation’s leading expert on infectious disease, says it is “a bit of a reach” to say schools should stay closed this fall during the covid-19 pandemic.

“In some situations, there will be no problem for children to go back to school,” he said. “In others, you may need to do some modifications. You know, modifications could be breaking up the class so you don’t have a crowded classroom, maybe half in the morning, half in the afternoon, having children doing alternate schedules. There’s a whole bunch of things that one can do.”

https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2020/06/04/fauci-whole-bunch-things-can-be-done-reopen-schools/

Who said school wasn’t happening? Calm down.

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Anonymous wrote:I don’t understand why everyone thinks this is so simple. “Ugh, why is this so hard!” “Duh, they just have to go back to school!”

I am a parent and a teacher and I am here to tell you that this is complicated. It’s not simple. Putting 500-3000 wiggly, non-rule following humans in a tight space every day in the middle of a pandemic is a challenge. Even if they tend to be asymptomatic. Even if you have to go to work. If we are going to have a real conversation about what needs to happen to open, people on both sides need to agree on the basics.

PP, I agree with you that it's not simple.

But I think that MCPS needs to start with the premise "kids will go to school in the fall" and then figure out how to accomplish that.

Given the physical buildings and buses we have available in the county, if we declare that all kids will go to school in person in the fall, then social distancing is essentially over. If our state and county health officials determine social distancing can be over, then cool. But there is truly no point to setting limits on the number of people who can be in groups, in restaurants, in gyms, etc. if you are going to open schools normally.

OK, if you can't accomplish kids going to school in the fall without ending social distancing in schools, then we end social distancing in schools. The benefits of kids in school outweigh the costs.

I agree. Social distancing is the ideal. It’s not realistic or desirable for every situation.

There is literally zero chance that schools are going to open up without precautions in place. Not sure why that's what you want-one would think that you would have a modicum of concern for your family's health and for your community.
I don't know how we've even gotten to the point where people are so ignorant that they think schools should just open as normal and give up controlling the spread of the virus. Over 100,000 people die and you just shrug and say, "But it wasn't me, so I don't care." You seem incredibly selfish.

DP, but have you actually looked at the data on the impact of school opening as a contributor to increased deaths? It's pretty small. Most of us are saying that we need to consider the trade-offs of the decisions we make. Preventing the spread of COVID19 is not the only problem our society has, and we can't pretend that it is.

+1
Schools aren’t causing spread. Some of you are so entrenched in your own paranoia that you’re ignoring the data.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Even Fauci said today it’s time to open schools.

No he did not.

"I hesitate to make any broad statements about whether it is or is not quote 'safe' for kids to come back to school," Fauci told CNN.

He says it is time to THINK about reopening schools; you can read for yourself the caveats according to him at https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/03/us/fauci-schools-reopening-coronavirus/index.html

SCHOOL. IS. HAPPENING.

Anthony S. Fauci, the nation’s leading expert on infectious disease, says it is “a bit of a reach” to say schools should stay closed this fall during the covid-19 pandemic.

“In some situations, there will be no problem for children to go back to school,” he said. “In others, you may need to do some modifications. You know, modifications could be breaking up the class so you don’t have a crowded classroom, maybe half in the morning, half in the afternoon, having children doing alternate schedules. There’s a whole bunch of things that one can do.”

https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2020/06/04/fauci-whole-bunch-things-can-be-done-reopen-schools/

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Teachers don't want to go back. I wouldn't be surprised if it's 100% online again because that's what the teachers' unions are pushing for. They have schools over a barrel.

Since teachers don’t matter, terminate and replace with former restaurant and retail workers. Pay them minimum wage. And you can do it as PT gigs so you can avoid benefits. That’s how many employers do it anyway. In person school is what really matters. Parents will 100% support because they don’t care about anything other than sending their kids to the school buildings full time.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Even Fauci said today it’s time to open schools.

No he did not.

"I hesitate to make any broad statements about whether it is or is not quote 'safe' for kids to come back to school," Fauci told CNN.

He says it is time to THINK about reopening schools; you can read for yourself the caveats according to him at https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/03/us/fauci-schools-reopening-coronavirus/index.html

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t understand why everyone thinks this is so simple. “Ugh, why is this so hard!” “Duh, they just have to go back to school!”

I am a parent and a teacher and I am here to tell you that this is complicated. It’s not simple. Putting 500-3000 wiggly, non-rule following humans in a tight space every day in the middle of a pandemic is a challenge. Even if they tend to be asymptomatic. Even if you have to go to work. If we are going to have a real conversation about what needs to happen to open, people on both sides need to agree on the basics.

PP, I agree with you that it's not simple.

But I think that MCPS needs to start with the premise "kids will go to school in the fall" and then figure out how to accomplish that.

Given the physical buildings and buses we have available in the county, if we declare that all kids will go to school in person in the fall, then social distancing is essentially over. If our state and county health officials determine social distancing can be over, then cool. But there is truly no point to setting limits on the number of people who can be in groups, in restaurants, in gyms, etc. if you are going to open schools normally.

OK, if you can't accomplish kids going to school in the fall without ending social distancing in schools, then we end social distancing in schools. The benefits of kids in school outweigh the costs.

I agree. Social distancing is the ideal. It’s not realistic or desirable for every situation.

There is literally zero chance that schools are going to open up without precautions in place. Not sure why that's what you want-one would think that you would have a modicum of concern for your family's health and for your community.
I don't know how we've even gotten to the point where people are so ignorant that they think schools should just open as normal and give up controlling the spread of the virus. Over 100,000 people die and you just shrug and say, "But it wasn't me, so I don't care." You seem incredibly selfish.

DP, but have you actually looked at the data on the impact of school opening as a contributor to increased deaths? It's pretty small. Most of us are saying that we need to consider the trade-offs of the decisions we make. Preventing the spread of COVID19 is not the only problem our society has, and we can't pretend that it is.

Anonymous wrote:Teachers don't want to go back. I wouldn't be surprised if it's 100% online again because that's what the teachers' unions are pushing for. They have schools over a barrel.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t understand why everyone thinks this is so simple. “Ugh, why is this so hard!” “Duh, they just have to go back to school!”

I am a parent and a teacher and I am here to tell you that this is complicated. It’s not simple. Putting 500-3000 wiggly, non-rule following humans in a tight space every day in the middle of a pandemic is a challenge. Even if they tend to be asymptomatic. Even if you have to go to work. If we are going to have a real conversation about what needs to happen to open, people on both sides need to agree on the basics.

PP, I agree with you that it's not simple.

But I think that MCPS needs to start with the premise "kids will go to school in the fall" and then figure out how to accomplish that.

Given the physical buildings and buses we have available in the county, if we declare that all kids will go to school in person in the fall, then social distancing is essentially over. If our state and county health officials determine social distancing can be over, then cool. But there is truly no point to setting limits on the number of people who can be in groups, in restaurants, in gyms, etc. if you are going to open schools normally.

OK, if you can't accomplish kids going to school in the fall without ending social distancing in schools, then we end social distancing in schools. The benefits of kids in school outweigh the costs.

I know that you feel otherwise but your children’s lives are no more important than anyone else’s. Even if that person is eighty years old or 45 and a cancer survivor. Your children are not less important, but no, them going back to school full time so you can work is not more important than mitigating the spread of the pandemic. We will not be ending social distancing in schools. I’m a teacher and I’m not throwing caution to the wind to appease you. You are free to go out and expose yourself and your children to the virus at will but you can not demand that other people be reckless and foolish enough to do so.

Once again, the public health implications of people not working are serious. Not sure why there are so many posters who dismiss this. There’s data showing that outcomes from other ailments - diabetes, heart disease, and depression, for example are worsening because people are not getting the treatment they need, don’t have money for medications, and/or are fearful of getting to a doctor because of overstated risks of doing so. Never mind the health implications of stress, hunger, and homelessness when people are unemployed and cannot go back to work because they have young children to care for. No, not everybody can afford a nanny and that doesn’t make them less qualified to be parents.

Lastly, people at risk - like my husband - are responsible for minimizing that risk for themselves. Shutting down schools isn’t the sensible solution to that. Period.

And back to the evidence that kids aren’t vectors and reopening schools is happening globally and happening effectively. We need to do the same.
Evide