Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This idiot’s misguided rant is now just about every other post on my FB feed. I can’t believe his bad math is going to be all over the place and probably have more influence on the back to school discussion than anything coming from the CDC. It’s a textbook example of how to spread misinformation and lies.

CNN ran a segment on FCPS and spoke with Scott Brabrand. He said 1/3 had chosen distance learning. So I don't think Joe Morice's efforts made much of a dent. People overwhelming are choosing to send their kids back to school.

I think they're choosing Hybrid only because they need the childcare. At least that is my hope because of the wild risk they are taking with their kids lives.

statistically, what qualifies as a wild risk, because the odds of a healthy second grader having a serious reaction even if they catch covid (which in and of itself is unlikely) are de minimis

I’m more concerned about parents and teachers getting sick and possibly dying, and the effect that would have on kids.

I’m weighing that risk. I believe it’s a small risk. Even the cdc shows a risk of .26% of dying from Covid-19. Roughly double the flu. I compare that to risk of my child being educationally behind for many years. IMO, that risk is very high the longer they’re out of school. I’m making the decision to send my child to school because I truly believe this is the best risk/reward outcome. I could be wrong, but you could be too. It’s called being a parent to make decisions with rational thinking. Unfortunately too many parents have lost sight of that.

This is true, however the risk of error if you are wrong is substantially higher than the risk of error if a DL parent is wrong. Additionally, the studies suggesting Covid can cause brain damage in children is concerning, even if it is a small percentage. That said, my personal feeling is that hybrid spots should be reserved for students with IEPs, in food insecure households or other homes flagged as at risk. Additional seats can be lotteried to general population. This obviously doesn’t go over well among the “we pay for taxes, put me first” crowd, but it would be the most practical. Perhaps because I have younger children, and one of our family members had severe covid, but I have seen the mental impact on my kids of knowing someone is dangerously ill. If a teacher or administrator they know succumbs to covid and I have to explain that, their anxiety level will be through the roof, because they know all the changes and precautions right now are “because of coronavirus”.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This idiot’s misguided rant is now just about every other post on my FB feed. I can’t believe his bad math is going to be all over the place and probably have more influence on the back to school discussion than anything coming from the CDC. It’s a textbook example of how to spread misinformation and lies.

CNN ran a segment on FCPS and spoke with Scott Brabrand. He said 1/3 had chosen distance learning. So I don't think Joe Morice's efforts made much of a dent. People overwhelming are choosing to send their kids back to school.

I think they're choosing Hybrid only because they need the childcare. At least that is my hope because of the wild risk they are taking with their kids lives.

No they are also choosing in person because they know their children will learn better in a classroom. Like many of the choices we make as parents we weigh the risk and reward and go from there.

+1 This is our reason. My kids are rising HS, they have and will continue to take precautions seriously.

I’m heartened to see that many others in this forum had the same reaction that I did to the original rant that has gone viral on Facebook. I have many issues with this post as others have noted, with the biggest being his calculation of risk. Is his bad math important and germane to his thesis? Yes it is! Everything we do is about fear and risk as he says right? Especially in the times we are living in now, we are constantly evaluating the risk/benefit of everything we do. Sending our kids to school is no different and many of us have been diligently following the research on kids and COVID (to include their role in transmitting the virus) to understand that risk and make informed decisions.

Joe’s post has struck a nerve for two groups. One that identifies and finds useful his arguments and logic. And the other with a group to include myself who finds his irresponsible projection of child fatalities to be dangerous misinformation that is fueling fears and impacting parents’ decisions on their children’s education all over the country at this point, despite what actual data and studies say. Are there unknowns about kids and COVID? Yes there are but there is also no question that Joe’s calculations are wildly unreasonable given what we currently know which is quite a bit. But beyond that, Joe’s post struck me as tone deaf in other ways as well. Namely his lack of understanding that DL is not a feasible solution for many families and now thanks to him we also have to feel bad about ourselves because of it. But also because there are real disparities in our country that will be exacerbated if DL is no longer a choice but is implemented for the whole student population. (https://www.wsj.com/articles/remote-learning-pushes-americas-most-vulnerable-students-further-behind-11594826905)

I don’t know what his motivation for writing this was but it definitely appears he was trying to reach a wide audience with this. Despite what he’s said, I do believe he was trying to influence others to choose DL. Otherwise why play up the possible risk so much and write as if he was trying to persuade us all to DL? And that’s also why I think his refusal to correct his math and logic is so dangerous. He’s trying to persuade using info we all know is flawed. But I’m also skeptical that he really wanted anyone to challenge his own position as he asked us to do. Because when faced with questions about his math and research, he doubled down, refused to change anything and implied that anyone questioning him must be fine with some level of child deaths.

Oh and I just saw an article on him in the Chicago Tribune which mentions neither his affiliation or any of the bad numbers used to make his point (https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.chicagotribune.com/columns/heidi-stevens/ct-heidi-stevens-parents-weighing-hybrid-school-option-0717-20200717-p6dkjutl65hnrhvjjihgsa46m4-story.html%3foutputType=amp).

I think students and teachers not comfortable with being in school should absolutely have the DL choice. But I think it’s really terrible that this rant has proliferated all over the country, possibly caused parents to make a decision they otherwise would not have, and made a lot of parents feel guilty for not having a choice in this situation.

Anonymous wrote:Whoever wrote this should have reread it before posting. A lot of it is just totally wrong. And he comes off as self-righteous.

Can people who want DL just choose DL and stop feeling the need to force other people into it just so their kids aren’t left out of something? These over the top-long winded posts are getting out of hand.

Exactly.

He is advocating for working parents with young elementary schoolers to now spend more money on childcare, with their kids receiving worthless DL.

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Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This idiot’s misguided rant is now just about every other post on my FB feed. I can’t believe his bad math is going to be all over the place and probably have more influence on the back to school discussion than anything coming from the CDC. It’s a textbook example of how to spread misinformation and lies.

CNN ran a segment on FCPS and spoke with Scott Brabrand. He said 1/3 had chosen distance learning. So I don't think Joe Morice's efforts made much of a dent. People overwhelming are choosing to send their kids back to school.

I think they're choosing Hybrid only because they need the childcare. At least that is my hope because of the wild risk they are taking with their kids lives.

statistically, what qualifies as a wild risk, because the odds of a healthy second grader having a serious reaction even if they catch covid (which in and of itself is unlikely) are de minimis

I’m more concerned about parents and teachers getting sick and possibly dying, and the effect that would have on kids.

I’m weighing that risk. I believe it’s a small risk. Even the cdc shows a risk of .26% of dying from Covid-19. Roughly double the flu. I compare that to risk of my child being educationally behind for many years. IMO, that risk is very high the longer they’re out of school. I’m making the decision to send my child to school because I truly believe this is the best risk/reward outcome. I could be wrong, but you could be too. It’s called being a parent to make decisions with rational thinking. Unfortunately too many parents have lost sight of that.

They’ll still be behind. It’s 2/5 the school they used to get.

Interesting NBC article with valid points. Of note - different strategies were recommended for different student age groups, social distancing and other strict safety measures were encouraged, and the realization that any response by school officials cannot be close to “normal” during a pandemic were brought forth.

A correction to your comment: only one of the pediatricians was asked about sending her own kids back to school, which she said (in early July) that she would do in September. They others did not comment on their own choices.

I trust these doctors a lot more than I trust Joe on Facebook.

https://www.nbcnews.com/health/kids-health/back-school-what-doctors-say-about-children-covid-19-n1233550

(spoiler: all pediatricians interviewed plan to send their kids back to school)

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This idiot’s misguided rant is now just about every other post on my FB feed. I can’t believe his bad math is going to be all over the place and probably have more influence on the back to school discussion than anything coming from the CDC. It’s a textbook example of how to spread misinformation and lies.

CNN ran a segment on FCPS and spoke with Scott Brabrand. He said 1/3 had chosen distance learning. So I don't think Joe Morice's efforts made much of a dent. People overwhelming are choosing to send their kids back to school.

I think they're choosing Hybrid only because they need the childcare. At least that is my hope because of the wild risk they are taking with their kids lives.

statistically, what qualifies as a wild risk, because the odds of a healthy second grader having a serious reaction even if they catch covid (which in and of itself is unlikely) are de minimis

I’m more concerned about parents and teachers getting sick and possibly dying, and the effect that would have on kids.

I’m weighing that risk. I believe it’s a small risk. Even the cdc shows a risk of .26% of dying from Covid-19. Roughly double the flu. I compare that to risk of my child being educationally behind for many years. IMO, that risk is very high the longer they’re out of school. I’m making the decision to send my child to school because I truly believe this is the best risk/reward outcome. I could be wrong, but you could be too. It’s called being a parent to make decisions with rational thinking. Unfortunately too many parents have lost sight of that.

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That's fine. You don't need to justify yourself to me. But the "will be better than DL" is questionable. That is according to FCPS teachers and administrators I have talked to in person. They say it won't resemble anything like a regular school experience. No collaboration. Limited class interaction. Masks. No lockers. No sitting with whoever at lunch. You'll be with the same 10-15 kids for core classes and lunch. And there will be tons of policing of social distancing rules.

I get that it may be something, but better than DL is subjective. And I would argue, wrong.

DL being better than hybrid at anything, including education, is subjective. And I would argue that hybrid holds all the cards.

You can argue anything you want.
The administrators and teachers I've talked to have said otherwise. I'll defer to them.

Ok, defer away. Enjoy it.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
That's fine. You don't need to justify yourself to me. But the "will be better than DL" is questionable. That is according to FCPS teachers and administrators I have talked to in person. They say it won't resemble anything like a regular school experience. No collaboration. Limited class interaction. Masks. No lockers. No sitting with whoever at lunch. You'll be with the same 10-15 kids for core classes and lunch. And there will be tons of policing of social distancing rules.

I get that it may be something, but better than DL is subjective. And I would argue, wrong.

DL being better than hybrid at anything, including education, is subjective. And I would argue that hybrid holds all the cards.

You can argue anything you want.
The administrators and teachers I've talked to have said otherwise. I'll defer to them.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This idiot’s misguided rant is now just about every other post on my FB feed. I can’t believe his bad math is going to be all over the place and probably have more influence on the back to school discussion than anything coming from the CDC. It’s a textbook example of how to spread misinformation and lies.

CNN ran a segment on FCPS and spoke with Scott Brabrand. He said 1/3 had chosen distance learning. So I don't think Joe Morice's efforts made much of a dent. People overwhelming are choosing to send their kids back to school.

I think they're choosing Hybrid only because they need the childcare. At least that is my hope because of the wild risk they are taking with their kids lives.

No they are also choosing in person because they know their children will learn better in a classroom. Like many of the choices we make as parents we weigh the risk and reward and go from there.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This idiot’s misguided rant is now just about every other post on my FB feed. I can’t believe his bad math is going to be all over the place and probably have more influence on the back to school discussion than anything coming from the CDC. It’s a textbook example of how to spread misinformation and lies.

CNN ran a segment on FCPS and spoke with Scott Brabrand. He said 1/3 had chosen distance learning. So I don't think Joe Morice's efforts made much of a dent. People overwhelming are choosing to send their kids back to school.

I think they're choosing Hybrid only because they need the childcare. At least that is my hope because of the wild risk they are taking with their kids lives.

statistically, what qualifies as a wild risk, because the odds of a healthy second grader having a serious reaction even if they catch covid (which in and of itself is unlikely) are de minimis

I’m more concerned about parents and teachers getting sick and possibly dying, and the effect that would have on kids.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This idiot’s misguided rant is now just about every other post on my FB feed. I can’t believe his bad math is going to be all over the place and probably have more influence on the back to school discussion than anything coming from the CDC. It’s a textbook example of how to spread misinformation and lies.

CNN ran a segment on FCPS and spoke with Scott Brabrand. He said 1/3 had chosen distance learning. So I don't think Joe Morice's efforts made much of a dent. People overwhelming are choosing to send their kids back to school.

I think they're choosing Hybrid only because they need the childcare. At least that is my hope because of the wild risk they are taking with their kids lives.

statistically, what qualifies as a wild risk, because the odds of a healthy second grader having a serious reaction even if they catch covid (which in and of itself is unlikely) are de minimis

It’s not a wild risk, jc we take wild risks just getting up and driving everyday. This isn’t Texas, FL, or any other out if control state. It’s NoVA.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This idiot’s misguided rant is now just about every other post on my FB feed. I can’t believe his bad math is going to be all over the place and probably have more influence on the back to school discussion than anything coming from the CDC. It’s a textbook example of how to spread misinformation and lies.

CNN ran a segment on FCPS and spoke with Scott Brabrand. He said 1/3 had chosen distance learning. So I don't think Joe Morice's efforts made much of a dent. People overwhelming are choosing to send their kids back to school.

I think they're choosing Hybrid only because they need the childcare. At least that is my hope because of the wild risk they are taking with their kids lives.