Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:https://ww2.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/publicinfo/community/school-year-2023-2024/Community-message-20230906.html

This is a nice sentiment, but we can’t all stay home when we are sick. I am an MCPS employee and I need my sick days for doctor’s visits for myself and children.

Our society only supports certain professions staying home when we don’t feel well. Do they really think all of the teachers and kids with a stuffy nose and cough are going to stay home for over a week until they feel better? Lots of people COVID Meg but walking around sick.

This is a little dramatic. If you are a 10 month employee, you could schedule many of those appointments during summer break. Even if you’re not, school gets out earlier in the afternoon than many other jobs, and you can schedule appointments in the late afternoon. Or you children’s other parent, if there is one, could take them to some of their appointments. I get that sometimes it’s unavoidable to schedule outside school hours, but if you’re organized, you can minimize the impact to your sick day allocation.

You are assuming I’m in perfect health and only need to see a doctor once a year. I am in my 40’s with a history of skin cancer and arthritis. I see a dermatologist as often as my dentist, a Rheumetologist and podiatrist every 3 months. my kids also have specialists they need to see more than once a year. And I’m at the whim of these providers having a schedule that matches mine. Many offices are now closed on Fridays or federal holidays. Doctors can cancel appointments last minute like it’s no big deal. Heaven forbid I need to call a medical office during the school year! No cell service and no time during the day except lunch when most medical offices are closed for at least an hour. Keep shaming teachers and see where it gets you!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:https://ww2.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/publicinfo/community/school-year-2023-2024/Community-message-20230906.html

This is a nice sentiment, but we can’t all stay home when we are sick. I am an MCPS employee and I need my sick days for doctor’s visits for myself and children.

Our society only supports certain professions staying home when we don’t feel well. Do they really think all of the teachers and kids with a stuffy nose and cough are going to stay home for over a week until they feel better? Lots of people COVID Meg but walking around sick.

Please don't come to school when you have covid. Or flu. I would prefer not to use my sick days visiting my 90-year-old parents in the hospital after my kid or I infect them with a virus my kid got infected with in school.

One of my parents just passed because of someone this who thought nothing to spread it. Watching your parent pass in the icu is devastating when they easily could have lived another ten years.

Please stay home when sick. It may be no big deal to you but for those of us with health issues, it impacts us far more than you can understand.

My kids missed school this week. As a teacher don’t complain mine missed a week because you spread it to us. I will not send sick kids to school and do what others did to us as I want my kids to grow up to be good, caring and considerate people who can understand others may have needs different from them.

I’m not complaining about your kid being out. I’m complaining that there are t the same expectations for teachers and other professions that would collapse without even in person workers

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:https://ww2.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/publicinfo/community/school-year-2023-2024/Community-message-20230906.html

This is a nice sentiment, but we can’t all stay home when we are sick. I am an MCPS employee and I need my sick days for doctor’s visits for myself and children.

Our society only supports certain professions staying home when we don’t feel well. Do they really think all of the teachers and kids with a stuffy nose and cough are going to stay home for over a week until they feel better? Lots of people COVID Meg but walking around sick.

Please don't come to school when you have covid. Or flu. I would prefer not to use my sick days visiting my 90-year-old parents in the hospital after my kid or I infect them with a virus my kid got infected with in school.

I already had COVID twice this summer. But both of my kids have coughs and head congestion. Testing negative everyday, but sending them to school. I have many students in my classes with similar symptoms. They are all coming to school “sick”

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Unless my kid is exhibiting symptoms, my kid going to school. At this point, it's no worse than the flu, and we should treat it as such.

It is no worse than influenza except for when it is worse than influenza.

I'm honestly most worried about young people because they have so much more of their lives to live. Every time they get Covid-19 there is a chance that they will get some of the long term symptoms. How is that going to affect my child's ability to finish their education? How will repeated infections affect my child's long term health?

It now looks like Epstein-Barr triggers Multiple Sclerosis... what could multiple Covid-19 infections turn out to trigger decades down the line? Why would I sign up to run that risk over and over again?

Oh, I don't know, because you might enjoy socializing, seeing faces, and breathing without obstructed airflow?

Do you think we should all wear masks beginning in infancy to spare us the 0.03 percent chance of getting MS?

Honestly, I mostly want better, healthier air quality. We could be improving ventilation and filtering the air in public spaces... that would help us all reduce the number of times any of us get sick. With Covid or Flu or RSV or any other airborne disease.

As someone with asthma that is triggered by a variety of allergies, I’m certainly not going to argue against improved air quality, but it’s not going to change anything that I do.

I’m going to do my part here. I’m done testing my kids for covid. If they’re not sick, they’re going to school. If they do get sick, they’ll stay home while they have symptoms. And if I somehow end up learning they have covid, I’m certainly not going to tell the school.

It would be a waste of everyone’s time to try to get them to wear masks anyway. It took a solid 18+ months of work to get one of my kids to wear a mask at all. He hasn’t worn one in a long time, and I’m sure won’t go back to it willingly. And he’s more stubborn than the Covidians are scared, so I know who would win the masking battle.

Can you please just keep your kid home when your kid is sick and infectious?

The most infectious period is the first couple days of symptoms, and sometimes a day or two before. I won’t know they have an infection before symptoms, but sure, I’ll keep them home the first couple days when they have symptoms outside their norm.

But they’re perpetually stuffed up, and have mild coughs much of the time. I’m the same way. Allergies are a thing.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Unless my kid is exhibiting symptoms, my kid going to school. At this point, it's no worse than the flu, and we should treat it as such.

It is no worse than influenza except for when it is worse than influenza.

I'm honestly most worried about young people because they have so much more of their lives to live. Every time they get Covid-19 there is a chance that they will get some of the long term symptoms. How is that going to affect my child's ability to finish their education? How will repeated infections affect my child's long term health?

It now looks like Epstein-Barr triggers Multiple Sclerosis... what could multiple Covid-19 infections turn out to trigger decades down the line? Why would I sign up to run that risk over and over again?

Oh, I don't know, because you might enjoy socializing, seeing faces, and breathing without obstructed airflow?

Do you think we should all wear masks beginning in infancy to spare us the 0.03 percent chance of getting MS?

Honestly, I mostly want better, healthier air quality. We could be improving ventilation and filtering the air in public spaces... that would help us all reduce the number of times any of us get sick. With Covid or Flu or RSV or any other airborne disease.

As someone with asthma that is triggered by a variety of allergies, I’m certainly not going to argue against improved air quality, but it’s not going to change anything that I do.

I’m going to do my part here. I’m done testing my kids for covid. If they’re not sick, they’re going to school. If they do get sick, they’ll stay home while they have symptoms. And if I somehow end up learning they have covid, I’m certainly not going to tell the school.

It would be a waste of everyone’s time to try to get them to wear masks anyway. It took a solid 18+ months of work to get one of my kids to wear a mask at all. He hasn’t worn one in a long time, and I’m sure won’t go back to it willingly. And he’s more stubborn than the Covidians are scared, so I know who would win the masking battle.

Can you please just keep your kid home when your kid is sick and infectious?

Can you use your reading skills? She said she did. You just want to try to shame people. You’re going to have to try a lot harder these days.

???????????

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Unless my kid is exhibiting symptoms, my kid going to school. At this point, it's no worse than the flu, and we should treat it as such.

It is no worse than influenza except for when it is worse than influenza.

I'm honestly most worried about young people because they have so much more of their lives to live. Every time they get Covid-19 there is a chance that they will get some of the long term symptoms. How is that going to affect my child's ability to finish their education? How will repeated infections affect my child's long term health?

It now looks like Epstein-Barr triggers Multiple Sclerosis... what could multiple Covid-19 infections turn out to trigger decades down the line? Why would I sign up to run that risk over and over again?

Oh, I don't know, because you might enjoy socializing, seeing faces, and breathing without obstructed airflow?

Do you think we should all wear masks beginning in infancy to spare us the 0.03 percent chance of getting MS?

Honestly, I mostly want better, healthier air quality. We could be improving ventilation and filtering the air in public spaces... that would help us all reduce the number of times any of us get sick. With Covid or Flu or RSV or any other airborne disease.

As someone with asthma that is triggered by a variety of allergies, I’m certainly not going to argue against improved air quality, but it’s not going to change anything that I do.

I’m going to do my part here. I’m done testing my kids for covid. If they’re not sick, they’re going to school. If they do get sick, they’ll stay home while they have symptoms. And if I somehow end up learning they have covid, I’m certainly not going to tell the school.

It would be a waste of everyone’s time to try to get them to wear masks anyway. It took a solid 18+ months of work to get one of my kids to wear a mask at all. He hasn’t worn one in a long time, and I’m sure won’t go back to it willingly. And he’s more stubborn than the Covidians are scared, so I know who would win the masking battle.

Can you please just keep your kid home when your kid is sick and infectious?

Can you use your reading skills? She said she did. You just want to try to shame people. You’re going to have to try a lot harder these days.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Unless my kid is exhibiting symptoms, my kid going to school. At this point, it's no worse than the flu, and we should treat it as such.

It is no worse than influenza except for when it is worse than influenza.

I'm honestly most worried about young people because they have so much more of their lives to live. Every time they get Covid-19 there is a chance that they will get some of the long term symptoms. How is that going to affect my child's ability to finish their education? How will repeated infections affect my child's long term health?

It now looks like Epstein-Barr triggers Multiple Sclerosis... what could multiple Covid-19 infections turn out to trigger decades down the line? Why would I sign up to run that risk over and over again?

Oh, I don't know, because you might enjoy socializing, seeing faces, and breathing without obstructed airflow?

Do you think we should all wear masks beginning in infancy to spare us the 0.03 percent chance of getting MS?

Honestly, I mostly want better, healthier air quality. We could be improving ventilation and filtering the air in public spaces... that would help us all reduce the number of times any of us get sick. With Covid or Flu or RSV or any other airborne disease.

As someone with asthma that is triggered by a variety of allergies, I’m certainly not going to argue against improved air quality, but it’s not going to change anything that I do.

I’m going to do my part here. I’m done testing my kids for covid. If they’re not sick, they’re going to school. If they do get sick, they’ll stay home while they have symptoms. And if I somehow end up learning they have covid, I’m certainly not going to tell the school.

It would be a waste of everyone’s time to try to get them to wear masks anyway. It took a solid 18+ months of work to get one of my kids to wear a mask at all. He hasn’t worn one in a long time, and I’m sure won’t go back to it willingly. And he’s more stubborn than the Covidians are scared, so I know who would win the masking battle.

Can you please just keep your kid home when your kid is sick and infectious?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Unless my kid is exhibiting symptoms, my kid going to school. At this point, it's no worse than the flu, and we should treat it as such.

It is no worse than influenza except for when it is worse than influenza.

I'm honestly most worried about young people because they have so much more of their lives to live. Every time they get Covid-19 there is a chance that they will get some of the long term symptoms. How is that going to affect my child's ability to finish their education? How will repeated infections affect my child's long term health?

It now looks like Epstein-Barr triggers Multiple Sclerosis... what could multiple Covid-19 infections turn out to trigger decades down the line? Why would I sign up to run that risk over and over again?

Oh, I don't know, because you might enjoy socializing, seeing faces, and breathing without obstructed airflow?

Do you think we should all wear masks beginning in infancy to spare us the 0.03 percent chance of getting MS?

Honestly, I mostly want better, healthier air quality. We could be improving ventilation and filtering the air in public spaces... that would help us all reduce the number of times any of us get sick. With Covid or Flu or RSV or any other airborne disease.

As someone with asthma that is triggered by a variety of allergies, I’m certainly not going to argue against improved air quality, but it’s not going to change anything that I do.

I’m going to do my part here. I’m done testing my kids for covid. If they’re not sick, they’re going to school. If they do get sick, they’ll stay home while they have symptoms. And if I somehow end up learning they have covid, I’m certainly not going to tell the school.

It would be a waste of everyone’s time to try to get them to wear masks anyway. It took a solid 18+ months of work to get one of my kids to wear a mask at all. He hasn’t worn one in a long time, and I’m sure won’t go back to it willingly. And he’s more stubborn than the Covidians are scared, so I know who would win the masking battle.

Anonymous wrote:Unless my kid is exhibiting symptoms, my kid going to school. At this point, it's no worse than the flu, and we should treat it as such.

+1

It is completely ridiculous to force a asymptomatic kid to wear a mask. What a joke. And anti-science.

Anonymous wrote:There was a suggestion above that the chances of a bad outcome from Covid was minuscule for kids. I'm just posting a couple articles:
https://www.heart.org/en/news/2023/04/25/long-covid-in-children-still-poses-plenty-of-questions
From article: ""I would say on average, we're looking at somewhere between 4% to 25% of kids who have had a SARS-CoV-2 infection go on to have symptoms of long COVID," said Rao, who also is an associate professor at the University of Colorado School of Medicine. However, "it's a very difficult question to answer, just because different groups are exploring this in slightly different ways, with different definitions.""

Kids can end up with bad outcomes short of death.

https://www.usnews.com/news/health-news/articles/2023-07-21/1-in-5-kids-had-long-covid-symptoms-months-after-infection

From article: "The review, of 31 international studies, found that over 16% of children and teenagers with COVID had problems such as sore throat, persistent fevers, fatigue and muscle weakness at least three months later."

Have you dealt with a child with persistent muscle weakness and fatigue?

https://www.salon.com/2023/08/27/long-is-debilitating-children-and-doctors-worry-there-arent-enough-centers-to-treat-them/

Do we even have the resources to treat the number of kids who will have Long Covid after letting it loose in our schools without any mitigation?

Thinking about wearing a mask while cases are heading up seems super reasonable.

Look up how studies define “long covid symptoms” then come back.

Better yet, look at the studies that compare “long covid symptom” rates in kids that have recently had covid versus those who have not. They’re not much different.

There was a suggestion above that the chances of a bad outcome from Covid was minuscule for kids. I'm just posting a couple articles:
https://www.heart.org/en/news/2023/04/25/long-covid-in-children-still-poses-plenty-of-questions
From article: ""I would say on average, we're looking at somewhere between 4% to 25% of kids who have had a SARS-CoV-2 infection go on to have symptoms of long COVID," said Rao, who also is an associate professor at the University of Colorado School of Medicine. However, "it's a very difficult question to answer, just because different groups are exploring this in slightly different ways, with different definitions.""

Kids can end up with bad outcomes short of death.

https://www.usnews.com/news/health-news/articles/2023-07-21/1-in-5-kids-had-long-covid-symptoms-months-after-infection

From article: "The review, of 31 international studies, found that over 16% of children and teenagers with COVID had problems such as sore throat, persistent fevers, fatigue and muscle weakness at least three months later."

Have you dealt with a child with persistent muscle weakness and fatigue?

https://www.salon.com/2023/08/27/long-is-debilitating-children-and-doctors-worry-there-arent-enough-centers-to-treat-them/

Do we even have the resources to treat the number of kids who will have Long Covid after letting it loose in our schools without any mitigation?

Thinking about wearing a mask while cases are heading up seems super reasonable.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would have hoped that by now we would mention air ventilation, air filtration and masking as things that would actually help reduce transmission in the classrooms. Covid is Airborne, we fight it by concentrating on keeping it out of the air, diluting it, or removing it from the air.

If you want your kid to have more time in the classroom, think about masking at least some of the time during this uptick in cases, so it doesn't increase to a full surge.

Ask your schools to make sure their ventilation is bringing in fresh air. The CDC recommends 5 air changes an hour. Fans and open windows help. Air filters help when bringing in more fresh air is impossible.

We know the tools to keep kids healthy and in the classroom. We just need to use them

Oh sure.

I’m going to force my kids to wear those ridiculous masks “some of the time” (when, exactly, pp? Totally arbitrary?) because THAT alone will prevent a “full surge!”

PP, you’ve gone off the deep end. Do you even hear yourself?

I’m a DP.

The suggestions above seem perfectly reasonable. There’s nothing “deep end” about improving air filtration and *considering* a mask during a surge. Actually, this seems like the most reasonable and logical post I’ve seen on DCUM when it comes to Covid. It’s perfectly middle-of-the-road between being cautious and simply living life.

If reasonable is now “deep end,” then perhaps it’s time to reevaluate your own stance on this.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Unless my kid is exhibiting symptoms, my kid going to school. At this point, it's no worse than the flu, and we should treat it as such.

It is no worse than influenza except for when it is worse than influenza.

For the vast vast majority of people, it is not worse than the flu.

If you didn't quarantine for 5 days after being exposed to the flu but had no symptoms, then you don't need to with covid.

Every year, some people die from complications from the flu, yet we didn't force kids to quarantine for just being exposed.

I get that we needed to quarantine when covid first hit because we didn't know enough about the virus, and also we did not have a vax, but we do now, and it's no worse than the flu.

Except for the people for whom it is worse than influenza.

C’mon. You know we’re talking about the vast vast majority of people. Why do you keep saying that?

I guess you don’t drive either. Because driving is relatively safe - most people don’t die in an accident. I know I know - except for the people who have died in a car accident

Funny you should mention driving. Driving in the US should be unacceptably unsafe, but some reason, we accept it. There are a lot of things we could do to make the roads in the US as safe as the roads in Canada or Australia (to say nothing of Norway). Why aren't we doing those things? I think the attitudes/beliefs in your post demonstrate the issues, with respect to covid as well as cars and guns.

https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/2023/8/25/23844717/america-safe-air-travel-car-safety-accidents

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Unless my kid is exhibiting symptoms, my kid going to school. At this point, it's no worse than the flu, and we should treat it as such.

It is no worse than influenza except for when it is worse than influenza.

I'm honestly most worried about young people because they have so much more of their lives to live. Every time they get Covid-19 there is a chance that they will get some of the long term symptoms. How is that going to affect my child's ability to finish their education? How will repeated infections affect my child's long term health?

It now looks like Epstein-Barr triggers Multiple Sclerosis... what could multiple Covid-19 infections turn out to trigger decades down the line? Why would I sign up to run that risk over and over again?

Oh, I don't know, because you might enjoy socializing, seeing faces, and breathing without obstructed airflow?

Do you think we should all wear masks beginning in infancy to spare us the 0.03 percent chance of getting MS?

Honestly, I mostly want better, healthier air quality. We could be improving ventilation and filtering the air in public spaces... that would help us all reduce the number of times any of us get sick. With Covid or Flu or RSV or any other airborne disease.

University of Maryland College Park just sent out the linked message regarding rising Covid cases:
https://view.email.umd.edu/?qs=67c2f0e578c07d57646a32b77e380ee2bec855680dec1f5b869d9b7bb30bf7a1d595c0dbfb087da23f89ebe5069434b63a202f0d71765b8c7694215bc640b196bd65061b91dbadc0

Excerpt:
"Dear campus community,
As the fall semester is underway, I’m writing to remind you of the COVID-19 protocols and guidelines in effect for the beginning of the academic year.

Masks: Wearing a mask is not required while indoors. However, as a reminder, masks are a significant defense against the spread of COVID-19 and other respiratory viruses.

Testing: Students, faculty and staff are encouraged to take a rapid antigen COVID-19 test if you develop symptoms of COVID-19. Tests are currently available at the Health Center. If you test positive, you should isolate per CDC guidelines. Please report your positive test at return.umd.edu. Once you have reported your test result, you will receive detailed information and guidance by email.

Vaccination: For some individuals and people who are immunocompromised, staying up to date on your COVID-19 vaccine continues to be an important way to reduce the risk of severe illness. COVID-19 vaccines are available at the University Health Center as well as local pharmacies."

I like how this at least acknowledges that masks are an important way to protect oneself against Covid.

On the vaccination topic, I'll note that the CDC is scheduled to discuss approving the newest formulation of the covid vaccine booster next week. All our kids are probably close to a year away from their last booster shot, and this new formulation is designed to protect against XBB variants (and Moderna just announced today that it produces antibodies against the newest variants that are circulating: BA.2.86, EG.5 etc. I imagine the Pfizer shot will produce similar antibodies.) We should be able to get our kids newly boosted with this monovalent booster soon, as indications are that it will be available to everyone who wants it 6 months and up. I'm hoping getting immunity up this Fall will also reduce transmission in school.