Anonymous wrote:I'm THRILLED! Thank god.

Same. Now we can have a vaguely normalish year.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

It has gotten more virulent.

Pp here — sorry — checking my vocabulary.

It is unknown whether it is more virulent or not.

It is definitely more contagious! That surely changes the situation for schools.

Thank you for being precise with your words.

I agree that in the end, more contagious or more virulent both make for more cases, hospitalizations and deaths.

I'm THRILLED! Thank god.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Lordy DCPS’ about face on what’s safe is staggering. I’m trying to be guided by facts not emotion, but I’m much more nervous sending my kid in this fall than I was last January.

+ a million I sent my kid happily in February but I’m more concerned about now.

Why's that?

I’m the PP. Am I the only one watching the news? And the news that there are not pediatric hospital beds because of Covid?

I have been exceedingly cautious since the beginning of COVID (including not being in favor of reopening schools in-person last spring and indoor masking continuously), but context is critical here. The places experiencing shortages of pediatric beds are in places where vax rates are low and masking mandates are non-existent (and often prohibited by law). That’s not the case in DC. Universal indoor masking + higher vax rates create a different context.

Marginally different.
Under-12s are equally unvacc'ed.
12-17 are undervacc'ed
We have stripped schools of so much of each layer of the multi-layered mitigation that DCPS is starting to sound like low-key DeSantis with a thin chippable top-coat of not-DeSantis safety.
We have enough unvaccinated people overall, and enough virus circulating right now, to basically get in 3 weeks' time where TX is now.

Agreed. I just hope DCPS had the political will to do the right thing.

Where have people been the last year? Do you understand that these rules are the only thing that is going to make school possible this year?

The more restrictive quarantine rules will ensure that kids at some schools basically never see the inside of a classroom, or are in and out of quarantine so much that it's as good as no school at all. The updated rules will allow most kids to stay in the classroom if they had no prolonged contact with an exposed or infected individual. I understand that this isn't the most restrictive approach. But the idea is that vaccines change the game and even though kids can't vaccinate, vaccinated adults should provide an umbrella of protection for kids. We need to trust the vaccine and use it to our advantage to get kids in school.

DCPS cannot mandate that schools have lunch outside because (1) schools have different facilities and capabilities around this issues, and (2) even schools with good setups for outdoor lunch will have days when it is simply not possible due to extreme heat or inclement weather. So schools will need to resolve this issue in different ways to mitigate risk. For some, it will be outdoor lunch with classrooms as backup. For others, it will be staggered lunches in the lunchroom. Others will always do in-classroom lunch. Etc. If you are concerned about your specific school's lunch policy, I strongly encourage you to CONTACT YOUR SCHOOL AND ASK FOR CLARIFICATION, AND ADVOCATE FOR MORE MITIGATION IF NECESSARY. You need to do this at your school. Complaining that DCPS isn't just broadly mandating outdoor lunch makes no sense because they can't do that. Talk to your school.

Kids have to be in school this year. They have to. Some kids and families can opt out, and I support your choice to do that for whatever reason if that's what you want. But all of these conversations need to START from the principle that in person school, full time, is necessary. And then problem solve from there. We cannot do what we did last year. It is not on the table.

Anonymous wrote:What a f***ing covid party nightmare.
This is irresponsible.

Your anxiety, needless panic, and dramatics are irresponsible, if you are exposing your family to that crap.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Lordy DCPS’ about face on what’s safe is staggering. I’m trying to be guided by facts not emotion, but I’m much more nervous sending my kid in this fall than I was last January.

+ a million I sent my kid happily in February but I’m more concerned about now.

Why's that?

I’m the PP. Am I the only one watching the news? And the news that there are not pediatric hospital beds because of Covid?

Have you actually been looking at numbers? The rate of hospitalization for kids with COVID is ridiculously tiny. Pediatric beds swell during flu season too. There are vulnerable, unhealthy kids out there. Yes, this is still a risk to them and there is virtual school for them. Pediatric hospitals are seeing high rates from a confluence of factors, RSV being the primary one.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Lordy DCPS’ about face on what’s safe is staggering. I’m trying to be guided by facts not emotion, but I’m much more nervous sending my kid in this fall than I was last January.

+ a million I sent my kid happily in February but I’m more concerned about now.

Why's that?

yeah, this isn’t super rational. adults are vaccinated now - we weren’t in feb. there were so few cases in our school from feb - june (2) and none over the summer. covid hasn’t gotten more dangerous for kids.

It has gotten more virulent.

More contagious but not more dangerous. It is safer now than ever, assuming you are either a kid or fully vaccinated. For fully vaccinated, your risks are exponentially lower. For kids, your risk in terms of health outcome is exactly the same- unbelievably super duper ridiculously low risk of serious illness or death. Even for high risk individuals who refuse to vaccinate, your risks are lower because we have monoclonal antibodies which essentially make the risks to a high risk unvaccinated person the same as a healthy vaccinated person. We are over the hump.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Lordy DCPS’ about face on what’s safe is staggering. I’m trying to be guided by facts not emotion, but I’m much more nervous sending my kid in this fall than I was last January.

+ a million I sent my kid happily in February but I’m more concerned about now.

Why's that?

I’m the PP. Am I the only one watching the news? And the news that there are not pediatric hospital beds because of Covid?

I have been exceedingly cautious since the beginning of COVID (including not being in favor of reopening schools in-person last spring and indoor masking continuously), but context is critical here. The places experiencing shortages of pediatric beds are in places where vax rates are low and masking mandates are non-existent (and often prohibited by law). That’s not the case in DC. Universal indoor masking + higher vax rates create a different context.

Marginally different.
Under-12s are equally unvacc'ed.
12-17 are undervacc'ed
We have stripped schools of so much of each layer of the multi-layered mitigation that DCPS is starting to sound like low-key DeSantis with a thin chippable top-coat of not-DeSantis safety.
We have enough unvaccinated people overall, and enough virus circulating right now, to basically get in 3 weeks' time where TX is now.

What do you mean (^ bolded)?

Anonymous wrote:Perhaps because the changes seem politically motivated, rather than scientific. Look, I’m sending my kid, but I think it’s likely he/she will get Covid this year. It’s just a bit unsettling to see the “science” change so rapidly. Considering the risk seems greater for them now, it’s painfully obvious that schools weren’t closed last year to protect them from getting Covid.

This is actually a correction of politically motivated BS and errors. Schools should have never been virtual and rolled back as they were to begin with. This is what the rules should have been even pre-vaccine

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Lordy DCPS’ about face on what’s safe is staggering. I’m trying to be guided by facts not emotion, but I’m much more nervous sending my kid in this fall than I was last January.

+ a million I sent my kid happily in February but I’m more concerned about now.

I would like to see enhanced mandates with a gradual release once
a) Delta subsides (though who is to say if worse isn't coming)
b) the vaccine is available to ALL school aged chidlren

They are allowed to start off with maximum safety in mind and then see how it goes, rather than the opposite.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Lordy DCPS’ about face on what’s safe is staggering. I’m trying to be guided by facts not emotion, but I’m much more nervous sending my kid in this fall than I was last January.

+ a million I sent my kid happily in February but I’m more concerned about now.

Why's that?

I’m the PP. Am I the only one watching the news? And the news that there are not pediatric hospital beds because of Covid?

I have been exceedingly cautious since the beginning of COVID (including not being in favor of reopening schools in-person last spring and indoor masking continuously), but context is critical here. The places experiencing shortages of pediatric beds are in places where vax rates are low and masking mandates are non-existent (and often prohibited by law). That’s not the case in DC. Universal indoor masking + higher vax rates create a different context.

Marginally different.
Under-12s are equally unvacc'ed.
12-17 are undervacc'ed
We have stripped schools of so much of each layer of the multi-layered mitigation that DCPS is starting to sound like low-key DeSantis with a thin chippable top-coat of not-DeSantis safety.
We have enough unvaccinated people overall, and enough virus circulating right now, to basically get in 3 weeks' time where TX is now.

Until they have lunch outdoors, every day will be a viral spreading event.

All the other rules don't matter one little bit as long as they allow unmasked children inside a the lunch period.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Lordy DCPS’ about face on what’s safe is staggering. I’m trying to be guided by facts not emotion, but I’m much more nervous sending my kid in this fall than I was last January.

+ a million I sent my kid happily in February but I’m more concerned about now.

Why's that?

I’m the PP. Am I the only one watching the news? And the news that there are not pediatric hospital beds because of Covid?

There are plenty of beds in DC and this entire region.

What a f***ing covid party nightmare.
This is irresponsible.