+1. I know all the lifestyle judgements around AIDS have made us hesitant to bring this up. But, I think the CDC is doing us all a disservice by not being clear on the context surrounding the Mass. data. That superspreader event was at a gay partying and hookup vacation destination. And a lot of the spread was sexual contact, not casual contact. There I said it. Not denying deltas is much more contagious, but using the Mass. super spreader event to extrapolate what would happen in K-12 schools isn’t helpful.

And before people yell, by “lifestyle” I mean casual hookup culture, and not sexual orientation, which is not a lifestyle choice.

I think the data from Mass is more concerning for kids returning to colleges with strong frat cultures.

Agree completely! I didn't know this context until yesterday. I feel like the logical takeaway should be, "We're still not at the point where a large, indoor, hook-up party among vaccinated and unvaccinated people is as safe as it used to be," not, "Mask up in the grocery store, where you likely won't have close and prolonged contact with anyone." While I don't think masking in public places is a big deal or infringement of my rights, and it certainly will prevent some spread, the real message should be about how we safely socialize. For instance, two unvaxxed kids playing legos together indoors while also eating snacks ... lots of air and potentially spit would be swapped, so not super safe. _That_ would be following the science, in my opinion.

In terms of school, I think the context of the Mass. event is important. If kids can stay relatively spaced apart, and masked as much as possible, and have most of their close contact outdoors, it seems like we should be okay. Summer camps and summer schools are running without major outbreaks. I don't think we have a scenario equivalent to what school will look like to show that we should be more alarmed than previously (i.e., the Mass. event isn't an equivalent).

In conclusion, these are scary times, and I am not immune from anxiety! These are our children, after all. But I do feel like we need to speak honestly and use some common sense.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Stop blaming teachers. They are one individual in a classroom of 25-30 kids. Parents will send their kids in sick. Covid will be present in schools. If you choose to send yours back in person you know the risks.

There isn’t much of a choice. The alternative to in-person school isn’t an acceptable option. I am very concerned.

I’m a teacher and parent. This is an impossible situation because there’s no distance now with a more transmissible variant AND there’s simply no way anyone, families, kids, teachers, can sustain another year of hybrid or distance or whatever. I’ve accepted the best we can do is have us all masked, white knuckle our way to under 12 vaccines, and make peace with the fact this does mean a lot more kids will get covid although hopefully they do not have a rough experience with it.

So when teachers/staff were at higher risk we completely shut down, socially distance and have a layered approach? Now that kids are at higher risk (due to no vaccines) we simply white knuckle and throw on useless cloth masks?

Nope. Not for my child. If FCPS does not step up and provide an actual plan with the new Delta variant to keep my child reasonably safe, I'm not sending her. The Delta variant changes everything and FCPS and the school board are pretending that it doesn't exist.

Better start shopping for alternatives now, then. Of course, Delta will start waning by early/mid-September but not sure if that's good enough for you.

That is not a helpful reply. I think vaccines and masks will be good protection against the Delta variant.

Delta is not a perma-wave. People are freaking out about it, but it's got a limited shelf life. Masks and vaccines are the tablestakes mitigation measures this year. Next year, probably just vaccines.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Teacher here. I think they should require all staff and students to have a negative PCR 72 hours before school starts. I also think there should be weekly testing. Los Angeles is doing that and they are a lot larger. I think this would give hesitant parents some piece of mind.

You are talking about 200,000 tests a week/ close to 1 million a month. That isn’t reasonable.

My older kids SLAC did PCR testing. It picked up virtually no silent cases, and 0 silent outbreaks. And it only worked because you tested the second you hit campus, then 3 days later and quarantined until the second test was clear. So, for a total of a week. Then they had bubble, and all was well. You can’t bubble K12.

I haven’t seen any data showing surveillance testing outside of bubbles does anything to slow the spread.

Teacher here. Like I don’t have enough to do that I want to get a covid test.

Also, aren’t you supposed to isolate when testing like this? So all teachers should give up their last weekend of summer?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Stop blaming teachers. They are one individual in a classroom of 25-30 kids. Parents will send their kids in sick. Covid will be present in schools. If you choose to send yours back in person you know the risks.

There isn’t much of a choice. The alternative to in-person school isn’t an acceptable option. I am very concerned.

I’m a teacher and parent. This is an impossible situation because there’s no distance now with a more transmissible variant AND there’s simply no way anyone, families, kids, teachers, can sustain another year of hybrid or distance or whatever. I’ve accepted the best we can do is have us all masked, white knuckle our way to under 12 vaccines, and make peace with the fact this does mean a lot more kids will get covid although hopefully they do not have a rough experience with it.

So when teachers/staff were at higher risk we completely shut down, socially distance and have a layered approach? Now that kids are at higher risk (due to no vaccines) we simply white knuckle and throw on useless cloth masks?

Nope. Not for my child. If FCPS does not step up and provide an actual plan with the new Delta variant to keep my child reasonably safe, I'm not sending her. The Delta variant changes everything and FCPS and the school board are pretending that it doesn't exist.

Better start shopping for alternatives now, then. Of course, Delta will start waning by early/mid-September but not sure if that's good enough for you.

That is not a helpful reply. I think vaccines and masks will be good protection against the Delta variant.

Also, I think the media is being extremely irresponsible in how they are reporting on the vaccinated populace vis a vis the Delta variant. Vaccines are still an effective life saving miracle that can keep spread in check; they are just not foolproof. You will notice that the pediatric hospitals filling up with COVID cases are in low vaccination parts of the country.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Stop blaming teachers. They are one individual in a classroom of 25-30 kids. Parents will send their kids in sick. Covid will be present in schools. If you choose to send yours back in person you know the risks.

There isn’t much of a choice. The alternative to in-person school isn’t an acceptable option. I am very concerned.

I’m a teacher and parent. This is an impossible situation because there’s no distance now with a more transmissible variant AND there’s simply no way anyone, families, kids, teachers, can sustain another year of hybrid or distance or whatever. I’ve accepted the best we can do is have us all masked, white knuckle our way to under 12 vaccines, and make peace with the fact this does mean a lot more kids will get covid although hopefully they do not have a rough experience with it.

So when teachers/staff were at higher risk we completely shut down, socially distance and have a layered approach? Now that kids are at higher risk (due to no vaccines) we simply white knuckle and throw on useless cloth masks?

Nope. Not for my child. If FCPS does not step up and provide an actual plan with the new Delta variant to keep my child reasonably safe, I'm not sending her. The Delta variant changes everything and FCPS and the school board are pretending that it doesn't exist.

Better start shopping for alternatives now, then. Of course, Delta will start waning by early/mid-September but not sure if that's good enough for you.

Anonymous wrote:Teacher here. I think they should require all staff and students to have a negative PCR 72 hours before school starts. I also think there should be weekly testing. Los Angeles is doing that and they are a lot larger. I think this would give hesitant parents some piece of mind.

Another teacher here and I think that would do no good. Perfect example of what people call hygiene theater.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Teacher here. I think they should require all staff and students to have a negative PCR 72 hours before school starts. I also think there should be weekly testing. Los Angeles is doing that and they are a lot larger. I think this would give hesitant parents some piece of mind.

You are talking about 200,000 tests a week/ close to 1 million a month. That isn’t reasonable.

My older kids SLAC did PCR testing. It picked up virtually no silent cases, and 0 silent outbreaks. And it only worked because you tested the second you hit campus, then 3 days later and quarantined until the second test was clear. So, for a total of a week. Then they had bubble, and all was well. You can’t bubble K12.

I haven’t seen any data showing surveillance testing outside of bubbles does anything to slow the spread.

The data on K-12 surveillance testing was that it was expensive and mostly false positives.

I believe the data on symptomatic rapid testing at school is better.

Anonymous wrote:Teacher here. I think they should require all staff and students to have a negative PCR 72 hours before school starts. I also think there should be weekly testing. Los Angeles is doing that and they are a lot larger. I think this would give hesitant parents some piece of mind.

You are talking about 200,000 tests a week/ close to 1 million a month. That isn’t reasonable.

My older kids SLAC did PCR testing. It picked up virtually no silent cases, and 0 silent outbreaks. And it only worked because you tested the second you hit campus, then 3 days later and quarantined until the second test was clear. So, for a total of a week. Then they had bubble, and all was well. You can’t bubble K12.

I haven’t seen any data showing surveillance testing outside of bubbles does anything to slow the spread.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There will be no school closures in the DMV. There is just no stomach for it, especially when the cost far outweighs the risk.

+1 fear porn. There is no appetite to close unless democrats never want to hold an elected office in Virginia this year. Closing schools was an utter disaster for poor and minorities we're not doing that again.

And don’t forget the special needs kids, especially the ones that were not able to participate in virtual instruction. They essentially missed an entire year of schooling.

And no one in power cared last year. What's changed?

We have the vaccine, but the folks who are unvaccinated are fueling variants that put stress on what was once a much more “bulletproof” shield; with the Delta variant, it seems it might be more like protective padding.

As a HS teacher, I think all staff and faculty should be required to get vaccinated (of course those with medical excuses would be exempt). We should also encourage all students 12 and over to get vaccinated and hold vaccine drives at the school. I am worried for the little ones who can’t yet get vaccinated, so making sure everyone else around them is vaccinated will help. Unfortunately, we are going to have to do indoor masking yet again… it sucks, I know, but I want to keep the FFX county kids safe.

Agreed.

Masks on for everyone.

Also- apparently this variant has a R0 value of 8 or 9- like measles or chickenpox.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2021/07/29/cdc-mask-guidance/

The data the CDC used for that has been widely questioned by others. It included modeling studies from India based on their vaccines and a superspreader event involving lots of very, very close personal contact ideal for spreading any respiratory disease.

+1. I know all the lifestyle judgements around AIDS have made us hesitant to bring this up. But, I think the CDC is doing us all a disservice by not being clear on the context surrounding the Mass. data. That superspreader event was at a gay partying and hookup vacation destination. And a lot of the spread was sexual contact, not casual contact. There I said it. Not denying deltas is much more contagious, but using the Mass. super spreader event to extrapolate what would happen in K-12 schools isn’t helpful.

And before people yell, by “lifestyle” I mean casual hookup culture, and not sexual orientation, which is not a lifestyle choice.

I think the data from Mass is more concerning for kids returning to colleges with strong frat cultures.

Those are very good points. I hadn’t thought about that.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There will be no school closures in the DMV. There is just no stomach for it, especially when the cost far outweighs the risk.

+1 fear porn. There is no appetite to close unless democrats never want to hold an elected office in Virginia this year. Closing schools was an utter disaster for poor and minorities we're not doing that again.

And don’t forget the special needs kids, especially the ones that were not able to participate in virtual instruction. They essentially missed an entire year of schooling.

And no one in power cared last year. What's changed?

We have the vaccine, but the folks who are unvaccinated are fueling variants that put stress on what was once a much more “bulletproof” shield; with the Delta variant, it seems it might be more like protective padding.

As a HS teacher, I think all staff and faculty should be required to get vaccinated (of course those with medical excuses would be exempt). We should also encourage all students 12 and over to get vaccinated and hold vaccine drives at the school. I am worried for the little ones who can’t yet get vaccinated, so making sure everyone else around them is vaccinated will help. Unfortunately, we are going to have to do indoor masking yet again… it sucks, I know, but I want to keep the FFX county kids safe.

Agreed.

Masks on for everyone.

Also- apparently this variant has a R0 value of 8 or 9- like measles or chickenpox.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2021/07/29/cdc-mask-guidance/

The data the CDC used for that has been widely questioned by others. It included modeling studies from India based on their vaccines and a superspreader event involving lots of very, very close personal contact ideal for spreading any respiratory disease.

+1. I know all the lifestyle judgements around AIDS have made us hesitant to bring this up. But, I think the CDC is doing us all a disservice by not being clear on the context surrounding the Mass. data. That superspreader event was at a gay partying and hookup vacation destination. And a lot of the spread was sexual contact, not casual contact. There I said it. Not denying deltas is much more contagious, but using the Mass. super spreader event to extrapolate what would happen in K-12 schools isn’t helpful.

And before people yell, by “lifestyle” I mean casual hookup culture, and not sexual orientation, which is not a lifestyle choice.

I think the data from Mass is more concerning for kids returning to colleges with strong frat cultures.

Teacher here. I think they should require all staff and students to have a negative PCR 72 hours before school starts. I also think there should be weekly testing. Los Angeles is doing that and they are a lot larger. I think this would give hesitant parents some piece of mind.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Stop blaming teachers. They are one individual in a classroom of 25-30 kids. Parents will send their kids in sick. Covid will be present in schools. If you choose to send yours back in person you know the risks.

There isn’t much of a choice. The alternative to in-person school isn’t an acceptable option. I am very concerned.

I’m a teacher and parent. This is an impossible situation because there’s no distance now with a more transmissible variant AND there’s simply no way anyone, families, kids, teachers, can sustain another year of hybrid or distance or whatever. I’ve accepted the best we can do is have us all masked, white knuckle our way to under 12 vaccines, and make peace with the fact this does mean a lot more kids will get covid although hopefully they do not have a rough experience with it.

So when teachers/staff were at higher risk we completely shut down, socially distance and have a layered approach? Now that kids are at higher risk (due to no vaccines) we simply white knuckle and throw on useless cloth masks?

Nope. Not for my child. If FCPS does not step up and provide an actual plan with the new Delta variant to keep my child reasonably safe, I'm not sending her. The Delta variant changes everything and FCPS and the school board are pretending that it doesn't exist.

Knowing that schools have to plan for full day, in person, 5 days a week, what would you like to see added into the plan?

Who knows. She needs to call and ask to be let into the virtual program is she thinks delta makes in school unsafe now

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Stop blaming teachers. They are one individual in a classroom of 25-30 kids. Parents will send their kids in sick. Covid will be present in schools. If you choose to send yours back in person you know the risks.

There isn’t much of a choice. The alternative to in-person school isn’t an acceptable option. I am very concerned.

I’m a teacher and parent. This is an impossible situation because there’s no distance now with a more transmissible variant AND there’s simply no way anyone, families, kids, teachers, can sustain another year of hybrid or distance or whatever. I’ve accepted the best we can do is have us all masked, white knuckle our way to under 12 vaccines, and make peace with the fact this does mean a lot more kids will get covid although hopefully they do not have a rough experience with it.

So when teachers/staff were at higher risk we completely shut down, socially distance and have a layered approach? Now that kids are at higher risk (due to no vaccines) we simply white knuckle and throw on useless cloth masks?

Nope. Not for my child. If FCPS does not step up and provide an actual plan with the new Delta variant to keep my child reasonably safe, I'm not sending her. The Delta variant changes everything and FCPS and the school board are pretending that it doesn't exist.

Knowing that schools have to plan for full day, in person, 5 days a week, what would you like to see added into the plan?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There will be no school closures in the DMV. There is just no stomach for it, especially when the cost far outweighs the risk.

+1 fear porn. There is no appetite to close unless democrats never want to hold an elected office in Virginia this year. Closing schools was an utter disaster for poor and minorities we're not doing that again.

And don’t forget the special needs kids, especially the ones that were not able to participate in virtual instruction. They essentially missed an entire year of schooling.

And no one in power cared last year. What's changed?

We have the vaccine, but the folks who are unvaccinated are fueling variants that put stress on what was once a much more “bulletproof” shield; with the Delta variant, it seems it might be more like protective padding.

As a HS teacher, I think all staff and faculty should be required to get vaccinated (of course those with medical excuses would be exempt). We should also encourage all students 12 and over to get vaccinated and hold vaccine drives at the school. I am worried for the little ones who can’t yet get vaccinated, so making sure everyone else around them is vaccinated will help. Unfortunately, we are going to have to do indoor masking yet again… it sucks, I know, but I want to keep the FFX county kids safe.

Agreed.

Masks on for everyone.

Also- apparently this variant has a R0 value of 8 or 9- like measles or chickenpox.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2021/07/29/cdc-mask-guidance/

The data the CDC used for that has been widely questioned by others. It included modeling studies from India based on their vaccines and a superspreader event involving lots of very, very close personal contact ideal for spreading any respiratory disease.