Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Teachers are willing to teach because the risk of infection is considerably lower.

Solve the virus spread and you solve the problems of schools (and work, and travel, and just about everything else). But most people here would rather just argue about the everything else rather than solve the real problem.

Many NOVA jurisdictions positivity rate is below 5%. Honest question, what number are you okay with? NYC’s metric to reopen is 5%— although they are lower.

DP.. what's the 7 day rolling average? Is nova/VA seeing cases go up even as the rate is below 5%? Then that's a concern. NY's rate is flat or going down. That's why they feel it's ok to re-open.

Fairfax County is currently at 5.6 cases per 100,000 and steady if not slightly declining (we were at 6.1 at end of July).

So, on average, 99,994 healthy students/adults in Fairfax County out of 100,000. .

If we get to 99,996 heathy students/adults, can we reopen? This is ridiculous.

Exactly. Does anyone know what positivity rates we are waiting on? I believe DC and NYC have similar positivity rates, yet one is closed and the other is allowed to open. Assume that in the absence of federal guidance this is a district-based decision? Are teachers looking for 0%? Not sure if the unions have said anything in this regard.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm a NYC teacher. We are talking about striking. Teachers are willing to teach under safe conditions only. The current plans that the city submitted to the state are not acceptable. There were parent and teacher protests at DOE headquarters this week.
The conditions that we stayed open under in March were horrific-the city claimed that there were twice weekly "deep cleanings" happening (no) and that there were cleaning supplies delivered to all schools (never materialized) and that we were amping up hand washing (we had no soap or hot water). When teachers were calling the health department to report positive COVID cases, the department refused to shut the schools down (as they had promised to do) and questioned the validity of the tests. Teachers were standing outside schools telling parents that their children were not safe and turning them away, risking their own jobs. We will not go back to that.

What specific safety-related things are you asking for so that we as parents can advocate too?

Intermittent testing of school communities to identify asymptomatic cases (you would identify a statistically representative percentage of the population and test that %), a school nurse in every school (currently there are 400 vacancies), contract tracing, a comprehensive procedure for shutting down schools for known positive cases, and evidence that procedures (social distancing, mask wearing, reporting and tracing of positive cases) are being followed. For example, the Department of Education and the city initially promised us that ventilation systems would be upgraded, but have since said that a window that opens even an inch would be considered acceptable and adequate ventilation to reopen. That's not good enough.

Wow, I'm the PP that was hoping that schools were doing a better job with putting protocols in place but after what you wrote, I am totally on your side. And I apologize for my ignorance and privilege- I'm in a wealthy school district and I completely discounted the HUGE disparities that exist for other districts. Guidelines say there should be a "pandemic coordinator or team" for each school so I am appalled that some schools don't even have nurses. The other big issue is the level of trust that teachers need to have with the administration to deliver on their promises for adequately safe opening.

Anonymous wrote:The Governor of VA also announced something similar. But as you see, several counties in VA are not reopening. Unfortunately, I think the teachers will not allow them to reopen either.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm a NYC teacher. We are talking about striking. Teachers are willing to teach under safe conditions only. The current plans that the city submitted to the state are not acceptable. There were parent and teacher protests at DOE headquarters this week.
The conditions that we stayed open under in March were horrific-the city claimed that there were twice weekly "deep cleanings" happening (no) and that there were cleaning supplies delivered to all schools (never materialized) and that we were amping up hand washing (we had no soap or hot water). When teachers were calling the health department to report positive COVID cases, the department refused to shut the schools down (as they had promised to do) and questioned the validity of the tests. Teachers were standing outside schools telling parents that their children were not safe and turning them away, risking their own jobs. We will not go back to that.

What specific safety-related things are you asking for so that we as parents can advocate too?

Intermittent testing of school communities to identify asymptomatic cases (you would identify a statistically representative percentage of the population and test that %), a school nurse in every school (currently there are 400 vacancies), contract tracing, a comprehensive procedure for shutting down schools for known positive cases, and evidence that procedures (social distancing, mask wearing, reporting and tracing of positive cases) are being followed. For example, the Department of Education and the city initially promised us that ventilation systems would be upgraded, but have since said that a window that opens even an inch would be considered acceptable and adequate ventilation to reopen. That's not good enough.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:MD at 3.9%, MoCo at 2.4

OPEN THE SCHOOLS

Seems that’s the best number in the region—are they steady/declining or increasing?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Teachers are willing to teach because the risk of infection is considerably lower.

Solve the virus spread and you solve the problems of schools (and work, and travel, and just about everything else). But most people here would rather just argue about the everything else rather than solve the real problem.

Many NOVA jurisdictions positivity rate is below 5%. Honest question, what number are you okay with? NYC’s metric to reopen is 5%— although they are lower.

NP
I think that’s a big barrier. Nobody has taken the lead here (I’m in NoVA) to set that metric. Everyone is looking to somebody else to set it.

Same in MD. Cuomo, for all of his flaws, is actually taking responsibility and leading.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Teachers are willing to teach because the risk of infection is considerably lower.

Solve the virus spread and you solve the problems of schools (and work, and travel, and just about everything else). But most people here would rather just argue about the everything else rather than solve the real problem.

Many NOVA jurisdictions positivity rate is below 5%. Honest question, what number are you okay with? NYC’s metric to reopen is 5%— although they are lower.

DP.. what's the 7 day rolling average? Is nova/VA seeing cases go up even as the rate is below 5%? Then that's a concern. NY's rate is flat or going down. That's why they feel it's ok to re-open.

Fairfax County is currently at 5.6 cases per 100,000 and steady if not slightly declining (we were at 6.1 at end of July).

So, on average, 99,994 healthy students/adults in Fairfax County out of 100,000. .

If we get to 99,996 heathy students/adults, can we reopen? This is ridiculous.

Anonymous wrote:MD at 3.9%, MoCo at 2.4

OPEN THE SCHOOLS

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The Governor of VA also announced something similar. But as you see, several counties in VA are not reopening. Unfortunately, I think the teachers will not allow them to reopen either.

+1. And this is why the visceral backlash against teachers and school administrators. Countless other professionals continue to work despite risks which can be mitigated.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm a NYC teacher. We are talking about striking. Teachers are willing to teach under safe conditions only. The current plans that the city submitted to the state are not acceptable. There were parent and teacher protests at DOE headquarters this week.
The conditions that we stayed open under in March were horrific-the city claimed that there were twice weekly "deep cleanings" happening (no) and that there were cleaning supplies delivered to all schools (never materialized) and that we were amping up hand washing (we had no soap or hot water). When teachers were calling the health department to report positive COVID cases, the department refused to shut the schools down (as they had promised to do) and questioned the validity of the tests. Teachers were standing outside schools telling parents that their children were not safe and turning them away, risking their own jobs. We will not go back to that.

What specific safety-related things are you asking for so that we as parents can advocate too?

Intermittent testing of school communities to identify asymptomatic cases (you would identify a statistically representative percentage of the population and test that %), a school nurse in every school (currently there are 400 vacancies), contract tracing, a comprehensive procedure for shutting down schools for known positive cases, and evidence that procedures (social distancing, mask wearing, reporting and tracing of positive cases) are being followed. For example, the Department of Education and the city initially promised us that ventilation systems would be upgraded, but have since said that a window that opens even an inch would be considered acceptable and adequate ventilation to reopen. That's not good enough.

DP- are there nurse position vacancies because NYS is unwilling to hire, or because not enough nurses want the job?

I grew up in NYS and always remember having a nurse at school but when I mentioned this to my DH he said he never had one at his schools in a different state.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:NYC teacher again-I'll also add that we are going back to "blended" learning, where kids will be at school between one and three days a week (not four or five days). They will be remote the rest of the time. At some schools the day(s) they are going in are not consistent, so good luck finding childcare on that schedule. The kids have to sit at their desks from 8:30-2, eating lunch in their seat while we continue to teach (I guess to prevent the kids from trying to talk to each other). They can't share materials. There is no recess.

One of the biggest concerns I’ve heard from folks (families and teachers) is the childcare gaps associated with the hybrid schedule. My friend and her DH are both teachers and their 2nd grader is returning to their previous in home daycare for the other three days. Maybe it will all work out fine but she was like, if we have to do this other families are too, if they can even find such an option. In a lot of cases it may be grandparents filling the gap.

Anonymous wrote:The Governor of VA also announced something similar. But as you see, several counties in VA are not reopening. Unfortunately, I think the teachers will not allow them to reopen either.