I’m an ITDS parent. I expect ITDS to engage staff with the same care I am required to engage with mine. If I were aware of a COVID outbreak among my staff and I told them about it at an in-person all-staff meeting, it would (appropriately) be a major issue with my staff union. If I justified my decision-making based on a legal judgment that was deeply flawed, and if after just 6 weeks on the job, I had a whistleblower complaint from my staff and a scathing report in the local paper, it would be an issue with my board. I care about whether the leadership at ITDS is treating the staff well. Here it seems like they missed the mark.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This article seems to be making a mountain out of a mole hill. If you don't know, this is a very anti-charter school author. Of course, some folks like that spin...I am just a little skeptical of her honestly reporting anything that has to do with a charter school.

I, an ITS parent, am grateful to Rachel Cohen for informing me that the HVAC is inadequate.

I take it you didn't read all the way through, which is an odd choice for a concerned ITS parent. There's one final room HVAC unit that is being repaired. One room. One unit.

But if I read it in detail then I don't have anything to blow up about! Lol

We like the school for the most part. But the parents on here are making the school should horrible. We got plenty of information from emails about what the covid protocols. We got emails last year, summer and this fall about any positive covid test and you got an extra notification if you were exposed.
I feel like this is mostly parents made about their ideas not being put in place. As, well as those made about the travel restrictions, those that want virtual school options and the helicopter parents. If they are really that frustrated with the school then by all means move on.
The school is not perfect, certainly a lot to work out and improve. Hopefully the new administration will improve where needed and maybe some more laid back parents will join the school if some posting here move on.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm surprised ITS parents aren't more concerned about this. Not telling other staff who have been exposed and making them continue to hold indoor activities is scarily reckless. Isn't it likely that more staff have been infected now?? Doesn't the secrecy and recklessness bother people?

I am an ITS parent and am pretty appalled. I don't really trust the school to protect my child and family from Covid and I am pretty much at a loss about what to do at this point. Even the lunch "wins" mentioned above seem very weak to me. From the official communication, I have no idea if my child will eat outside once a month or 90% of the time. This matters to me and my family - and even my child!

Yep. My child's actual teachers did not mention eating outside AT ALL. Only the inside procedures. It's like they had not gotten the memo from leadership that they had told parents about eating outside. Does not inspire confidence that this is actually happening.

And here it is Monday and we still have no update on the PCR test results or the HVAC repairs.

Will school actually open on Wednesday? Who knows.

Or maybe because we have had heat advisory much of the week and probably will for another month eating outside isn't likely to happen.

I actually don't want my children eating outside in the extreme.heat or with allergies etc. So, not really worried. Remember when your parents didn't get a minute by minute update of your school day...

Anonymous wrote:I'm an ITS parent, and I don't think that this school, or any, will re-open if they aren't confident in the mitigation strategies they have been developing. It isn't worth the risk to students or staff. I'm guessing they are trying to walk the line of informing families when necessary and causing panic if it isn't. Some people will view that as suspicious; others see it as pragmatic. definitely seems like the piece wasn't out to be balanced, but I'm grateful that fellow parent Mary shared her perspective because it does reflect mine and that of many others.

+1

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As a former ITS parent and founding member I’m not surprised by the level of entitlement being displayed by parents here. School is not in session. Why do you think it’s required to inform? Also, I believe the author is an Inspired parent. SMH.

I dunno, maybe the parents of the children who are going to be in classrooms taught by covid-positive staff two days from now? School starts Wednesday and if it's not starting, we need to know.

Um. No one said the positive staff members would be in classes with your kids. It is certainly reasonable to keep staffs health information as private as possible. No kids or parents were in the building therefore we don't need 5o contact trace so who had what doesn't matter.
I guess other staff might have something to say about not getting a text a 2am or 7am or whatever. They are following DC covid guidelines.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:like if you think it could be that bad and stupid, why are you at this school

Because the director of the school is brand new so there was no way of knowing it would be this bad.

And being from DCPS, it would seem she brought their culture of secrecy and stonewalling parents with her.

I'm not sure this is fair, though. I'm hardly a DCPS booster, but the principals we've had have been very transparent and have made themselves available. I don't see how you can somehow blame the secrecy here on DCPS. The original PP had a point, tbh. There was a time when ITS was the "best" option in Ward 5, but it might be time to reevaluate that wisdom.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Well, Monday's come and gone, and yet we have no update from the school and no assurance that we aren't sending our children into the care of COVID-positive adults.

We'll never have that kind of assurance unless all staff are testing every day or at least several times a week. That's the new Delta reality, I'm afraid.

And it is extremely important that we, as parents, manage our anxiety around this uncertainty for the sake of our kids, their teachers (who are also experiencing uncertainty!), and their schools.

The complacency is astonishing. And enabling frankly.

When is the part where ITS leadership tells us how many teachers have COVID, though?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Well, Monday's come and gone, and yet we have no update from the school and no assurance that we aren't sending our children into the care of COVID-positive adults.

We'll never have that kind of assurance unless all staff are testing every day or at least several times a week. That's the new Delta reality, I'm afraid.

And it is extremely important that we, as parents, manage our anxiety around this uncertainty for the sake of our kids, their teachers (who are also experiencing uncertainty!), and their schools.

The complacency is astonishing. And enabling frankly.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Well, Monday's come and gone, and yet we have no update from the school and no assurance that we aren't sending our children into the care of COVID-positive adults.

We'll never have that kind of assurance unless all staff are testing every day or at least several times a week. That's the new Delta reality, I'm afraid.

And it is extremely important that we, as parents, manage our anxiety around this uncertainty for the sake of our kids, their teachers (who are also experiencing uncertainty!), and their schools.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Well, Monday's come and gone, and yet we have no update from the school and no assurance that we aren't sending our children into the care of COVID-positive adults.

We'll never have that kind of assurance unless all staff are testing every day or at least several times a week. That's the new Delta reality, I'm afraid.

In the wake of a known exposure and multiple cases, I think we have the right to an update. This isn't just any week. It's the week after a known widespread exposure.

Anonymous wrote:Well, Monday's come and gone, and yet we have no update from the school and no assurance that we aren't sending our children into the care of COVID-positive adults.

We'll never have that kind of assurance unless all staff are testing every day or at least several times a week. That's the new Delta reality, I'm afraid.

Well, Monday's come and gone, and yet we have no update from the school and no assurance that we aren't sending our children into the care of COVID-positive adults.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm surprised ITS parents aren't more concerned about this. Not telling other staff who have been exposed and making them continue to hold indoor activities is scarily reckless. Isn't it likely that more staff have been infected now?? Doesn't the secrecy and recklessness bother people?

I am an ITS parent and am pretty appalled. I don't really trust the school to protect my child and family from Covid and I am pretty much at a loss about what to do at this point. Even the lunch "wins" mentioned above seem very weak to me. From the official communication, I have no idea if my child will eat outside once a month or 90% of the time. This matters to me and my family - and even my child!

Yep. My child's actual teachers did not mention eating outside AT ALL. Only the inside procedures. It's like they had not gotten the memo from leadership that they had told parents about eating outside. Does not inspire confidence that this is actually happening.

And here it is Monday and we still have no update on the PCR test results or the HVAC repairs.

Will school actually open on Wednesday? Who knows.

Honestly, it's not really your business. Your kid was not exposed, you don't get to known peoples' protected health information when it doesn't directly impact you. And no, this does not count as directly impacting you.

If there's an active outbreak of Covid already circulating among the staff at school, I do actually think that's my business?

So all of the staff was exposed at a big meeting, *some* of them took a Covid test, anyone who didn't test positive will be working with our kids on Wednesday, but this doesn't impact us? Come on.

Honestly I just want to know if school is cancelled or not.

It almost certainly will not be cancelled.

Oh how very helpful. Almost certainly from a random person on the internet. I will let my boss know you think I will almost certainly be at work.

I mean...you asked.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:like if you think it could be that bad and stupid, why are you at this school

Because the director of the school is brand new so there was no way of knowing it would be this bad.

And being from DCPS, it would seem she brought their culture of secrecy and stonewalling parents with her.