Anonymous wrote:My MD kid said half the class was unmasked yesterday and was sobbing about having to wear a mask this morning. I wasn’t expecting this reaction from my kid or from the community. I probed further and it was about 10 of 20 kids. I don’t think there was much moving around, but I wasn’t there and between masks and V day it was already a lot. .

I’m this PP. update: my kid exaggerated greatly and it’s like 1 kid.

A few kids didn’t wear masks. Many still had them on. The room set up is the same as last week. More and more were letting masks droop under their noses or taking them off for extended sips from their water bottles today. I didn’t say anything about that. I also not constantly checking the opt out list since it can change as parents fill out the forms. I don’t mind if students opt out and am glad they seemed comfortable with or without masks.

I must be in a different world. I didn’t even think about the new opt out policy that went into effect. I remembered when a Let’s Go Brandon neighbor made a post on NextDoorr crowing about how his kids had never been happier than the day they took their masks off (that did make me sad. Poor kids, glad they are happy now ). Looks like he took down the NextDoor post when no one commented. But only then did I think to ask my kids about the masks. They said it wasn’t many kids but that other kids then were starting to wear masks under their noses, etc. I’m not fussed either way -wearing masks was not a big deal but I’ll be fine when they go away too! I asked mine if they wanted to opt out and they were fine…..

My MtD kid said no one in his class was unmasked. OSE kid saw one kid without a mask. Both had no idea anything had changed, even though they’re also opted out (but are choosing to keep masking). They like knowing they could take their mask off if they need to but neither are ready to do so.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My MD kid said half the class was unmasked yesterday and was sobbing about having to wear a mask this morning. I wasn’t expecting this reaction from my kid or from the community. I probed further and it was about 10 of 20 kids. I don’t think there was much moving around, but I wasn’t there and between masks and V day it was already a lot. .

Im surprised, my kids told me only handful of kids unmasked at recess.

I think at Oak Street most kids are unmasked at recess - aren't they?

My 5th grader said 2 kids in his class were unmasked.

I think this is all much ado about nothing. As weeks go by and cases continue to decline, more parents will sign the opt out forms and let the kids decide whether or not to mask. I think we'll have more kids in the ES decline to mask than the older groups. Personally, I have athletes in the MS and HS who do NOT want to get Covid and miss games, so I think they'll decide to keep masking for a while just to make sure they don't get Covid. But my elementary school kid would really like to lose it for PE in particular, so I'll probably sign an opt out form this week.

Anonymous wrote:My MD kid said half the class was unmasked yesterday and was sobbing about having to wear a mask this morning. I wasn’t expecting this reaction from my kid or from the community. I probed further and it was about 10 of 20 kids. I don’t think there was much moving around, but I wasn’t there and between masks and V day it was already a lot. .

Im surprised, my kids told me only handful of kids unmasked at recess.

My MD kid said half the class was unmasked yesterday and was sobbing about having to wear a mask this morning. I wasn’t expecting this reaction from my kid or from the community. I probed further and it was about 10 of 20 kids. I don’t think there was much moving around, but I wasn’t there and between masks and V day it was already a lot. .

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The reality is that they are moving everyone further apart - not just unvaccinated/unmasked kids so no one feels ostracized.

I know this does not fit into the anti-Noonan narrative, so it is not popular to discuss, but that is the fact and not the Astroturf lies.

It sounds like they did not move anyone further apart in class today. At least 10% of the kids were unmasked, and we had a Covid case in the class (exposure last week but limited quarantining because everyone was masked then). Here's hoping the numbers keep plummeting.

Same experience and Friday exposure for MEH 7th grader.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The reality is that they are moving everyone further apart - not just unvaccinated/unmasked kids so no one feels ostracized.

I know this does not fit into the anti-Noonan narrative, so it is not popular to discuss, but that is the fact and not the Astroturf lies.

It sounds like they did not move anyone further apart in class today. At least 10% of the kids were unmasked, and we had a Covid case in the class (exposure last week but limited quarantining because everyone was masked then). Here's hoping the numbers keep plummeting.

My 5th grader's class was rearranged. They used to sit in clusters of 3-4 kids, now they are in rows a little further apart. It's fine.

Anonymous wrote:The reality is that they are moving everyone further apart - not just unvaccinated/unmasked kids so no one feels ostracized.

I know this does not fit into the anti-Noonan narrative, so it is not popular to discuss, but that is the fact and not the Astroturf lies.

It sounds like they did not move anyone further apart in class today. At least 10% of the kids were unmasked, and we had a Covid case in the class (exposure last week but limited quarantining because everyone was masked then). Here's hoping the numbers keep plummeting.

Anonymous wrote:Astroturf, as in someone from, ohhhh I don't know, maybe CATO or another Koch brothers backing the seemingly grassroots local organization to further RRNJ group-think in a local to DC area to try to peel further support to push VA from blue back to purple. I get that it's a little out there and probably not the case, but it's not all that far fetched. I'm not saying it's Courtney or anyone else from the leaders but I think it's safe to say that the hard core Rs in the group (pretty much at least 80% of those that are active) at least enjoy getting a rise out of the liberals.

It's not far-fetched. National Republican leaders openly talk about this as being their path back to the presidency and House/Senate majorities.

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/03/us/politics/school-republican-campaign-issue.html
"Seizing on education as a newly potent wedge issue, Republicans have moved to galvanize crucial groups of voters around what the party calls “parental rights” issues in public schools, a hodgepodge of conservative causes ranging from eradicating mask mandates to demanding changes to the way children are taught about racism."

https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/577058-gop-lawmaker-encourages-students-to-not-wear-masks-in-school
"Along with discouraging masks, Good claimed that masks are ineffective and that coronavirus vaccines are more dangerous for teenagers than the virus itself."

I know that not everyone who wants to eliminate the mask mandate is a secret Republican operative, but there's no question that Republican operatives are stoking the issue in an attempt to sow division and discontent. Dig deeply into who exactly is pushing the anti-mask and anti-vaccine memes you see on Facebook, for example.

Astroturf, as in someone from, ohhhh I don't know, maybe CATO or another Koch brothers backing the seemingly grassroots local organization to further RRNJ group-think in a local to DC area to try to peel further support to push VA from blue back to purple. I get that it's a little out there and probably not the case, but it's not all that far fetched. I'm not saying it's Courtney or anyone else from the leaders but I think it's safe to say that the hard core Rs in the group (pretty much at least 80% of those that are active) at least enjoy getting a rise out of the liberals.

Anonymous wrote:Would someone please explain the Astroturf reference? I don’t understand what it means.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astroturfing

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Might want to recheck the twitter page. They might not be anti vax but they have gone whole hog anti mask and are clearly a right wing astroturf group posing as run of the mill parent group.

I am so sick of the word “astroturf” because it’s local, homegrown zealots who all hold the same views about every topic and try to cancel people who deviate from their orthodoxy who have made living in this area so incredibly unpleasant.

FCC was not like this just 10-15 years ago, there are still good people, they are just not vocal, all in all the school is academically strong and prepares kids well for college, I applaud the people willing to put their necks out there and go against the current fcc dogma, and Im not talking about just the masks and covid, its beyond that, so know you are not alone.

And by homegrown zealots I mean the likes of ones putting out the infographic--not fighting against it.

Would someone please explain the Astroturf reference? I don’t understand what it means.