Anonymous wrote:Folks I’m a DCPS elementary teacher and please know that outdoor lunch is 1000x better than our crowded, very noisy cafeteria, even on a cold day. Classroom lunch is fine on the freezing days. The kids truly are fine! There is no child abuse taking place. They enjoy their time outside. Truly, it’s okay.

The teachers know about these trade-offs. A lot of thought goes into the decision and sometimes the kids do eat inside if it is well below freezing. Also a couple of times this week recess was inside and lunch outside, so lunch was the only time in the day that the kids were outside. Also for those kids sitting on concrete we were offered to provide a cushion or something to sit on, so you could do that. We declined. My daughter usually sits on a brick wall. I really wouldn't worry too much about this parents. On the upside you may be getting spared a ten day isolation period with no school.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Folks I’m a DCPS elementary teacher and please know that outdoor lunch is 1000x better than our crowded, very noisy cafeteria, even on a cold day. Classroom lunch is fine on the freezing days. The kids truly are fine! There is no child abuse taking place. They enjoy their time outside. Truly, it’s okay.

So do you think the teachers who allowed kids a choice at our school this week had bad judgment? Because the alternative, at our school this week, was to have everyone to have lunch inside. No entire class ate outside, because clearly school leaders thought it was not fine for everybody to have lunch outside during freezing, windy weather. And our school is one of those that has tables and where everyone usually has lunch outdoors.

And for the record, I’m someone who thinks it’s fine to have recess outdoors in just about any weather. But sitting and eating is a different situation.

Yes, it was poor judgement, it was far too cold this week to sit outside for lunch.

Absolutely agree with the last comment. Recess and lunch are two different issues. Kids can have recess outside on cold days but sitting for 20 to 30 minutes on a cold surface is not OK. Having a choice is nice, but the school needs to draw the line. Would you let a child go out in without a jacket when it's 35? Should putting on a jacket be a choice for a child? Sorry, but that is the adult's job, the parent or the teacher to tell the child to wear a jacket outside when it's cold.

NP but I agree with this sentiment. Before I had my DD I would have said kids can sit outside in 35 degrees for lunch no problem because I’d be fine doing that. But my tiny DD gets so cold sitting outside, especially if she takes her gloves off. It made me rethink what is appropriate for all students in the class. But recess? Unless it’s freezing rain bundle up and go outside!

You people have too much time to ruminate on things that aren’t really problems. Please take all this outrage and use it for good with a really important issue.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Folks I’m a DCPS elementary teacher and please know that outdoor lunch is 1000x better than our crowded, very noisy cafeteria, even on a cold day. Classroom lunch is fine on the freezing days. The kids truly are fine! There is no child abuse taking place. They enjoy their time outside. Truly, it’s okay.

So do you think the teachers who allowed kids a choice at our school this week had bad judgment? Because the alternative, at our school this week, was to have everyone to have lunch inside. No entire class ate outside, because clearly school leaders thought it was not fine for everybody to have lunch outside during freezing, windy weather. And our school is one of those that has tables and where everyone usually has lunch outdoors.

And for the record, I’m someone who thinks it’s fine to have recess outdoors in just about any weather. But sitting and eating is a different situation.

Yes, it was poor judgement, it was far too cold this week to sit outside for lunch.

Absolutely agree with the last comment. Recess and lunch are two different issues. Kids can have recess outside on cold days but sitting for 20 to 30 minutes on a cold surface is not OK. Having a choice is nice, but the school needs to draw the line. Would you let a child go out in without a jacket when it's 35? Should putting on a jacket be a choice for a child? Sorry, but that is the adult's job, the parent or the teacher to tell the child to wear a jacket outside when it's cold.

Anonymous wrote:Folks I’m a DCPS elementary teacher and please know that outdoor lunch is 1000x better than our crowded, very noisy cafeteria, even on a cold day. Classroom lunch is fine on the freezing days. The kids truly are fine! There is no child abuse taking place. They enjoy their time outside. Truly, it’s okay.

So do you think the teachers who allowed kids a choice at our school this week had bad judgment? Because the alternative, at our school this week, was to have everyone to have lunch inside. No entire class ate outside, because clearly school leaders thought it was not fine for everybody to have lunch outside during freezing, windy weather. And our school is one of those that has tables and where everyone usually has lunch outdoors.

And for the record, I’m someone who thinks it’s fine to have recess outdoors in just about any weather. But sitting and eating is a different situation.

Folks I’m a DCPS elementary teacher and please know that outdoor lunch is 1000x better than our crowded, very noisy cafeteria, even on a cold day. Classroom lunch is fine on the freezing days. The kids truly are fine! There is no child abuse taking place. They enjoy their time outside. Truly, it’s okay.

Anonymous wrote:35 is not the standard at my kids school. It has to be below freezing to eat lunch inside. 35 with sun and low wind with a good coat is pleasant enough. It is better to let the schools make these calls. As you noted there is an adult in the classroom and they will make a good decision.

I was one of the posters who said my kids got a choice and I approved of that policy. I was not talking about 35 degrees, but below freezing temps with windchill, which is what it was earlier this week. I di think it is cruel to force kids to eat outside in those conditions, especially when there are no tables.

35 is not the standard at my kids school. It has to be below freezing to eat lunch inside. 35 with sun and low wind with a good coat is pleasant enough. It is better to let the schools make these calls. As you noted there is an adult in the classroom and they will make a good decision.

Anonymous wrote:Letting kids choose if it's ok to eat outside when it's 35? Who is the adult in the room? I guess it's similar to letting your kid out in the snow with just tights and a hoodie because your child doesn't want to wear a jacket, hat, and gloves.

What you fail to understand is that some of the adults in the room just aren’t worried enough about Covid anymore to make their child endure a below freezing lunch.

Anonymous wrote:Letting kids choose if it's ok to eat outside when it's 35? Who is the adult in the room? I guess it's similar to letting your kid out in the snow with just tights and a hoodie because your child doesn't want to wear a jacket, hat, and gloves.

It was much colder than 35 earlier this week.

Letting kids choose if it's ok to eat outside when it's 35? Who is the adult in the room? I guess it's similar to letting your kid out in the snow with just tights and a hoodie because your child doesn't want to wear a jacket, hat, and gloves.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Eating outside in appropriate weather is absolutely a great practice for schools during Covid times as well as if we ever reach non-Covid times! Eating outside on a slab of partially iced over concrete in 22 degree temps with a windchill making it 11 degrees is not such a great idea, nor is it the norm in other countries. Playing in that weather bundled up with gloves and facial covering is very, very different from sitting down on the ground and eating a meal in it.

Very true. I agree. Lunch outside when it is below 40 is child abuse. Would the parents tolerate it? No, I didn't think so.

I'd set the temperature cutoff a little bit lower, but I think this is true when we are talking about sitting on icy concrete. It's a whole different story with picnic tables like at our school. And then kids should be given a choice when the weather is really cold. My kid chose to eat outside even on that coldest day last week, and not because he is afraid of Covid.

*meant this week

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Eating outside in appropriate weather is absolutely a great practice for schools during Covid times as well as if we ever reach non-Covid times! Eating outside on a slab of partially iced over concrete in 22 degree temps with a windchill making it 11 degrees is not such a great idea, nor is it the norm in other countries. Playing in that weather bundled up with gloves and facial covering is very, very different from sitting down on the ground and eating a meal in it.

Very true. I agree. Lunch outside when it is below 40 is child abuse. Would the parents tolerate it? No, I didn't think so.

I'd set the temperature cutoff a little bit lower, but I think this is true when we are talking about sitting on icy concrete. It's a whole different story with picnic tables like at our school. And then kids should be given a choice when the weather is really cold. My kid chose to eat outside even on that coldest day last week, and not because he is afraid of Covid.

Anonymous wrote:Eating outside in appropriate weather is absolutely a great practice for schools during Covid times as well as if we ever reach non-Covid times! Eating outside on a slab of partially iced over concrete in 22 degree temps with a windchill making it 11 degrees is not such a great idea, nor is it the norm in other countries. Playing in that weather bundled up with gloves and facial covering is very, very different from sitting down on the ground and eating a meal in it.

Very true. I agree. Lunch outside when it is below 40 is child abuse. Would the parents tolerate it? No, I didn't think so.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Are there any schools still doing outdoor lunch?

Either accept some risk or homeschool. Otherwise we will never keep school open.

No. Either accept reasonable Covid precautions or move your kid to another district or to a private school.

Your kid can skip lunch or pick them up and take them home if you are so nuts. The rest of us will mitigate risk as much as possible knowing risk exists.

Obviously you are wrong since the poster’s school is doing outdoor lunch. So is ours. Where do you live?