Covid and School This Fall (4 Viewers)

[Nathan R. Jessep]

Just got the guidelines from our school (private K-12), just to give you an idea of what some are doing:


A Versatile Campus Redesign
We have reimagined our facilities to protect those entrusted to us:

• ● Removed 32-year-old carpet in lower grade rooms and replaced it
  
• with tile planking
  
• ● Purchased portable desk shields for each student
  
• ● Employed advanced sanitation methods (aerosol applicators for
  
• dispensing disinfectant over large areas)
  
• ● Created plan for social distancing/pods in all classrooms
  
• ● Built outdoor hand-washing stations
  
• ● Purchased touchless thermometers for each class/athletic team
  

Hybrid Education: You Choose
Need to quarantine? Immunocompromised? We have a plan for you.
We will provide these methods of instruction:

• ● Online instruction in Phase 0 and the option of online or face-to-face (FTF) instruction in Phases 1, 2, and 3.
  
• ● Virtual classrooms for students who require distance learning for any reason.
  
• ● One-to-one devices for all students K-12 and Google Classroom platform for all instruction in PreK-12.
  

What Students Will Need Every Day

• ● Refillable water bottle
  
• ● TWO masks for all students PreK-12
  
• ● school-provided Chromebook and charger
  

How We Communicate with You
Parents’ partnership in checking these communication resources
frequently is essential to the success of this plan:

• ● Google Classroom will be the primary method of communicating classroom-related information. All assignments/links/apps will be bookmarked in one easy site for students and parents to use. Parents will receive an invitation to join their child’s Google Classrooms and must accept to receive updates.
  
• ● Email communications will provide general school information.
  
• ● Our COVID-19 Response webpage will be updated with changes.
  
• ● Text messaging will be used in case of emergency.
  

What If: COVID Protocols
A Brief Overview: Students/Teachers who are exposed to COVID-19 will
be asked to quarantine. Exposure is considered being within six feet of
an infected individual for more than 15 minutes. Students/teachers who
test positive will be asked to quarantine 14 days and test negative before
returning. A more detailed protocol will be released separately.

How We Protect Our People
Our Students and Staff
● Masks in transition mandatory (arrivals, departures and halls)
● Masks urged in grades 3-12 by Governor/LDH
● Portable individual desk shields in class
● Handwashing stations
● Cohort & pod groups, modified schedules and class sizes
● Increased sanitation
● Temperature checks
● Hand sanitizer in all areas
● Teacher masking when social distancing not feasible
Visitors
● All visitors to the front office will be required to wear a mask.
● To protect all students and staff from unnecessary exposure, no
parents/visitors will be allowed into any building past the front office .

The Daily Schedule: An Overview
Arrival at School (Phases 1-3): Students with masks will be met at their drop-off/entry point for a quick touchless temperature check. A staff member will walk Lower Elementary and PreK students to their classrooms.

During the School Day: Outdoor hand-washing stations will be used. Students will have numerous opportunities for outdoor education. Masks worn in halls/during class changes. Field trips and visitors to campus are not allowed while in Phases 1-3. Library will be available for check-outs only in Phase 1-2.

Lunch (Phases 1-3): Cafeteria will provide takeout-packaged meals, or students may bring lunch from home. No lunches can be delivered or dropped off during the day. A student without lunch will be given/charged for a takeout lunch from the cafeteria.

Assemblies will be streamed to classrooms. Lockers will not be used this fall. After School Care will not be provided in Phase 1.

The Pandemic Phases: What They Mean for US
Phase -- Time Frame  --- Educational Delivery Method(s)
Phase Zero -- 28 days (State emergency stay-at-home order) --- Distance learning for all parties
Phase One -- 28 days ---FTF - 1:10 staff-student ratio and/or distance learning.
Phase Two -- 28 days --- FTF - 1:25 staff-student ratio and/or distance learning
Phase Three -- 28 days --- FTF - normal class size and/or distance learning.
I have a few questions, such as the exposure rules that some of you brought up already in this thread, but overall pretty solid planning, IMO. I'm cautiously optimistic. 

 

[MAC_32]

What other uses? Just curious to hear your thoughts.

Prepare for the cafeteria to be an extra classroom (with kids either eating outside or in a classroom) and a smaller room like a teacher's lounge to be a space devoted for nursing overflow. Both of those obviously depend on the school, but a) I think resource office use is too school specific to even comment on general expectations and b) now that you mention it this has not come up in any conversation and I'm now trying to figure out why. 

 

[JShare87]

Prepare for the cafeteria to be an extra classroom (with kids either eating outside or in a classroom) and a smaller room like a teacher's lounge to be a space devoted for nursing overflow. Both of those obviously depend on the school, but a) I think resource office use is too school specific to even comment on general expectations and b) now that you mention it this has not come up in any conversation and I'm now trying to figure out why. 

I understand the cafeteria part. We’ve been brainstorming some things as well. Never really thought about the teacher's lounge as a resource. As far as lunch goes, I've made some suggestions about using undercovered areas such as parent drop-off and bus loading zones. They're outdoor with lots of space. We have tables on wheels we could roll out daily.

 

[NutterButter]

I understand the cafeteria part. We’ve been brainstorming some things as well. Never really thought about the teacher's lounge as a resource. As far as lunch goes, I've made some suggestions about using undercovered areas such as parent drop-off and bus loading zones. They're outdoor with lots of space. We have tables on wheels we could roll out daily.

is a dedicated lunch space necessary?  couldn't they just eat in the classroom?   

 

[Galileo]

is a dedicated lunch space necessary?  couldn't they just eat in the classroom?   

I think this is what a lot of schools are planning.  You still would need to operate a kitchen where students can purchase or utilize the free lunch program to get food, but then they could go back to a classroom.  

 

[NutterButter]

I think this is what a lot of schools are planning.  You still would need to operate a kitchen where students can purchase or utilize the free lunch program to get food, but then they could go back to a classroom.  

i would just deliver the lunches to the classrooms to minimize movement.    its gonna take some planning but seems a lot safer.

 

[Galileo]

i would just deliver the lunches to the classrooms to minimize movement.    its gonna take some planning but seems a lot safer.

Possibly...it would like take more personnel to deliver meals to possibly hundreds of people spread around a building in a short period of time or even to coordinate the "ordering" process and where it gets delivered.

 

[NutterButter]

Possibly...it would like take more personnel to deliver meals to possibly hundreds of people spread around a building in a short period of time or even to coordinate the "ordering" process and where it gets delivered.

they need to bring in some folks from the hospital to teach them the ropes.   get one of those big carts where you slide in the individual trays.  

 

[Ilov80s]

I can see the benefits of that.   Much easier to separate those kids into their own groups so if one gets sick you don't have to quarantine the whole school.   You could probably use some of the middle and high school space to provide betting social distancing.   Those kids are probably the most demanding on parents in regards to managing their virtual routine at home.   

My thoughts exactly.

 

[One]

Just got the guidelines from our school (private K-12), just to give you an idea of what some are doing:


  Hide contents
A Versatile Campus Redesign
We have reimagined our facilities to protect those entrusted to us:

• ● Removed 32-year-old carpet in lower grade rooms and replaced it
  
• with tile planking
  
• ● Purchased portable desk shields for each student
  
• ● Employed advanced sanitation methods (aerosol applicators for
  
• dispensing disinfectant over large areas)
  
• ● Created plan for social distancing/pods in all classrooms
  
• ● Built outdoor hand-washing stations
  
• ● Purchased touchless thermometers for each class/athletic team
  

Hybrid Education: You Choose
Need to quarantine? Immunocompromised? We have a plan for you.
We will provide these methods of instruction:

• ● Online instruction in Phase 0 and the option of online or face-to-face (FTF) instruction in Phases 1, 2, and 3.
  
• ● Virtual classrooms for students who require distance learning for any reason.
  
• ● One-to-one devices for all students K-12 and Google Classroom platform for all instruction in PreK-12.
  

What Students Will Need Every Day

• ● Refillable water bottle
  
• ● TWO masks for all students PreK-12
  
• ● school-provided Chromebook and charger
  

How We Communicate with You
Parents’ partnership in checking these communication resources
frequently is essential to the success of this plan:

• ● Google Classroom will be the primary method of communicating classroom-related information. All assignments/links/apps will be bookmarked in one easy site for students and parents to use. Parents will receive an invitation to join their child’s Google Classrooms and must accept to receive updates.
  
• ● Email communications will provide general school information.
  
• ● Our COVID-19 Response webpage will be updated with changes.
  
• ● Text messaging will be used in case of emergency.
  

What If: COVID Protocols
A Brief Overview: Students/Teachers who are exposed to COVID-19 will
be asked to quarantine. Exposure is considered being within six feet of
an infected individual for more than 15 minutes. Students/teachers who
test positive will be asked to quarantine 14 days and test negative before
returning. A more detailed protocol will be released separately.

How We Protect Our People
Our Students and Staff
● Masks in transition mandatory (arrivals, departures and halls)
● Masks urged in grades 3-12 by Governor/LDH
● Portable individual desk shields in class
● Handwashing stations
● Cohort & pod groups, modified schedules and class sizes
● Increased sanitation
● Temperature checks
● Hand sanitizer in all areas
● Teacher masking when social distancing not feasible
Visitors
● All visitors to the front office will be required to wear a mask.
● To protect all students and staff from unnecessary exposure, no
parents/visitors will be allowed into any building past the front office .

The Daily Schedule: An Overview
Arrival at School (Phases 1-3): Students with masks will be met at their drop-off/entry point for a quick touchless temperature check. A staff member will walk Lower Elementary and PreK students to their classrooms.

During the School Day: Outdoor hand-washing stations will be used. Students will have numerous opportunities for outdoor education. Masks worn in halls/during class changes. Field trips and visitors to campus are not allowed while in Phases 1-3. Library will be available for check-outs only in Phase 1-2.

Lunch (Phases 1-3): Cafeteria will provide takeout-packaged meals, or students may bring lunch from home. No lunches can be delivered or dropped off during the day. A student without lunch will be given/charged for a takeout lunch from the cafeteria.

Assemblies will be streamed to classrooms. Lockers will not be used this fall. After School Care will not be provided in Phase 1.

The Pandemic Phases: What They Mean for US
Phase -- Time Frame  --- Educational Delivery Method(s)
Phase Zero -- 28 days (State emergency stay-at-home order) --- Distance learning for all parties
Phase One -- 28 days ---FTF - 1:10 staff-student ratio and/or distance learning.
Phase Two -- 28 days --- FTF - 1:25 staff-student ratio and/or distance learning
Phase Three -- 28 days --- FTF - normal class size and/or distance learning.
I have a few questions, such as the exposure rules that some of you brought up already in this thread, but overall pretty solid planning, IMO. I'm cautiously optimistic. 

Thanks.  Out of curiosity,  how many kids on average are in each classroom?

 

[One]

We had a 1 hour zoom presentation today and I have to say I am extremely pleased with my son's school's response.  They will have a full schedule. It will be completely voluntary whether kids attend in school or from home.  The teachers are using something called Swivl technology to present lessons, with the kids at home being able to interact with kids in the classroom.  Mandatory masks which the school provides (no sharing, no masks from home), but there are outside areas where the kids can remove masks and of course they can remove them for lunch. They are cleaning every night with some kind of anti-viral machines (Titan?).  Social distancing in the building, etc.  Sports and other extras are still a complete crap-shoot, but they are starting fall tryouts next week.

We just got similar word for my kid's private school.  They meet or exceed all health guidelines and plan to open 100%.  Whew.  

In California, nonetheless.  

 

[joffer]

Reading a friend's FB post, came across this nugget:

The medical literature has dozens of peer reviewed published studies which document the essentially zero risk schools pose in spreading this illness to teachers, parents, or other adults in the school setting.

that seems like BS.  is there any way that's true?  dozens?  peer-reviewed?  already?

 

[acarey50]

Reading a friend's FB post, came across this nugget:

that seems like BS.  is there any way that's true?  dozens?  peer-reviewed?  already?

The only one I've seen was one I linked a couple days ago out of Germany -   link

Certainly promising, but would have to factor in things like what were the rates in those areas of Germany when they reopened, it does not mention what, if any, measures were taken in the schools (social distancing, masks, class sizes, etc.), it doesn't mention in the article if the study had been peer reviewed yet, etc.   All that said, it certainly makes me a bit more cautiously optimistic that it would be possible to return closer to "normal" school in a faster time frame than I previously thought would be reasonable.

 

[Ilov80s]

Reading a friend's FB post, came across this nugget:

that seems like BS.  is there any way that's true?  dozens?  peer-reviewed?  already?

No way. From what I have read, there seems to be solid evidence younger children don't spread the disease very well. They tend not get respiratory symptoms so they don't spread it much. However, it seems like when we are talking teens, they do seem to spread it. I have seen some anecdotes of summer camps and schools where massive outbreaks happened. 

 

[Ilov80s]

The only one I've seen was one I linked a couple days ago out of Germany -   link

Certainly promising, but would have to factor in things like what were the rates in those areas of Germany when they reopened, it does not mention what, if any, measures were taken in the schools (social distancing, masks, class sizes, etc.), it doesn't mention in the article if the study had been peer reviewed yet, etc.   All that said, it certainly makes me a bit more cautiously optimistic that it would be possible to return closer to "normal" school in a faster time frame than I previously thought would be reasonable.

That is promising to see it was teenagers studies there. 

 

[parasaurolophus]

Link to where they said defunding the police was a necessary condition?

I already copied and pasted their words and put the link in this very thread. 

 

[JShare87]

is a dedicated lunch space necessary?  couldn't they just eat in the classroom?   

Who is going to supervise the students? Teachers’ unions will not agree to have lunch in classrooms because teachers need a 30-minute lunch break. Normally, teachers drop their students off in the cafeteria, and support staff at the school supervise about 4-6 classes each. There isn't enough support staff to place in every single classroom while the teachers get an interrupted lunch break. 

 

[parasaurolophus]

The only one I've seen was one I linked a couple days ago out of Germany -   link

Certainly promising, but would have to factor in things like what were the rates in those areas of Germany when they reopened, it does not mention what, if any, measures were taken in the schools (social distancing, masks, class sizes, etc.), it doesn't mention in the article if the study had been peer reviewed yet, etc.   All that said, it certainly makes me a bit more cautiously optimistic that it would be possible to return closer to "normal" school in a faster time frame than I previously thought would be reasonable.

That is ironic that the name of the school in that photo is Petri Primary

 

[Ignoratio Elenchi]

I already copied and pasted their words and put the link in this very thread. 

In other words, no, you don't have a link where it was stated that defunding the police was a necessary condition for returning to work?  I know you're opposed to freely redefining words to mean whatever you want them to, so I figured you'd be able to back this up with a quote. 

 

[joffer]

No way. From what I have read, there seems to be solid evidence younger children don't spread the disease very well. They tend not get respiratory symptoms so they don't spread it much. However, it seems like when we are talking teens, they do seem to spread it. I have seen some anecdotes of summer camps and schools where massive outbreaks happened. 

did find this one - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7268273/

 

[NutterButter]

Who is going to supervise the students? Teachers’ unions will not agree to have lunch in classrooms because teachers need a 30-minute lunch break. Normally, teachers drop their students off in the cafeteria, and support staff at the school supervise about 4-6 classes each. There isn't enough support staff to place in every single classroom while the teachers get an interrupted lunch break. 

i wasn't even considering taking the teachers' unions into account for any of the ideas we've been throwing around since from what I hear, the vast majority of teachers are against in person schooling in the first place.   these are pretty extraordinary times and sacrifices are going to have to be made for the next year if any of this is going to work.  

 

[NutterButter]

No way. From what I have read, there seems to be solid evidence younger children don't spread the disease very well. They tend not get respiratory symptoms so they don't spread it much. However, it seems like when we are talking teens, they do seem to spread it. I have seen some anecdotes of summer camps and schools where massive outbreaks happened. 

Beyond just the spread, we have no idea the long term affects of being asymptomatic.  Florida has an alarmingly high level of positive tests in kids; something like >30%.  Pretty crazy. 

 

[MAC_32]

i wasn't even considering taking the teachers' unions into account for any of the ideas we've been throwing around since from what I hear, the vast majority of teachers are against in person schooling in the first place.   these are pretty extraordinary times and sacrifices are going to have to be made for the next year if any of this is going to work.  

Forget the union part and just focus on the lunch break - any plan must account for one. Each school has their own unique infrastructure and environment. Some can go outside, others can't. Some can use classrooms, others can't. Some have a second gym area that can be used, others can't. The list goes on. And some will just have to use the cafeteria. There is no one size fits all answer. But regardless of the right answer for each particular situation the lunch break box must be checked. 

 

[Nathan R. Jessep]

Thanks.  Out of curiosity,  how many kids on average are in each classroom?

Not sure on exact numbers but I think ~20-25, at least for my kids' classes. Not sure if they have adjusted that, but guessing they haven't. 

 

[AAABatteries]

I just skimmed this, but I didn’t see anything about the protocols when an in-class student tests positive. 

There's too many threads to keep track but I had posted what our county had in their FAQ

If there is a case in my child’s classroom, will we all have to quarantine for two weeks? for each case?

The Department of Public Health (DPH) determines when quarantine is necessary on a case-by-case basis.  Instructions from DPH on whether quarantine is needed and for how long will be included in the CCSD notification by email to all employees at that school and the parents of all students at that school. 

So, I went to the DPH website and found this for contact guidance.....

What to do if you think you were exposed to someone with coronavirus disease (COVID-19) March 14, 2020 

If you think you have been exposed to someone with COVID-19, follow the steps below to monitor your health,and avoid spreading the disease to others if you get sick.  All people who get sick with fever, cough or shortness of breath (even if your symptoms are very mild), should stay at home and away from other people for 72 hours after fever is gone and other symptoms have improved. Specific guidance for close contacts of COVID-19 cases can be found below.

Which lead to.....

What should I do if I am a close contact to someone with COVID-19 but am not sick?

You should monitor your health for fever, cough and shortness of breath during the 14 days after the last day you were in close contact with the sick person with COVID-19. You should not go to work or school and should avoid public places for 14 days.

=================================

So, assuming I followed all of that correctly, it appears that our county is saying that if a student tests positive then the entire class should not go to school for 14 days.  This is going to be an epic disaster.

 

[parasaurolophus]

In other words, no, you don't have a link where it was stated that defunding the police was a necessary condition for returning to work?  I know you're opposed to freely redefining words to mean whatever you want them to, so I figured you'd be able to back this up with a quote. 

In other words you are too lazy to scroll back a page. 

 

[Nathan R. Jessep]

There's too many threads to keep track but I had posted what our county had in their FAQ

If there is a case in my child’s classroom, will we all have to quarantine for two weeks? for each case?

The Department of Public Health (DPH) determines when quarantine is necessary on a case-by-case basis.  Instructions from DPH on whether quarantine is needed and for how long will be included in the CCSD notification by email to all employees at that school and the parents of all students at that school. 

So, I went to the DPH website and found this for contact guidance.....

What to do if you think you were exposed to someone with coronavirus disease (COVID-19) March 14, 2020 

If you think you have been exposed to someone with COVID-19, follow the steps below to monitor your health,and avoid spreading the disease to others if you get sick.  All people who get sick with fever, cough or shortness of breath (even if your symptoms are very mild), should stay at home and away from other people for 72 hours after fever is gone and other symptoms have improved. Specific guidance for close contacts of COVID-19 cases can be found below.

Which lead to.....

What should I do if I am a close contact to someone with COVID-19 but am not sick?

You should monitor your health for fever, cough and shortness of breath during the 14 days after the last day you were in close contact with the sick person with COVID-19. You should not go to work or school and should avoid public places for 14 days.

=================================

So, assuming I followed all of that correctly, it appears that our county is saying that if a student tests positive then the entire class should not go to school for 14 days.  This is going to be an epic disaster.

Depends, i suppose, on their definition of close contact. If it's within 6 feet for 15+ minutes (or something similar), maybe not so bad. If they haven't defined it, though, yeah good luck  

 

[parasaurolophus]

Forget the union part and just focus on the lunch break - any plan must account for one. Each school has their own unique infrastructure and environment. Some can go outside, others can't. Some can use classrooms, others can't. Some have a second gym area that can be used, others can't. The list goes on. And some will just have to use the cafeteria. There is no one size fits all answer. But regardless of the right answer for each particular situation the lunch break box must be checked. 

They can have a lunch break from 3-3:30

 

[Ignoratio Elenchi]

In other words you are too lazy to scroll back a page. 

I've read all your posts.  None of them say what you claim they do.    

 

[belljr]

We just got a long email.

The jist is hybrid.  Basically half in school day 1 the other half d2 and then rotate every day and have online.

Special programs plan to be in school every day.

School will supply chromebook to every student.

They also stated 2 other plans are being worked.  And obviously can change pending ont he next 4-5 weeks

 

[AAABatteries]

Depends, i suppose, on their definition of close contact. If it's within 6 feet for 15+ minutes (or something similar), maybe not so bad. If they haven't defined it, though, yeah good luck  

Yep - they could play kind of fast and loose with the definition of close contact - will be interesting to see

 

[Galileo]

There's too many threads to keep track but I had posted what our county had in their FAQ

If there is a case in my child’s classroom, will we all have to quarantine for two weeks? for each case?

The Department of Public Health (DPH) determines when quarantine is necessary on a case-by-case basis.  Instructions from DPH on whether quarantine is needed and for how long will be included in the CCSD notification by email to all employees at that school and the parents of all students at that school. 

So, I went to the DPH website and found this for contact guidance.....

What to do if you think you were exposed to someone with coronavirus disease (COVID-19) March 14, 2020 

If you think you have been exposed to someone with COVID-19, follow the steps below to monitor your health,and avoid spreading the disease to others if you get sick.  All people who get sick with fever, cough or shortness of breath (even if your symptoms are very mild), should stay at home and away from other people for 72 hours after fever is gone and other symptoms have improved. Specific guidance for close contacts of COVID-19 cases can be found below.

Which lead to.....

What should I do if I am a close contact to someone with COVID-19 but am not sick?

You should monitor your health for fever, cough and shortness of breath during the 14 days after the last day you were in close contact with the sick person with COVID-19. You should not go to work or school and should avoid public places for 14 days.

=================================

So, assuming I followed all of that correctly, it appears that our county is saying that if a student tests positive then the entire class should not go to school for 14 days.  This is going to be an epic disaster.

It is interesting how the 14 day number keeps getting thrown around as the standard.  My mother still tested positive 3 weeks after her first positive test which itself was at least a week after her exposure.  If they are still digging it out of her nasal cavity, she has to still be contagious I would think.

 

[Ignoratio Elenchi]

Just got a email/survey from our district.  Current plan is for all classes to be half days, as no lunch will be served in the school.  If at some point the state requires districts to cancel all in-person learning, enhanced at home learning will take place, which is a half day schedule with live instruction from teachers, simulating an actual in-school day. 

And then the survey asked which option we'd prefer: 100% in-school learning, hybrid (every other day) in-school/at-home learning, or 100% at-home learning.  And if the district chooses either of the first two options that involve in-school learning, would we send our kids or keep them home.  

I believe they have to make a final decision no more than about three weeks from now, to give everyone at least a month to prepare before the school year starts.   

 

[Nathan R. Jessep]

It is interesting how the 14 day number keeps getting thrown around as the standard.  My mother still tested positive 3 weeks after her first positive test which itself was at least a week after her exposure.  If they are still digging it out of her nasal cavity, she has to still be contagious I would think.

Well that's part of the debate now as I understand it. It comes down (as I am able to understand, could be wrong) to how many/how strong the viral particles it takes to cause a positive test --vs-- how much/many it takes to be contagious enough to infect someone else. 

 

[skol asylum]

Correlation does not necessarily equate to causality, but take a look at this data from Israel:

https://photos.app.goo.gl/9FR7aoTxawPNuruT7

Could be that the entire economy was opened back up around the same time so who knows how much schools have contributed to the spread. Makes complete sense to me though. Kids are the perfect vector for virus spread.

 

[shadyridr]

Correlation does not necessarily equate to causality, but take a look at this data from Israel:

https://photos.app.goo.gl/9FR7aoTxawPNuruT7

Could be that the entire economy was opened back up around the same time so who knows how much schools have contributed to the spread. Makes complete sense to me though. Kids are the perfect vector for virus spread.

Yeah its hard to exactly say since they opened up everything around that time. Also, I read there were no masks required for school. In total, 1300 students and 600 staff members were infected. Since May, 125 schools and 258 kindergartens had to temporarily close.

I think its silly to think children don't spread this thing and Im in the 100% in school camp.

 

[skol asylum]

Yeah its hard to exactly say since they opened up everything around that time. Also, I read there were no masks required for school. In total, 1300 students and 600 staff members were infected. Since May, 125 schools and 258 kindergartens had to temporarily close.

I think its silly to think children don't spread this thing and Im in the 100% in school camp.

Good info. Thanks.

 

[acarey50]

Yeah its hard to exactly say since they opened up everything around that time. Also, I read there were no masks required for school. In total, 1300 students and 600 staff members were infected. Since May, 125 schools and 258 kindergartens had to temporarily close.

I think its silly to think children don't spread this thing and Im in the 100% in school camp.

And this sort of thing is exactly why I said that while the study from Germany (that showed minimal school spread) and even the one from Ireland (also showing minimal spread, but was based on contact tracing of 3 cases, so possible sample size issue) were all very encouraging in terms of supporting being able to get back to school, but a lot more research needed to be done (peer review of those studies, accounting for existing virus levels in the community at time of reopen, measures in place at the schools, etc.) before anyone could say with any certainty if it made sense to reopen schools earlier here in the US.

 

[El Floppo]

Yeah its hard to exactly say since they opened up everything around that time. Also, I read there were no masks required for school. In total, 1300 students and 600 staff members were infected. Since May, 125 schools and 258 kindergartens had to temporarily close.

I think its silly to think children don't spread this thing and Im in the 100% in school camp.

btw, shady- we watched most of the NYC chancellor's live zoom meeting last night. he talked about IEPs, but was still vague about the coming in "as much as possible". I imagine the kids with ICTs (? I think that's it- individual daily help) would need 100%. 

it's also not clear if the remote learning will be with a different teacher- my wife assumes it will be. 

some other things he mentioned..

- if you start the year 100% remote, there will be quarterly time slots for when you can change to the hybrid plan (to give them time to figure out the spacing/timing of more/less students live).

- if you start the year in the hybrid plan, you can opt out for 100% remote any time you like.

 

[shadyridr]

btw, shady- we watched most of the NYC chancellor's live zoom meeting last night. he talked about IEPs, but was still vague about the coming in "as much as possible". I imagine the kids with ICTs (? I think that's it- individual daily help) would need 100%. 

it's also not clear if the remote learning will be with a different teacher- my wife assumes it will be. 

some other things he mentioned..

- if you start the year 100% remote, there will be quarterly time slots for when you can change to the hybrid plan (to give them time to figure out the spacing/timing of more/less students live).

- if you start the year in the hybrid plan, you can opt out for 100% remote any time you like.

My son was in an ICT class last year. Heck it was this forum that pushed me to get him evaluated. He has reading comprehension issues and needs another teacher to help read with him and keep him on track.

 

[El Floppo]

My son was in an ICT class last year. Heck it was this forum that pushed me to get him evaluated. He has reading comprehension issues and needs another teacher to help read with him and keep him on track.

I hope they can make something better work for you guys in the fall.

my daughter technically has an IEP- she gets pulled out for speech therapy every week- but it's not something getting in the way of her development or education if she misses out on it this fall. 

 

[Ilov80s]

Special Ed is going to be a real clusterf-. Less go even with services and moreso with the ability to follow all the federal and State areas of compliance. I wish we could  know what’s going on so you we could be planning but I don’t think we can plan SE until we know for sure what the school plan is.

 

[CletiusMaximus]

So, this is kind of depressing for me and my wife.  Both of our kids (private) schools put in some hard work and a huge investment over the past few months to put procedures in place to allow kids to return to school in the fall.  Both schools have "hybrid" plans in place to accommodate kids who want to attend in person and those who have to or prefer to stay home.  However, our City (Milwaukee) just announced that no schools - public or private - will be allowed to open their classrooms this fall.

On June 5, the city health department stated that schools could re-open under certain guidelines.  However, we just learned today that there was a private, unannounced meeting on June 25 where it was decided that no schools in the City could re-open.  There are a ton of inconsistencies in the current announcements and lots to clear up.  

 

[SFBayDuck]

So, this is kind of depressing for me and my wife.  Both of our kids (private) schools put in some hard work and a huge investment over the past few months to put procedures in place to allow kids to return to school in the fall.  Both schools have "hybrid" plans in place to accommodate kids who want to attend in person and those who have to or prefer to stay home.  However, our City (Milwaukee) just announced that no schools - public or private - will be allowed to open their classrooms this fall.

On June 5, the city health department stated that schools could re-open under certain guidelines.  However, we just learned today that there was a private, unannounced meeting on June 25 where it was decided that no schools in the City could re-open.  There are a ton of inconsistencies in the current announcements and lots to clear up.  

Same here - private school that has a seemingly good hybrid plan, could keep class sizes limited, etc.  And Governor Newsom just said no schools in any of the California counties on the "watch list" can open until they're off the watch list.  

I don't blame him, honestly.  Both the state and our county had all time highs of new cases yesterday.

 

[Galileo]

btw, shady- we watched most of the NYC chancellor's live zoom meeting last night. he talked about IEPs, but was still vague about the coming in "as much as possible". I imagine the kids with ICTs (? I think that's it- individual daily help) would need 100%. 

it's also not clear if the remote learning will be with a different teacher- my wife assumes it will be. 

some other things he mentioned..

- if you start the year 100% remote, there will be quarterly time slots for when you can change to the hybrid plan (to give them time to figure out the spacing/timing of more/less students live).y prediction

- if you start the year in the hybrid plan, you can opt out for 100% remote any time you like.

I suspect there is little chance that these will be in synch enough to seamlessly transition from one to the other.  People will be dealing with gaps and discrepancies is my prediction, but maybe (hopefully) it won't be too cumbersome.

 

[desert rose]

My district informed us that we will be 100% online for at least the first two weeks.  After that depends on the covid 19 rates.

 

[Shutout]

Reading a friend's FB post, came across this nugget:

that seems like BS.  is there any way that's true?  dozens?  peer-reviewed?  already?

Yeah, how would anyone have the data to know this at this point?  Skeptical. 

 

[Ministry of Pain]

No way. From what I have read, there seems to be solid evidence younger children don't spread the disease very well. They tend not get respiratory symptoms so they don't spread it much. However, it seems like when we are talking teens, they do seem to spread it. I have seen some anecdotes of summer camps and schools where massive outbreaks happened. 

I think some of the teenage spreading could be due to discovery and fascination with each other, that has to be a factor because I don't care if the bubonic plague was in full bloom, you couldn't stop me from moving about as a teenager in high school. 

 

[Ilov80s]

I think some of the teenage spreading could be due to discovery and fascination with each other, that has to be a factor because I don't care if the bubonic plague was in full bloom, you couldn't stop me from moving about as a teenager in high school. 

Yeah teens are over each other, often not even sexual. They just like to hug, fake wrestle, try each other’s food, touch each other’s stuff, act without thinking, putting their face on the desk, etc. 

 

[The Gator]

My district informed us that we will be 100% online for at least the first two weeks.  After that depends on the covid 19 rates.

I think, in the end, many districts will start this way.

Sadly, it feels just like March again, and nobody has any real idea what is going on, or how long it will last, or what needs to be done to change the outcome.

And, I know there are a lot of unknowns at this point, but it feels like we have wasted the better part of the last several months.  We should be implementing plans now, not coming up with new ones.