Are you sending your kids to school next month?

[katie01]

24 kids is too many people unless the room is large.

If your child is 10 or older, they can transmit the virus as easily as adults.

If they are staying in the room for lunch, and taking off their masks to eat, the school may confine the virus to that class and not the whole school, but it will easily go around the class.

Yes I thought 24 kids to a room was too much also. They may try to further break the class into smaller groups, but they hadn’t said yet if they’d be doing so, or how that would work, since there are only about five teachers in the junior high level, and those teachers already have to divide their time between the different grades, let alone if the grades are broken down even further. It’s a small Catholic school, and I know they said that their smaller size is an advantage with social distancing. Yet I also heard that kids from the local public schools who want face to face learning are flocking to our school, and I wonder if they will cap the population at a certain point (and what?), otherwise the social distancing kind of goes out the window. They aren’t sharing that info with the parents yet, nor have they detailed their plan for remote learning if they shut down, so I just felt overall it would be more consistent to homeschool than pay private school tuition with so many unknowns

 

[gwynne]

Well, until the kids cross paths with someone in the hallway, walk out of the building at dismissal, go home on the bus, etc. I’m eager to get back to our classrooms (and my library). I just think it will be for no more than a few weeks before we’re back doing remote again. And instead of focusing on making remote the best it an be, resources are almost exclusively being used to prepare for something that willl likely be extremely short-lived.

Yup.
I also think there will be constant requests for restroom passes just to get a break and some limited freedom.

 

[lanejudy]

No, no. You misunderstood.

Sorry, I did misunderstand.
Thank you for helping your friend with books for her class.

This summer our district is using the local sports center for the most at-risk H.S. kids to have 1:1 instruction with plenty of space. Other than they’ve announced a “hybrid” plan will be used, no specifics how the IEP kids will be accommodated come fall. Many of whom did not receive in-person this summer so it’ll be almost 6 months without adequate learning for these kids. That can’t be easily “caught up” once things normalize more, nor can the years of hard work that is slowly slipping away as they regress.

 

[choirfarm]

Sorry, I did misunderstand.
Thank you for helping your friend with books for her class.

This summer our district is using the local sports center for the most at-risk H.S. kids to have 1:1 instruction with plenty of space. Other than they’ve announced a “hybrid” plan will be used, no specifics how the IEP kids will be accommodated come fall. Many of whom did not receive in-person this summer so it’ll be almost 6 months without adequate learning for these kids. That can’t be easily “caught up” once things normalize more, nor can the years of hard work that is slowly slipping away as they regress.

You are so absolutely right that they need this. I'm just pessimistic. But praying God will lead people to step in and help if they can to be the safety net for the ones who need it the most. Just for my district 68 percent are on free lunch and breakfast. Many are from Hispanic families where the children speak English ( if they've been here long enough. Some cannot.) but the parents only speak Spanish. Our district is doing all online or in person. So the majority of our kids will be on campus. The wealthy will do online, but that is very few. And the virus will swep through this community causing the district to close. I'm not sure how to stop that. Online won't work. How can their parents help them with their homework?

 

[monsterkitty]

How? There are a zillion different classes, there is no such thing as a pod, plus classes require prerequisites. Dd17 is taking AP BC calculus, ds17 AP stat (Dd took it sophomore year), ds17 AP Spanish (Dd had it last year). They are taking all of one of the same class. It’s all jumbled. Dd is taking AP macroeconomics go test out if having to take it in college, saving thousands. It’s not like there is a senior english, senior math, senior history, senior science...

My district is doing pods for k-8. However, we don't do traditional grade levels but ability levels instead. A 6th grader who read and writes at an 8th grade level would be in that 8th grade level class. Same 6th grade does math at a 5th grade level would be in a Level 5 math class but with kids their own age. Basically our entire district is set up like a high school would be with different level classes.

What they are doing is:
They will be grouped in a homeroom class by what would be their typical grade level. That class will remain in the room the entire day except going to one elective. They will eat lunch in that class.

Period 1 will be social studies for the entire school. Each teacher will be zooming their class into other classes. So, my DH teaches Level 8 and Level 9 Social Studies. He will spend most of the time on the Level 8 lesson and students in all other classrooms who are Level 8 will watch his lesson from where they are. They will still be able to ask questions, but using the mic on the Chromebook. Obviously everyone will be using headphones.

Period 2 would be math, same thing.

For the elective, it really isn't an elective this year. The entire cohort will walk directly to whatever elective they have that quarter. They will rotate electives every nine weeks between Art, STEM, PE, and a music class. There will a few other STEM classes for different groups. The music class will just be music appreciation as neither the band/orchestra or choir rooms are large enough to social distance and play or sing.

The high school is running 3 different schedules during the day. There will be some overlap on arrival and departure time for the students, but not when the other cohorts are in the hallways. The students in the IB and AP classes will be one cohort and will travel from class to class. I'm not sure what exactly how they are doing everything because I'm not a high school person.

Bussing- Federal law does not require school districts to bus any student unless they are Special Ed. Please do not be shocked if any districts cut back on bussing significantly.

 

[kandb]

Happens all the time! Most of my preschoolers don't yet have the language skills to tell us when they feel sick or if their parents gave them medicine. One returned from a few days of being sick and mom said she had been fever-free for 24 hours without medication (which is our policy). After about an hour, she threw up something red all over the carpet. Sure looked like Tylenol to me! Another time we told a mom at pick up time that her son didn't seem to feel well. She brought him the next day and he still wasn't quite himself. He didn't feel overly warm so we kept him. He started walking around the room and mumbling something to each adult. We finally figured out what he was saying. "More Tylenol please!" Seriously, if you try to hide it from us, your kids will tell us somehow!

People will say maybe the parents don't get sick days from work. I don't believe that is that many people. The majority don't want to take one of their personal or vacation days or doesn't want to be home with their sick child. It's sad

 

[kandb]

Some people get fired if they don’t come to work. Not excusing them, just offering explanation. I’m lucky I had employers who allowed sick days.

Maybe some but not majority. Many parents don't want to take one of their vacation or personal days to be home with their child. How many people get fired for taking a sick day. I don't know any people who get NO sick days!

 

[kandb]

We chose to send DD13 back to in-person learning (we had 3 choices - online, hybrid and in-person). DD17's school only offers in-person or online. She's going in-person also.

I don't think schools will be open for very long if they ever open. Here in PA, our governor seems to be gearing up to shut schools down again. I hate that DD17's senior year will probably be a disaster. At least the class of 2020 had most of the year in school.

I agree with you 100%. I am in NJ. The governor is saying schools are going to open but think he is just saying that to make it look like he wants to re-open. I think either they won't re-open or will for a short time and when they get a case or two, will go to on-line again!

 

[roomthreeseventeen]

Maybe some but not majority. Many parents don't want to take one of their vacation or personal days to be home with their child. How many people get fired for taking a sick day. I don't know any people who get NO sick days!

About two-thirds (68%) of covered civilian workers get a fixed number of paid sick days per year. After one year of service, 22% of those workers have fewer than five days, 46% have five to nine days, and 28% have 10 to 14 days.

So 32% of Americans have no paid sick days. Doesn't matter if you know them or not.

 

[kandb]

To the many people on here who think schools should not open, do you all agree with disney opening and staying open during this pandemic? Many rides are indoors and you are breathing the air many people exhaled right before you. I see so many want schools closed. What about disney?

 

[roomthreeseventeen]

To the many people on here who think schools should not open, do you all agree with disney opening and staying open during this pandemic? Many rides are indoors and you are breathing the air many people exhaled right before you. I see so many want schools closed. What about disney?

Nope, I think anyone who goes to Disney is a fool.

 

[kandb]

About two-thirds (68%) of covered civilian workers get a fixed number of paid sick days per year. After one year of service, 22% of those workers have fewer than five days, 46% have five to nine days, and 28% have 10 to 14 days.

So 32% of Americans have no paid sick days. Doesn't matter if you know them or not.

No reason to get snippy. Of course it doesn't matter if I know them or not, I find it hard to believe so many get NO sick days. Are these people who are working, working on the books? I thought a company has to provide it's employees with sick days by law? I am wondering what jobs these 32% Americans do?

 

[roomthreeseventeen]

Currently, there are no federal legal requirements for paid sick leave. For companies subject to the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), the Act does require unpaid sick leave. FMLA provides for up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave for certain medical situations for either the employee or a member of the employee's immediate family. In many instances paid leave may be substituted for unpaid FMLA leave.

 

[Dismrk155]

Back to school. Classroom . Ding dong.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Maybe some but not majority. Many parents don't want to take one of their vacation or personal days to be home with their child. How many people get fired for taking a sick day. I don't know any people who get NO sick days!

Then perhaps you need to be around more people

I've never worked at a place that had actual sick leave (retail didn't get any time (sick, vacation, PTO) and corporate had just PTO). About 6 years ago my husband's company merged sick leave and vacation time into one--just PTO. Any prior sick leave is in a bank that can be used but if you were hired after the merging you had just PTO. And you may think "oh well that's like that same thing" It's not. Company policies vary.

 

[anniemae]

Is anyone else concerned about the constant illness factor? Kids constantly get colds, which have similar symptoms to covid. From what I understand, if a child has symptoms they can't return to school unless they have a negative covid test, or quarantine for 14 days. The dr.s offices are going to be swamped with kids needing tests to go back to school. I know that with masks, illness should lessen, but I think it will be kind of cumbersome.

 

[roomthreeseventeen]

via Twitter: Rutgers is quarantining its entire football program after learning of six positive COVID-19 results in its latest weekly testing cycle.

 

[DisneyJamieCA]

Is anyone else concerned about the constant illness factor? Kids constantly get colds, which have similar symptoms to covid. From what I understand, if a child has symptoms they can't return to school unless they have a negative covid test, or quarantine for 14 days. The dr.s offices are going to be swamped with kids needing tests to go back to school. I know that with masks, illness should lessen, but I think it will be kind of cumbersome.

Yes. Ours are starting remote, but we just got the Covid hand book for return to school and they are requiring a doctor’s note to return to school after ANY illness, Covid-like or not. I can’t imagine the headache that’s going to cause for all involved.

 

[anniemae]

Yes. Ours are starting remote, but we just got the Covid hand book for return to school and they are requiring a doctor’s note to return to school after ANY illness, Covid-like or not. I can’t imagine the headache that’s going to cause for all involved.

I know! I imagine the dr.'s offices being really busy. If you go in for every illness it will get very time consuming and expensive.

 

[roomthreeseventeen]

Luckily now, lots of places have telehealth.