Are you sending your kids to school next month?

[gwynne]

You take a chance going outside your house. Like I said which the part you left out. More kids will die from school shooting, suicide, going to and from schools than corono. You take a chance when going outside your house. In lot of different ways. Or maybe I could die inside my house from a home invasion, airplane crashed into my house, fire, etc. you can’t always live in fear, fear could cost you your life also. ,

On the other hand, there are parents who will choose a middle ground. No all or nothing thinking, just what they find best in their situation at the time.

 

[dclpluto]

Whether to have in-person class or distance learning was not always just for the students’ health concerns but also of the staff. Plus, the coronaviruses just don’t stay at school. It could be brought home with the student.

just like in most jobs.You could bring corono home with you.

 

[SaintsManiac]

Here’s what I am thinking. First it was old people and sick people. Then it was 18-29 year olds. No one knows what it will do to kids because we have protected them. Not ready to throw mine out to be a guinea pig.

 

[godisney14]

just like in most jobs.You could bring corono home with you.

Not sure what you are trying to get at, but that statement is correct.

And that’s why, among my circle of friends and family, besides those that are working in the hospital, almost everyone else’s jobs are allowed to work from home for the rest of the year at least.
(I’m in northern CA).

Edit: By the way, I mentioned this in the other, larger school thread before. All of the school districts around me (encompassing a population of close to a million) sent out surveys to families and staff. From the survey results that have been shared so far, more than 2/3 are wanting either a hybrid or full-time distance learning schedule for the next school year. And so, that is what all the schools will be doing. A couple districts will have an in-person option for those that want/need it. But, most schools will not have that full-time, in-person option.

 

[Happyinwonerland]

You take a chance going outside your house. Like I said which the part you left out. More kids will die from school shooting, suicide, going to and from schools than corono. You take a chance when going outside your house. In lot of different ways. Or maybe I could die inside my house from a home invasion, airplane crashed into my house, fire, etc. you can’t always live in fear, fear could cost you your life also. ,

That simply isn't true. For 2019-2020, exactly 0 kids died in school shootings in Florida. At least 3 kids kn florida have died from Coronavirus, and the pandemic is just getting started as far as %of people who've been infected.

 

[MrsPete]

Title says it all. Are you sending your kids to school next month? We live in Florida, and our county in particular is seeing skyrocketing infection rates, so we are leaning towards virtual school. I do not care for the "safety plan" our school has laid out.

What are you all doing?

My kids are out of school -- out of college, in fact -- so no concerns about whether to send them, but I am a teacher, so the question is, "Am I going back to school?"

We're still waiting for instructions -- and with the first day of school six weeks away, it's time for us to know. We've been preparing online lessons all summer, so we're much better prepared than we were in March, but it's time for us to KNOW what we're going to do. Even if we do go back, we are prepping with the assumption that -- at any point -- they could tell us, "Stay home for the next two weeks". Personally, I'm prepping a BIG FAT NOTEBOOK for my students to take home on the first day of school; it'll contain all the lessons /worksheets we MIGHT USE throughout the semester, so that even if we end up being home most of the semester, my students will have something concrete in addition to their online lessons.

Most of us teachers -- and, incidentally, I'm high school -- are hoping for some sort of hybrid school day. Maybe 1/3 of the class attends on Monday and goes home with 4 days of homework, second 1/3 attends on Tuesday and goes home with 4 days of homework, etc. It is 100% impossible for us to social distance with the space we have and the student numbers we have, so this makes sense to us.

On the other hand, my sister-in-law, who has a 4th grader and a 6th grader is strongly opposed to the hybrid concept -- and I think she might represent the majority of parents. She says parents have to go to work, and it's pretty much impossible for parents to get day care for an on-again-off-again schedule, and I get that.

Damn if you do damn if you don’t open up the schools.

Yeah, you're right -- no GOOD choice exists.

We can fix one-faucet problems, but this virus is hitting us on multiple fronts. If we work hard on the medical end, the economic end suffers -- and both matter. And in between, we have numerous other issues -- one of them being that in-person education is superior to online education. No, no matter what we do, we aren't going to have a GOOD choice.

For anything we do, we must consider the risk-reward. For example, I'm willing to go to the grocery store. I feel the risk is minimal; I can wear a mask, I can go at an "off time", and no one's likely to scootch up near me. The reward for this small risk is huge: my family gets to eat. On the other hand, I would not sit down in a restaurant. I'd have to remove my mask, I can't control whether other people are seated near me and whether they're sick, and the reward is a slightly nicer meal. Not worth it to me. Risk-reward.

To me it feels like the schools are saying "We know a certain percentage of our students and staff will die from catching this virus at school. Come on in!" When staying home could prevent that

Well, that's exactly what re-opening society means. My RN daughter says, "Re-opening society doesn't mean the danger is gone; it just means an ICU bed is available for you, if you need it."

Believe me, schools aren't being callous about this. When we teachers went to school in early June to "clean up" our classrooms, return computers, bring home materials we wanted to work with over the summer, they were STRICT with us. More strict than anywhere else I've heard of. Every teacher was allowed 4 hours, and we were assigned a schedule so that no more than 2 people would be on the same hall at the same time. No children, no family member helpers. We were "checked in" at the door, and we had to "check out" as we left. They left a ziplock bag on every teacher's desk, and we had to leave our classroom keys and parking tag in that bag. When we "checked out", we placed the ziplock into a milk crate -- no contact. We were told we were to wear masks in the hallways and restrooms, and we were allowed to remove them only in our own classrooms as we were working alone. An administrator came around every hour to make sure all rules were being followed. Personally, I thought it was overkill.

You take a chance going outside your house. Like I said which the part you left out. More kids will die from school shooting, suicide, going to and from schools than corono. You take a chance when going outside your house. In lot of different ways. Or maybe I could die inside my house from a home invasion, airplane crashed into my house, fire, etc. you can’t always live in fear, fear could cost you your life also. ,

Well, I have to disagree about the school shootings. I just did a quick google search (which may or may not be completely correct), and it says that in 2019 eight people died in school shootings. Eight. Google also tells me that 73,094 Americans have died of Corona thusfar. We fear school shootings (and other random violence) because we individuals have little control over such things and because we feel so strongly that schools should be a SAFE place. Realistically, a better comparison would be, "The biggest danger is riding in a car to and from school." Google tells me that 2,820 teenagers died in car crashes in 2019, but we've all "accepted" that riding in a car is a somewhat risky thing, and we don't think twice about it.

I agree with your larger point though: it's a mistake to be terribly fearful of Corona while ignoring other risks that we take every day.

Whether to have in-person class or distance learning was not always just for the students’ health concerns but also of the staff. Plus, the coronaviruses just don’t stay at school. It could be brought home with the student.

Yes, we've all read about people who are asymptomatic carriers.

just like in most jobs.You could bring corono home with you.

Sure, if you're going into an office, you could pick up the virus from a coworker or a client. But most offices aren't as "tightly packed" as a school classroom -- especially in recent years as class numbers have risen.

Here’s what I am thinking. First it was old people and sick people. Then it was 18-29 year olds. No one knows what it will do to kids because we have protected them. Not ready to throw mine out to be a guinea pig.

What you say could be true: students have had less opportunity to interact with one another, so perhaps that's why their numbers are lower. Many of my high school students, though, are working at part-time jobs -- so they're "out there" in society.

 

[SaintsManiac]

Oh and I also overheard a district teacher on her phone in public saying she refuses to clean everything between classes. Too much work. I know she's not the norm, but if that's the attitude going in she needs to adjust it.

The people around here who refuse to wear masks and think it's a hoax are from every profession.

 

[jrmasm]

As things stand now, no.

 

[DopeyDame]

We homeschooled until last year, then work schedules required us to enroll her in a charter. We will likely do virtual homeschool in the fall and hope I get to continue working from home.



To me it feels like the schools are saying "We know a certain percentage of our students and staff will die from catching this virus at school. Come on in!" When staying home could prevent that

That doesn't feel like it to me at all. Instead, I think they are saying "we know that kids are at risk and losing out on important development years when they have to stay home - and that the damage of being home (often alone) is worse on lower SES kids than on others. So we're desperately trying to figure out a way to have kids have the benefits of in person school while also trying to keep people safe."

 

[TJA]

We are praying our school opens back up for in-school learning. I'm in NY (NOT in a former hot-spot). Six different scenarios were just released. As of right now, we are waiting for guidance from our governor and that may determine which scenario we go with. Praying he doesn't make the entire state do the same thing as New York City might need to. Our district is ready, willing, and able to implement changes as soon as our governor allows.

ETA: Our first day of school is Sept 8, so we still have time...

 

[Lumpy1106]

Yes - going if the schools are open. My first grader will be for sure (private Catholic school, THANK YOU LA Archdiocese!). I will have a SOPH and SR at public HS. They have sent out a bunch of questionnaires but have made no commitment. It's really driving us crazy. Remember that SR's have to have college applications in before any grades would have been recorded. If they are not going back to school, what is the point of doing the busy work they were doing in the Spring for pass-fail grades? They NEED to go back.

Here’s what I am thinking. First it was old people and sick people. Then it was 18-29 year olds. No one knows what it will do to kids because we have protected them. Not ready to throw mine out to be a guinea pig.

Actually, we do know. Almost all transmission is occurring in homes. If the parents have been getting sick, then the kids would have too. The latest surge for younger people is because they have stopped following the mandates and are visiting people in their homes.

 

[SmallWorld71]

Yes, I have a high school senior who will be participating in whatever form school takes. She is desperately hoping for in person, but time will tell. I am certainly not qualified to be teaching her AP classes and if school is online it makes a lot more sense for her to be learning under the guidance of teachers who already know and like her and understand how she learns.
I, too, will be going back in whatever form (Elementary Special Education Teacher). We need a roof over our heads and food and such, so not really any choice. Each school in the district has a committee made up of teachers and parents to work on the logistics.
As of right now, masks are mandatory in grades 2 and up (with some exceptions) and recommended for younger children. I have friends teaching summer school with pretty strict guidelines and I will be interested in their experiences.
DS21 will be living in his apartment but all courses are online per the University.
Right now things are pretty stable here (MA) but that could change, of course.

 

[DisneyJamieCA]

No.
CA schools can provide the option to do full-time distance learning regardless of what the state or county is doing.

Incorrect. And our districts are awaiting legal advice or an update to the wording of the bill (AB 77).

Quote from a recent article about it from a district superintendent: “The law states that there are only two reasons that you can go to distance learning - one, if it’s ordered by the state or county, and two, if you are medically fragile”.

With state funding tied to whether they follow the guidelines set forth from the state, they really have no choice in the matter. From our County school superintendent “Schools should be prepared to reopen classrooms, at least partially, unless ordered to keep them closed by local or state health officials.”

So I will take the word of teachers, district superintendents and our own County superintendent, who are sitting in on these discussions to know what’s actually going on.

 

[SaintsManiac]

Yes - going if the schools are open. My first grader will be for sure (private Catholic school, THANK YOU LA Archdiocese!). I will have a SOPH and SR at public HS. They have sent out a bunch of questionnaires but have made no commitment. It's really driving us crazy. Remember that SR's have to have college applications in before any grades would have been recorded. If they are not going back to school, what is the point of doing the busy work they were doing in the Spring for pass-fail grades? They NEED to go back.

Actually, we do know. Almost all transmission is occurring in homes. If the parents have been getting sick, then the kids would have too. The latest surge for younger people is because they have stopped following the mandates and are visiting people in their homes.

What? So let's put them all together in classrooms with the A/C running? That's the definition of gathering indoors. My kid's school had 940 students before they rezoned everyone by building a new school.

 

[DLgal]

Yes, hopefully.

Our school district hasn't announced the final plan yet. We will either have hybrid or traditional school (2 distance learning options will also be available).

My kids need in person school due to special needs. I do not have the specialized training to meet their educational needs at home amd they are going to regress BADLY if we continue with "distance learning."

I am happy with our district safety plan and the relatively low infection rate in our city this far. Only 0.10% of our population has tested positive.

 

[luvsvacation]

Yes, definitely. My son will be a senior. He’s been working at Walmart for almost a year. When his school closed in March Walmart started scheduling him 40 hours a week. So he’s been stocking grocery isles full time since this began. If he hasn’t gotten sick doing that then I have no fears of sending him to school.

 

[SmallWorld71]

What? So let's put them all together in classrooms with the A/C running? That's the definition of gathering indoors. My kid's school had 940 students before they rezoned everyone by building a new school.

There isn’t AC in the majority of the classrooms around here and would could likely get away with not turning the heat on until later in November. Personally, I think they should hold classes outside until it gets too cold. Outside + masks seems like the safest option for everyone.

 

[SaintsManiac]

There isn’t AC in the majority of the classrooms around here and would could likely get away with not turning the heat on until later in November. Personally, I think they should hold classes outside until it gets too cold. Outside + masks seems like the safest option for everyone.

Yeah I live in south Louisiana. It isn't possible to hold classes outdoors for most of the school year.

 

[mamamary]

My daughter starts her senior year of college next month.

 

[Elle23]

It looks like our school is doing in person learning with the option of online if parents are uncomfortable. I plan on sending my son to school.

it looks like college is going to be online with no other option.