School returning with little/no precautions

Parents Forum
21

@CTTC. I thought you were from my state CT. Where did you read about a “spike”.

Schools districts in this state were given the governors and education commissioners guidelines this week. They have until July 24 to submit their plan. Most districts haven’t even completed this process yet. Many are coming up with multiple plans…full day school with guidelines, full day with distance learning parts or options, ability to transition to distance learning as needed.

Lots of mention of distancing, masks, disinfecting etc in the guidelines.

Bottom line is…no matter what plan these districts come up with, there will be folks who don’t like the plan.

22

I am not in CT.

23

Poster, can you wait and see what your public school option looks like?

24

My kid’s public high school would like to do 3 ft apart and masks, and bring everyone back at the same time. The Super thinks we are not crowded and could make do with removing furniture and holding class pretty much like prepandemic. I hope the State of NY wont approve.

25

To the OP, this sounds intentionally vague. Containment of small groupings may mean the same cohort remains in the same room, and also eats there. That is what some schools are doing. Depending on the parental majority philosophy, since it is a private school, they maybe don’t want to dictate masks. But I would think they would have worries about liability. I suppose if things are left as choices for parents, the school avoids some of that liability. I don’t really know.

26

Comp- the school may think they can avoid liability because the parents are willingly choosing to send the kids back. But the teachers are employees, are entitled to a safe work environment, and depending on the state, the situation, and their employment contracts, may have different legal protections than a student. The custodians are entitled to appropriate protective gear as they clean the bathrooms every night.

They may not want to dictate masks, but the first teacher who ends up hospitalized after getting it from a student- I’m betting the masks are on. There is massive liability for employers who don’t take reasonable steps to protect their employees. And masks-- eminently reasonable. Not costly, does not impose an undue burden, and both WHO and CDC have recommended masks when you leave the house (i.e. the school can’t claim that they didn’t know).

27

My friend is a superintendent in Fl. According to her, plans are to open early August, regular bussing and school, no substantial changes. Now that Florida is blowing up, maybe that will change.

Our school is still figuring it out but sounds like some hybrid but not sure what yet. We just completed a survey asking about what we prefer, if we’re using bussing etc… My husband teaches in the district and he got a survey asking if he’s willing to come back in the fall or is planning to quit/retire. Initial plans seem to require teachers to wear masks and optional for students, which I think is ridiculous.

My office is opening to a first wave July 13. My boss is of the mind that schools just need to open already - kids don’t get and don’t spread it. His exact words - the media is trying to scare everyone so he’s done his own research.

28

@blossom I am a mask proponent :slight_smile: But it sounded like this might be a more conservative environment than I have experienced (and I hope conservatives convert to masks as well). I wonder if teachers will have a choice to do something remotely. The school info is extremely vague: not sure if evasive or just waiting for more certainty.

29

I would think it is a fairly easy problem. If you are not comfortable with the school’s approach, is it that hard to go to another school.

30

I certainly hope my son going into 9th grade gets to go back to a full time school experience. I certainly don’t want a full online version and honestly if there is some hybrid 2 day in school and 2 day distance learning then the same hazards are present in the schools. The virus is certainly going to infect some no.nstter what. In my state there has been exactly one death of a child under the age of 20. These kids aren’t currently living in complete isolation. I was severely disappointed with the utterly inadequate distance learning in the spring. The kids need to be in school. Their mental health, education and future depend on it. This virus isn’t any more deadly than the common flu FOR SCHOOL AGED CHILDREN.

31

um yes? We live in a district with very good schools and our property taxes reflect that. We don’t have a bunch of private schools around, just a few Catholic options and I would doubt they are taking more kids right now. Of course, you’d have to pay to go to any private high school and few are as good as our local public.

32

Actually where I live our Catholic bishop announced in May that he was going to defy the governor’s shutdown order and wanted churches to offer masses in person. Some of us thought he might not be the shepherd we need. My church still hasn’t opened for mass (but has had small funerals and baptisms) but will at the end of July. I do not doubt they will follow all precautions.

On the topic of K-12 education, I assume the OP will see a more detailed plan in the next month.

33

We have open enrollment for schools, but that was done in Jan/Feb. It is very difficult to get into the favorite schools. The district I wrote about above (going to block schedule, no lockers, no parents in school) has 6-7 traditional high schools, and one is absolutely impossible to get into if you don’t live in that zone. There are 2-3 of the others that you can opt into, but they are farther ‘down’ in the district, not easy to commute to if you live in the city or another suburb. That district will follow the same rules for all schools, so if one hs is on block schedule, the others will be too.

Don’t want block schedule? You’d have to go to another district or one of the many private schools which are usually full with wait lists. Or you can do online classes.

One thing that could complicate this all is the recent Supreme Court ruling that students can use vouchers at private schools. One county here had approved using vouchers but that program was ruled unconstitutional by the Colo Supreme Court. Now it is back on, and the private schools in that district will be overflowing with applicants. I know people in that county who got on waitlists for parocial schools because they were afraid public school would be virtual again and that doesn’t work with the parents’ work schedule.

34

Many states provide free online education through their own accredited programs. I assumed that these programs would be full but I just saw a notice that one online school was still accepting students. Might be a good option for parents who are OK with their kids being home all year.

35

I think the issue is that an infected child is not a silo. The virus does not begin and end within one vessel. Children are vectors for spreading it throughout the community and contributing to an increased prevalence that makes the entire community less safe.

36

There are several online schools to choose from here (free), but the school districts are also offering their own courses online. Many of the districts have always offered courses online, but they are not always the AP level and only some courses are offered. It sounds like districts will offer more classes online next year.

37

I agree, the rest of the country is now catching up with dealing with Covid19.

With that being said I think the issue with mask wearing for some is that the CDC came out first and said it did nothing and wasn’t necessary. Now, many don’t trust the CDC because they went back on their guidance. I also think many of the non-compliers would do better with requests and encouragement rather than executive orders. There is something about the executive order that turns off those who focus on freedoms and rights.

There is also the issue of non-compliance when they allowed protestors and riots but were telling people they could not have a wedding, funeral, or essentially go anywhere without distancing. Again, mixed messaging. That just doesn’t sit well with people to bend the rules for some.

The youth I know are ready to take their chances with Covid19. They want to go back to school and get on with life. It seems to be the adults who are more concerned with the virus.

38

It is hard for me to keep up with all of the research. What I have read coming out of Europe has concluded that elementary -aged kids are not vectors. Is there other research out there contradicting this conclusion?

39

Temperature checks have been found highly ineffective in children, who are largely as asymptomatic anyway.

40

This was posted by CNN in their Coronavirus live update feed on 7/1.

Children may be able to spread coronavirus similarly to infected adults, study finds
From CNN’s Shelby Lin Erdman

It’s still unclear to what extent children may spread the coronavirus, but a new study suggests it is possible they can transmit it as easily as infected adults, Swiss researchers reported Tuesday.

Fewer children than adults contract Covid-19, fewer develop severe forms of the illness and they don’t seem to be “major drivers of transmission,” but children of all ages have been infected, researchers said.

“Despite the high proportion of mild or asymptomatic infections, they should be considered as transmitters unless proven otherwise,” researchers from the Geneva University Hospitals and the University of Geneva concluded.

In the survey, 23 children ranging in age from 7 days old to 16 tested positive for Covid-19 and all but two carried the same amount of virus as adults.

“Our data show that viral load at diagnosis is comparable to that of adults and that symptomatic children of all ages shed infectious virus in early acute illness, a prerequisite for further transmission,” the authors wrote.

However, children do not seem to spread the virus in the same way adults do.
“Considering the relatively low frequency of infected children, even in severely affected areas, biological or other unknown factors could lead to the lower transmission in this population,” the authors surmised.

They said more research is need to fully understand the role of children in spreading the virus.

The study had some limitations, including its small size and the use of virus samples left over from routine diagnostic tests.

The research was published in the journal Emerging Infectious Diseases.