Are you sending your kids to school next month?

[Boopuff]

We start back in person next week. We do a cohort model. But even with that we still have to take care of the fully remote kids. and now the district has some crazy "safety" rules we all need to follow on top of teaching in person and remote. I really wish the district had just called this year a wash and let us finish out fully remote. I really have a feeling they'll get us all back inperson and pull the plug AGAIN!

 

[mjkacmom]

Just here to vent, not debate. I hate this saying, but "it is what it is" - I am done discussing it;

I cannot believe I am bumping this thread to vent AGAIN about the school closures in CA. This is insane; my DD7 has been bumped back AGAIN to 2/1/21. Before you go and chide me for not thinking of the teachers and the "surge", this is after we got bumped back from 1/11/21 to free up the teachers' schedule so they could get the vaccine! That's right, they are delaying opening again and the teachers will be vaccinated. What's worse is this is private K-2 only, and they have set up all sorts of safety protocols and got a waiver to re-open. Don't get me started on the public schools - opening there is 3/1/21 MAYBE (probably not), and they are also getting the vaccine this month. What is the point of giving the teachers a fastpass in the vaccine line if they are not going back in the classroom?

Please, somebody from the +40 other states where schools are open - let me live vicariously - what's THAT like?

Well my kids haven’t been in high school or college since March, but you do realize it take weeks for the vaccine to become effective, right?

 

[godisney14]

Just here to vent, not debate. I hate this saying, but "it is what it is" - I am done discussing it;

I cannot believe I am bumping this thread to vent AGAIN about the school closures in CA. This is insane; my DD7 has been bumped back AGAIN to 2/1/21. Before you go and chide me for not thinking of the teachers and the "surge", this is after we got bumped back from 1/11/21 to free up the teachers' schedule so they could get the vaccine! That's right, they are delaying opening again and the teachers will be vaccinated. What's worse is this is private K-2 only, and they have set up all sorts of safety protocols and got a waiver to re-open. Don't get me started on the public schools - opening there is 3/1/21 MAYBE (probably not), and they are also getting the vaccine this month. What is the point of giving the teachers a fastpass in the vaccine line if they are not going back in the classroom?

Please, somebody from the +40 other states where schools are open - let me live vicariously - what's THAT like?

There were a small contingent of parents in my public school district blocking downtown traffic during commute hours and trying to force the resignation of all the school board members because they set a return to hybrid date back in November but delayed it just last week.

I understand some of the frustration. But, the virus and pandemic does not work on a set schedule, the vaccinations haven't been administered according to schedule in ANY state, and we can't predict what the situation will be in one month from now, two months, six months, one year, etc.

Good thing about private schools is that you do have the option to change to another private school next year if you don't like the current one for whatever reason.

 

[piglet1979]

In my kids district. K-5 started in person 5 days a week on January 11th (Monday). We just found out the 6-12 will start 4 or 5 days face to face on the 25th. We still have the option of fully remote which is what my kids do. We have to commit to the fully remote for the rest of the year. With the email that went out about 6-12 they said that they can't guarantee any social distancing especially at lunch when kids won't be wearing a mask. Also, Ohio has decided that you no longer have to do contact tracing in the school and do not need to quarantine any students or teachers that come in contact with someone who has tested positive unless the contact was outside of school. My district is following this. My mom's district (she is a teacher) will be hybrid for the rest of the year. This is after Ohio have a new variant that can be more contagious.

Ohio wants all school face to face by March (can be hybrid). They can still have the option of fully remote. Teachers will be fast tracked for the vaccine that are in districts that will commit to this. My mom is a teacher in a different district. They will be given the vaccine at school on a Friday so that they will not miss any days due to side affects. She did tell me last night that she doesn't think many of the teachers are going to get the vaccine though. My county is not supposed to start vaccinating teachers until February. I am in a much bigger county then my mom with many more hospitals that they need to get through so taking a bit longer here.

 

[Lumpy1106]

Well my kids haven’t been in high school or college since March, but you do realize it take weeks for the vaccine to become effective, right?

There were a small contingent of parents in my public school district blocking downtown traffic during commute hours and trying to force the resignation of all the school board members because they set a return to hybrid date back in November but delayed it just last week.

I understand some of the frustration. But, the virus and pandemic does not work on a set schedule, the vaccinations haven't been administered according to schedule in ANY state, and we can't predict what the situation will be in one month from now, two months, six months, one year, etc.

Good thing about private schools is that you do have the option to change to another private school next year if you don't like the current one for whatever reason.

If the delay was based on anything related to the vaccine then great - that's not it. The LA Archdiocese caved and is following the recommendations of the LA Health department, but if the LA Health department truly had their way, the private schools would be following the public schools and remain closed. THAT is what we are afraid of. The school has all sorts of health protocols in place and has a waiver for the younger grades only. We don't need to wait until any sort of metric is met or even the teachers getting the vaccines - they can just open - BUT we are delayed - again.

As for changing schools - looking into it right now. There are private schools that are open in LA County and we are a stone's throw from Orange County where even some public schools are open. Honestly as remote learning goes, my DD7's private school is the best we've seen. BUT - that's compared to other remote learning that has been a complete failure, and my DD7 is just over it. she needs to be around other 7 year-olds, not stuck at home, and it is really starting to show. The sad thing is she was so happy she could count down the last of the remote learning days on one hand as she went to bed last night. Now we have to tell her that's been delayed - again. This is going to be rough, AND, we really don't believe this is the last delay. Maybe a little PTSD on my part but I just really don't believe anything a school or public official says anymore. They all say they can't wait to have the kids back on a campus, but then they don't do it. It would be one thing if the schools in other states were all having big super-spreader outcomes, but that just has not happened at ANY school.

 

[DisneyHardin]

They all say they can't wait to have the kids back on a campus, but then they don't do it.

Wanting something and doing it don't always go together. I am a teacher and I would love to be back at school seeing my kids in person and that isn't a lie, but right now, I don't feel comfortable doing it and am glad my district is waiting.

 

[Mango7100]

If the delay was based on anything related to the vaccine then great - that's not it. The LA Archdiocese caved and is following the recommendations of the LA Health department, but if the LA Health department truly had their way, the private schools would be following the public schools and remain closed. THAT is what we are afraid of. The school has all sorts of health protocols in place and has a waiver for the younger grades only. We don't need to wait until any sort of metric is met or even the teachers getting the vaccines - they can just open - BUT we are delayed - again.

As for changing schools - looking into it right now. There are private schools that are open in LA County and we are a stone's throw from Orange County where even some public schools are open. Honestly as remote learning goes, my DD7's private school is the best we've seen. BUT - that's compared to other remote learning that has been a complete failure, and my DD7 is just over it. she needs to be around other 7 year-olds, not stuck at home, and it is really starting to show. The sad thing is she was so happy she could count down the last of the remote learning days on one hand as she went to bed last night. Now we have to tell her that's been delayed - again. This is going to be rough, AND, we really don't believe this is the last delay. Maybe a little PTSD on my part but I just really don't believe anything a school or public official says anymore. They all say they can't wait to have the kids back on a campus, but then they don't do it. It would be one thing if the schools in other states were all having big super-spreader outcomes, but that just has not happened at ANY school.

My DD is also 7 and an only child. We have been very cautious with COViD due to being a higher risk household. She also goes to a Catholic school they delayed one week to have more time between the holidays and school opening (which I get). We did both inperson and virtual (our choices) fall semester and they finished before thanksgiving. We weren’t sure if we were going to go back in person or do virtual this semester due to rising cases and hospitalizations, but we decided for inperson. She had not played with another kid (other than FaceTime) for almost 2 months. It was wearing on her. She was moody, short tempered, and just sad. When we told her last week she was going back she was so happy and thanked us for letting her go back to school. She is excited about her days, she talks about how much she does, its like a weight is lifted off her. Even though her school does a decent job with virtual, we were missing so much compared to being in person. We did all the same assignments to turn in, but I estimate we missed half of what the in person kids got.

So school is our splurge. We still aren’t going to peoples houses, indoor dining, any other activities, etc. She doesn’t care, she just wanted to go to school.

 

[Lumpy1106]

Wanting something and doing it don't always go together. I am a teacher and I would love to be back at school seeing my kids in person and that isn't a lie, but right now, I don't feel comfortable doing it and am glad my district is waiting.

Honest question; what is it going to take for you to feel comfortable? Safety protocols? Lower COVID #s? The vaccine? The teachers will have 2 of the 3 where I am by the end of the month. The third, well, you shouldn't have cut off the last sentence in my last post. I have a 1st grader who is regressing developmentally, a SOPH who's grades are suffering right when they need to be stellar, and a SR who is missing out on the last year he will ever have with his childhood friends, not to mention the last chance he will get to play lacrosse. These are desperate times and the clock won't stop ticking. For the adults making the decisions it's just one year, but not for the kids. I am more than happy to support whatever it is that will get teachers back in the classroom - but they have to get back in the classroom. Just name it.

 

[neverlandsky]

Our Governor announced as the kids were on winter break that the metrics are more of a guildline now and it’s up to the school districts to tackle education. The metrics were originally adjusted up to allow more cases to reopen schools in October. Yet majority of the school districts haven’t reopened due to the increase case count leaving just about every county in red. Hence the Governor’s recent change announcement.

Private schools and limited cohorts have been running since September. We’ve been on virtual remote learning since March. The school district does have a 60 page Covid plan I read over the summer for reopening. It seems good on paper, yet would be difficult to implement to the tee. Especially with this school year almost halfway over. We already told the kids grades 10th & 12th don’t expect to go back to school this school year.
If they do, at this point it’s gravy.

Update: They released in-person hybrid 2 days week and then remote learning 3 days starting next month/2nd semester OR you have to enroll in online only learning. So the community (parents, teachers, and students) threw a big stink to continue CDL instead. So now there’s CDL as a 3rd option, yet it’s different from what the kids are doing with their CDL now, where they will have different teachers and it uses the same online curriculum from online learning.

A survey was sent out to take on whether your child/children are going to do in-person, 2 days/hybrid, online, or the new CDL online version. We chose the in-person hybrid option because it has the least amount of change overall involved. So now we wait and see if in-person is going to happen.

 

[kdonnel]

For everyone here that are saying that their school or district has had very few cases, are your schools all back in session full time with the full student population?

My local school district has had about 60% of the 180,000 students in person and all of the staff for a total of about 133,000 people.

They have had 2579 positive cases reported since in person started August 18th. They will have completed 20 weeks in person as of tomorrow Friday January 15th.

That works out to 1.9% of the staff/students.

To me that is a small number, to others that is way too many.

Starting the 19th they are going to 100% digital. In the recent election the school board changed from a majority of one party to a majority of a different party.

I doubt they will go back in person this school year.


Edited to add:
At least at my wife's school there have been no documented cases of transmission in the school. All cases have come from the community.

 

[Kestryl]

The district here was in-person last semester, though many schools had to close at least once, and the entire district (servicing around 60k students) had to go virtual for the last week.

Kids started back Jan 5. My husband has one in-person class and is teaching two virtual classes. 26 kids in the in-person class. They can’t social distance very well. (Some classes have 35 students in a standard-size classroom.) He’s had two positive cases in the past week and is now quarantined at home. The second case came two days after the first, and they can’t link it to any other exposure point, so it’s possible that kid #2 got it from kid #1. 20 of the 26 students ended up quarantined, either from this class or others.

Teachers are somewhat fast-tracked, but the current estimate for their first shot is Feb/March. Meaning second shot not until March/April. Meaning it will practically be the end of the school year before they actually have protection.

Honest question; what is it going to take for you to feel comfortable? Safety protocols? Lower COVID #s? The vaccine?

I know this wasn’t directed at me, but my husband doesn’t feel safe at school. He wants parents to stop sending their kids to school sick. (“It’s just allergies” has turned into several positive cases already.) He wants parents to stop sending kids to school when the parent tested positive with Covid. He wants contact tracing back. (The Health Dep is overwhelmed- the school is relying on parents to self-report positive cases and exposure.) He wants reduced classroom sizes to allow for social distancing. He wants reduced covid numbers and spread in the community- which means people can’t just act like everything is normal and attend a 500-person concert indoors where everyone jammed up against the stage and didn’t wear masks. He wants community members to stop going to board meetings and saying it’s a hoax. He wants students to stop having “covid parties.”

But since none of that is something he can control, he wants protection from the vaccine, which will take time after the first shot.

 

[Lumpy1106]

The district here was in-person last semester, though many schools had to close at least once, and the entire district (servicing around 60k students) had to go virtual for the last week.

Kids started back Jan 5. My husband has one in-person class and is teaching two virtual classes. 26 kids in the in-person class. They can’t social distance very well. (Some classes have 35 students in a standard-size classroom.) He’s had two positive cases in the past week and is now quarantined at home. The second case came two days after the first, and they can’t link it to any other exposure point, so it’s possible that kid #2 got it from kid #1. 20 of the 26 students ended up quarantined, either from this class or others.

Teachers are somewhat fast-tracked, but the current estimate for their first shot is Feb/March. Meaning second shot not until March/April. Meaning it will practically be the end of the school year before they actually have protection.

I know this wasn’t directed at me, but my husband doesn’t feel safe at school. He wants parents to stop sending their kids to school sick. (“It’s just allergies” has turned into several positive cases already.) He wants parents to stop sending kids to school when the parent tested positive with Covid. He wants contact tracing back. (The Health Dep is overwhelmed- the school is relying on parents to self-report positive cases and exposure.) He wants reduced classroom sizes to allow for social distancing. He wants reduced covid numbers and spread in the community- which means people can’t just act like everything is normal and attend a 500-person concert indoors where everyone jammed up against the stage and didn’t wear masks. He wants community members to stop going to board meetings and saying it’s a hoax. He wants students to stop having “covid parties.”

But since none of that is something he can control, he wants protection from the vaccine, which will take time after the first shot.

He would have ALL of that in my (public) school district - and we may not open at all. Crazy.

 

[godisney14]

My local school district has had about 60% of the 180,000 students in person and all of the staff for a total of about 133,000 people.

They have had 2579 positive cases reported since in person started August 18th. They will have completed 20 weeks in person as of tomorrow Friday January 15th.

That works out to 1.9% of the staff/students.

To me that is a small number, to others that is way too many.

Starting the 19th they are going to 100% digital. In the recent election the school board changed from a majority of one party to a majority of a different party.

I doubt they will go back in person this school year.

This is what I was thinking is more the norm (supported by the larger sample size) compared to some accounts that their school or district has almost no cases.

As you say, some might think 2% is high and some may think it’s not. More than likely that percentage would go up if the schools were back to full-time in person with the full population. Maybe the public K-12 school systems should look into the possibility of having dedicated virtual schools. Embrace the technological future. And, it will reduce the strain of having overcrowded classrooms with overwhelmed staff:student ratios. But, make sure to put in equal effort and resources to supporting both forms.

How has the remote curriculum been for those that chose to stay remote? A concern I’ve read (again, not everywhere, but from many accounts) is that the remote curriculum becomes a lower priority and resources and attention becomes focused heavily on the in-person curriculum.

 

[kdonnel]

How has the remote curriculum been for those that chose to stay remote? A concern I’ve read (again, not everywhere, but from many accounts) is that the remote curriculum becomes a lower priority and resources and attention becomes focused heavily on the in-person curriculum.

The teachers have been expected to teach in person and remote simultaneously. So for the most part the in person kids are on their computers just at school instead of at home.

At the end of the first semester 90% of the at home kids were failing.

For the first semester grade book any not turned in assignment was changed to a 70.1. To be fair to the in person kids any grade below 70 was also changed to a 70.1. The .1 is so they can go back later and know if the fake grade reported on the kids report card was really earned.

After making that change only 20% of the at home kids failed the first semester.

 

[Cheburashka]

The district here was in-person last semester, though many schools had to close at least once, and the entire district (servicing around 60k students) had to go virtual for the last week.

Kids started back Jan 5. My husband has one in-person class and is teaching two virtual classes. 26 kids in the in-person class. They can’t social distance very well. (Some classes have 35 students in a standard-size classroom.) He’s had two positive cases in the past week and is now quarantined at home. The second case came two days after the first, and they can’t link it to any other exposure point, so it’s possible that kid #2 got it from kid #1. 20 of the 26 students ended up quarantined, either from this class or others.

Teachers are somewhat fast-tracked, but the current estimate for their first shot is Feb/March. Meaning second shot not until March/April. Meaning it will practically be the end of the school year before they actually have protection.

I know this wasn’t directed at me, but my husband doesn’t feel safe at school. He wants parents to stop sending their kids to school sick. (“It’s just allergies” has turned into several positive cases already.) He wants parents to stop sending kids to school when the parent tested positive with Covid. He wants contact tracing back. (The Health Dep is overwhelmed- the school is relying on parents to self-report positive cases and exposure.) He wants reduced classroom sizes to allow for social distancing. He wants reduced covid numbers and spread in the community- which means people can’t just act like everything is normal and attend a 500-person concert indoors where everyone jammed up against the stage and didn’t wear masks. He wants community members to stop going to board meetings and saying it’s a hoax. He wants students to stop having “covid parties.”

But since none of that is something he can control, he wants protection from the vaccine, which will take time after the first shot.

I'm a teacher and with you 100%. I've been teaching in person since September, and have 21 students in one classroom. Two of my students are currently in quarantine, and we just had a positive staff case and another probable (close contact to the positive, plus symptoms) staff case. And in my state, non-medical essential workers get no vaccine priority (I'm 46), so who knows when I'll get the chance to get one.

 

[Cheburashka]

Honest question; what is it going to take for you to feel comfortable? Safety protocols? Lower COVID #s? The vaccine? The teachers will have 2 of the 3 where I am by the end of the month. The third, well, you shouldn't have cut off the last sentence in my last post. I have a 1st grader who is regressing developmentally, a SOPH who's grades are suffering right when they need to be stellar, and a SR who is missing out on the last year he will ever have with his childhood friends, not to mention the last chance he will get to play lacrosse. These are desperate times and the clock won't stop ticking. For the adults making the decisions it's just one year, but not for the kids. I am more than happy to support whatever it is that will get teachers back in the classroom - but they have to get back in the classroom. Just name it.

I'm a teacher and I'm glad to be back in the classroom (have been since September) because I know the kids need it, and I'm also mother to a son who needs to be in person at his school. So I 100% get where you're coming from and agree that all schools should offer in-person classes.

My caveat is that now that a vaccine is available, all in-person teachers should be able to receive it. I work in a classroom with 21 students spaced 3 feet apart, all day every day. Have two students in quarantine right now and one fellow teacher is currently Covid positive while another likely case is awaiting test results. Our school is a powder keg. But in my state, in-person teachers have no vaccine priority at all. It could be summer or fall before I even have the chance to receive the first dose. That's wrong and it needs to change.

 

[DisneyHardin]

Honest question; what is it going to take for you to feel comfortable? Safety protocols? Lower COVID #s? The vaccine? The teachers will have 2 of the 3 where I am by the end of the month. The third, well, you shouldn't have cut off the last sentence in my last post. I have a 1st grader who is regressing developmentally, a SOPH who's grades are suffering right when they need to be stellar, and a SR who is missing out on the last year he will ever have with his childhood friends, not to mention the last chance he will get to play lacrosse. These are desperate times and the clock won't stop ticking. For the adults making the decisions it's just one year, but not for the kids. I am more than happy to support whatever it is that will get teachers back in the classroom - but they have to get back in the classroom. Just name it.

For me to feel comfortable there are a couple things - a big one is the vaccine. I got an email from the district this afternoon that the Governor is fast tracking teachers even faster than he was originally going to, so we should be getting the first dose the first week of February and then be able to get the second dose the end of February for (hopefully) a March return to school. Another big thing was a clear plan from the district as to what was going to be the procedure when there was an positive case at school, on the busses, in aftercare, etc. We are a big district - a little over 100,000 kids with an elaborate bussing system where one bus may stop at 4 or 5 schools - there has been no communication to teachers about what was going to happen when a kid tested positive - will every kid from their bus need to quarantine, will their class need to quarantine, etc? I need answers to these questions before I am willing to go back.

I have damage to my lung from a pulmonary embolism a few years ago, as well as asthma/allergies that are pretty severe. If I got Covid, I would most likely have a lot of trouble getting over it. I completely understand that kids are suffering socially during this, but I am not willing to end up in the hospital/possibly even die so that your kid can play lacrosse.

 

[Lumpy1106]

I have damage to my lung from a pulmonary embolism a few years ago, as well as asthma/allergies that are pretty severe. If I got Covid, I would most likely have a lot of trouble getting over it. I completely understand that kids are suffering socially during this, but I am not willing to end up in the hospital/possibly even die so that your kid can play lacrosse.

I understand that, but for the life of me I have no idea how you would get sick from my kid playing a sport outdoors if you have the vaccine and are not even there. BUT, it is exactly this sort of a scenario that is keeping our schools closed.

 

[DisneyHardin]

I understand that, but for the life of me I have no idea how you would get sick from my kid playing a sport outdoors if you have the vaccine and are not even there. BUT, it is exactly this sort of a scenario that is keeping our schools closed.

Because while your child is in close contact to other kids including other kids from another school that you may not know their protocols while playing that sport, you child could contract the virus and then bring it into the classroom where I could then catch it from him.

As I said in my post, the biggest thing that has to happen for me to feel comfortable coming back is to have the vaccine, so if I have had both doses of it, then I am good with going back to school and letting kids play sports if their parents chose to allow them to do so.

 

[Lumpy1106]

Because while your child is in close contact to other kids including other kids from another school that you may not know their protocols while playing that sport, you child could contract the virus and then bring it into the classroom where I could then catch it from him.

As I said in my post, the biggest thing that has to happen for me to feel comfortable coming back is to have the vaccine, so if I have had both doses of it, then I am good with going back to school and letting kids play sports if their parents chose to allow them to do so.

FULL agreement! I know there have been a lot of posts but please know that is exactly where I am coming from. I wish our school district would see it the same way.