What do you think school will be like in the fall? UPDATE page 29 for Mass.

[Darcy03231]

I think our school district did the best they could under the circumstances. Was it perfect? No. I think all the teachers did the best they could in a situation they were unprepared for.

The situation is a bit more complicated where I live because it's a rural area and not all of the town has internet access. This made it really difficult for some students to do the remote learning. (We were ok because we have internet access.) In the beginning the school also wasn't providing tablets/laptops. That got resolved and anyone that needed a device got one. The school also published a list of free wifi hotspots in town, but that really didn't solve the problem. With parents that were still working and older kids needed to watch younger ones, there was no one to drive kids to the places where the hotspots were. It's been a mess for those children.

It will be interesting to see what is finally decided.

 

[tvguy]

Guidelines just came out this week. Now the individual districts have to formulate specifics.
To grossly over generalize the guidelines are:
1) Social distancing
2) Masks
3) Half day sessions with students on block schedule and split between morning and afternoon sessions
4) Temperature checks
5) Continued distance learning
6 Sports........this is block copied from the guidelines:
• Swimming – Possibly, with modifications (one person per lane or every other lane) • Water Polo – NO • Diving – YES, with distancing • Wrestling – NO • Volleyball – NO • Basketball – NO • Golf - YES, with distancing • Tennis – YES • Football – NO • Soccer – NO • Cross Country – tend to run in packs so probably no • Track and Field – hard to distance so probably no • Baseball and Softball – NO • Cheerleading – YES, with distancing

 

[jlwhitney]

Guidelines just came out this week. Now the individual districts have to formulate specifics.
To grossly over generalize the guidelines are:
1) Social distancing
2) Masks
3) Half day sessions with students on block schedule and split between morning and afternoon sessions
4) Temperature checks
5) Continued distance learning
6 Sports........this is block copied from the guidelines:
• Swimming – Possibly, with modifications (one person per lane or every other lane) • Water Polo – NO • Diving – YES, with distancing • Wrestling – NO • Volleyball – NO • Basketball – NO • Golf - YES, with distancing • Tennis – YES • Football – NO • Soccer – NO • Cross Country – tend to run in packs so probably no • Track and Field – hard to distance so probably no • Baseball and Softball – NO • Cheerleading – YES, with distancing

Is this from the CDC guidelines or what your state put out?

 

[jaybirdsmommy]

Youngest Ds's school just announced they would be going back as normal in the fall (but still working on plans b and c just in case). Of course, they are small and should have no problem social distancing and they don't have a lunchroom. No word yet on the public schools.

 

[tvguy]

Is this from the CDC guidelines or what your state put out?

Neither. Sacramento County Office of Education

 

[jlwhitney]

Neither. Sacramento County Office of Education

Ah sounds like its not gonna be a fun year.

 

[barkley]

The situation is a bit more complicated where I live because it's a rural area and not all of the town has internet access. This made it really difficult for some students to do the remote learning. (We were ok because we have internet access.) In the beginning the school also wasn't providing tablets/laptops. That got resolved and anyone that needed a device got one. The school also published a list of free wifi hotspots in town, but that really didn't solve the problem.

we have a similar issue where we live and you're right-a list of free wifi hot spots is of no real help. even if a parent can arrange to travel into town how productive/educational will the experience be for a kid trying to do their work sitting in a car? it's not like they could get out of the car and sit at the tables or benches that some of the free spots normally provide b/c either the businesses or the city removed them all to encourage social distancing. i can't imagine with multiple kids all of them trying to do their schooling in a car at the same time even in rural areas like mine that do have internet it's spotty at best and when everyone was at home either doing their employment on line or streaming entertainment the demand on the system was too great-constant crashing and periods of outages.

 

[tvguy]

Ah sounds like its not gonna be a fun year.

No matter what they decided, I think a lot of folks were going to be unhappy with any plan.

 

[Lollylow]

No one knows, it’s too early to tell. There will be school of some sort. We just don’t know what it will look like. It will all depend on what your state/district/building plans.

 

[kymom99]

In Kentucky all the superintendents had a conference call recently. One thing they backed off on was placing one kid per bus seat and skipping a seat. There was just no way that could ever work. They would never be able to get all the kids to school. The district I work for is the 3rd largest in the state. The number of buses they have to run to get all the kids to school normally is staggering. And they are always short on drivers. The CDC recommendation was just not realistic.

 

[HeatherC]

UPDATE for Massachusetts

My daughter is a teacher here in Massachusetts. She just received word that the state has just released guidelines for the fall. What will be required are social distancing of six feet at all times (desks 6 ft. Apart, 6ft apart entering and exiting or moving through the buildings, face masks at all times, one teacher with same kids all day, certain protocols for sick kids, etc.., smaller class sizes and reduced staff to student ratios, etc..

‘We are sitting here thinking they will be doing online learning in September if this is the case. How any school will be able to make this happen is beyond me. For starters, there just isn’t enough floor space...even with split shifts.

You can see the guidelines on wcvb.com. It is not letting me link the article for reason.

 

[HeatherC]

.

 

[Skippy918]

My daughter is a teacher here in Massachusetts. She just received word that the state has just released guidelines for the fall. What will be required are social distancing of six feet at all times (desks 6 ft. Apart, 6ft apart entering and exiting or moving through the buildings, face masks at all times, one teacher with same kids all day, certain protocols for sick kids, etc.., smaller class sizes and reduced staff to student ratios, etc..

‘We are sitting here thinking they will be doing online learning in September if this is the case. How any school will be able to make this happen is beyond me. For starters, there just isn’t enough floor space...even with split shifts.

How would the same teacher all day work in a middle or a high school where kids change classes and teachers are specialized for different subjects?

 

[AMW86]

How would the same teacher all day work in a middle or a high school where kids change classes and teachers are specialized for different subjects?

My thoughts exactly. How is an English teacher going to teach Calculus or Organic Chemistry?

 

[Lumpy1106]

My daughter is a teacher here in Massachusetts. She just received word that the state has just released guidelines for the fall. What will be required are social distancing of six feet at all times (desks 6 ft. Apart, 6ft apart entering and exiting or moving through the buildings, face masks at all times, one teacher with same kids all day, certain protocols for sick kids, etc.., smaller class sizes and reduced staff to student ratios, etc..

‘We are sitting here thinking they will be doing online learning in September if this is the case. How any school will be able to make this happen is beyond me. For starters, there just isn’t enough floor space...even with split shifts.

Corrected Link

One part makes NO sense to me though. You are required to wear a mask, unless it isn't safe for you to wear a mask. OK, so far, but, why not just open the schools and say anyone who is at risk sticks with the distance learning for now? It has to be about the same % of people who are the exception to the rule.

 

[HeatherC]

Corrected Link

One part makes NO sense to me though. You are required to wear a mask, unless it isn't safe for you to wear a mask. OK, so far, but, why not just open the schools and say anyone who is at risk sticks with the distance learning for now? It has to be about the same % of people who are the exception to the rule.

Thank you so much for correcting the link!!

It is very disheartening to say the least. I’m a substitute teacher and just in one of our schools, there is no way this can work as stated. Even doing split shifts, there is just too many students to even go a couple days a week. And how are teachers supposed to speak all day with a mask on? Funding for schools are being cut big time and now they are supposed to also reduce teacher to student ratios? This is unbelievable.
If they continue online, what do working parents do?

‘And teachers aren’t paid nearly enough to begin with. Now this. Ugghhh.

 

[HeatherC]

How would the same teacher all day work in a middle or a high school where kids change classes and teachers are specialized for different subjects?

They can’t. Teachers are only certified in certain subjects so a History teacher can’t teach Chemistry, etc..
This is a nightmare.

 

[SmallWorld71]

UPDATE for Massachusetts

My daughter is a teacher here in Massachusetts. She just received word that the state has just released guidelines for the fall. What will be required are social distancing of six feet at all times (desks 6 ft. Apart, 6ft apart entering and exiting or moving through the buildings, face masks at all times, one teacher with same kids all day, certain protocols for sick kids, etc.., smaller class sizes and reduced staff to student ratios, etc..

‘We are sitting here thinking they will be doing online learning in September if this is the case. How any school will be able to make this happen is beyond me. For starters, there just isn’t enough floor space...even with split shifts.

You can see the guidelines on wcvb.com. It is not letting me link the article for reason.

I am also a teacher in MA. The regulations are completely unrealistic. Hopefully they come to their senses soon or I smell a lawsuit. No matter what platform I go on I haven’t seen a single person in support of this nonsense. There is already at least one petition out there.

 

[HeatherC]

I am also a teacher in MA. The regulations are completely unrealistic. Hopefully they come to their senses soon or I smell a lawsuit. No matter what platform I go on I haven’t seen a single person in support of this nonsense. There is already at least one petition out there.

Hoping maybe they will change this. Maybe it is meant as a kind of heads up to make sure online learning is up and running effectively “just in case”, but I don’t think so.

 

[godisney14]

So, keeping desks 6 feet apart and wearing masks is something to complain about? Doing online learning is something people complain about?

So, what exactly are people proposing as a viable alternative?

ETA: At least MA has some requirements in place. (Or are those just suggestions that are being complained about)? In California, the state supe just issued new guidelines and EVERYthing is a suggestion. We are still at level Ambiguous.