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

[goodeats]

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?

High risk kids and high risk teachers stay home and distance learn together. No assemblies. More hand washing. Campaigns to get people to stay home if they are sick. No masks and no excessive social distancing.

The vast majority of kids and people under 65 (pretty much all teachers and staff) would be fine if they got Covid-19. It doesn't make sense to withhold education and social interaction from a whole generation of school children. I say let it ride.

The bigger issue I see is that the private schools will have the flexibility to open as normal. When people start jumping ship (and we are considering it) the entire public school system is going to collapse. Is that better than a small percentage of the population dying? I don't think so.

 

[DisneyElite4]

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?

I can only speak for my district, but our classrooms just aren’t big enough for six-foot social distancing with the amount of students we have. Additionally, it’s pretty unrealistic to expect children to constantly be aware of staying 6 feet apart from one another throughout the day - there is only one teacher, and they can’t always be watching/correcting everyone or they wouldn’t get any teaching done.

Those are the only opinions I have on the matter. It’s so freaking complicated. Many of the parents in our district believe that younger children especially will really struggle to keep masks on properly, or at all (in our state hardly anyone is wearing them currently). The sentiment in our district is that school should start as normal with no restrictions, and only close if there is an outbreak. These aren’t my exact sentiments, but it’s a prevalent theme amongst the parents here. Not as many have been affected here as in other locations, and people are already living as close to normal as possible. Kids are playing sports, families and neighborhoods are all hanging out, churches have opened, camps are open - and really very little mask-wearing and social distancing happening.

 

[SamFaniam]

The bigger issue I see is that the private schools will have the flexibility to open as normal. When people start jumping ship (and we are considering it) the entire public school system is going to collapse. Is that better than a small percentage of the population dying? I don't think so.

i’m not sure that’s true in all states. Here, the private schools fell under the same rules as the public schools as far as COVID-19 was concerned. And at this point, all discussions about how schools will open in the fall have included both public and private schools.

 

[godisney14]

High risk kids and high risk teachers stay home and distance learn together. No assemblies. More hand washing. Campaigns to get people to stay home if they are sick. No masks and no excessive social distancing.

The vast majority of kids and people under 65 (pretty much all teachers and staff) would be fine if they got Covid-19. It doesn't make sense to withhold education and social interaction from a whole generation of school children. I say let it ride.

The bigger issue I see is that the private schools will have the flexibility to open as normal. When people start jumping ship (and we are considering it) the entire public school system is going to collapse. Is that better than a small percentage of the population dying? I don't think so.

So, basically, everyone who is not high risk come to school and continue as usual (besides assemblies). And everyone who is high risk stay at home.

Also, students who have high risk family members stay home, I assume.

Sounds like the world can continue as normal for everyone under 65?

 

[kdonnel]

The only independent school district in my county has announced they are going back in the fall as previously scheduled, in person.

That gives me hope that the larger county school district will make the same decision.

 

[MrsCobraBubbles]

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.

I can explain that part. People with certain health issues like COPD or asthma can't safely wear masks. The CDC used to consider lung disease to be a risk factor for Covid but they are removing it now because studying the virus revealed that we aren't at higher risk of complications like they initially thought. So my asthma can prevent me from wearing a mask, but being an exception to the mask rule doesn't necessarily mean that I'm more vulnerable to complications from Covid infection and that I would have to do distance learning. But I guess not wearing a mask could put me at higher risk of exposure?

 

[Amy11401]

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?

I have heard of some proposals where the middle and high schools continue online learning and they only send elementary kids back. But they would spread them out across all the distracts elementary, middle and high schools. If this was the case the teacher could stay with the class all day.

 

[DisneyElite4]

So, basically, everyone who is not high risk come to school and continue as usual (besides assemblies). And everyone who is high risk stay at home.

Also, students who have high risk family members stay home, I assume.

Sounds like the world can continue as normal for everyone under 65?

Not exactly. I think the belief there is that it can continue for everyone as normal, no matter age or risk, if said individual is willing to take that risk. It’s up to each person to make that choice, and yes, it can be a hard one.

 

[goodeats]

So, basically, everyone who is not high risk come to school and continue as usual (besides assemblies). And everyone who is high risk stay at home.

Also, students who have high risk family members stay home, I assume.

Sounds like the world can continue as normal for everyone under 65?

Look, the whole point of the shut down was to slow the spread so the hospitals are not overwhelmed. As things open up the hospitals are not being overwhelmed - at least not where I am. The point is not to save every life or to stop every infection, but to ensure the medical care would be there. If Las Vegas, Great Wolf Lodge, and Disney World can open then schools can open too. We'll see what happens this summer, but hopefully the numbers support going back as close to normal as possible.

 

[godisney14]

Look, the whole point of the shut down was to slow the spread so the hospitals are not overwhelmed. As things open up the hospitals are not being overwhelmed - at least not where I am. The point is not to save every life or to stop every infection, but to ensure the medical care would be there. If Las Vegas, Great Wolf Lodge, and Disney World can open then schools can open too. We'll see what happens this summer, but hopefully the numbers support going back as close to normal as possible.

They are opening with social distancing and prevention measures in place, which is great. The complaint here regarding the school opening was that those measures shouldn’t need to be in place.

 

[DisneyElite4]

They are opening with social distancing and prevention measures in place, which is great. The complaint here regarding the school opening was that those measures shouldn’t need to be in place.

I think they are unrealistic and nearly impossible to enact.

 

[amylevan]

I have heard of some proposals where the middle and high schools continue online learning and they only send elementary kids back. But they would spread them out across all the distracts elementary, middle and high schools. If this was the case the teacher could stay with the class all day.

I’ve seen that proposal thrown around, but it would require at least twice the number of teachers. A teacher has to be in each of those elementary classes spread out. Where are they coming from? No district around here has started a hiring process, and to double the number of teachers by August, they would need to start ASAP.
And, Who’s paying for them?

 

[godisney14]

I think they are unrealistic and nearly impossible to enact.

Ah. I apologize if it causes any inconvenience. Of course, we can’t have that.

 

[DisneyElite4]

Ah. I apologize if it causes any inconvenience. Of course, we can’t have that.

I think it’s more about money. I know our district doesn’t have the money to hire more teachers to get classroom sizes smaller. Also, classrooms themselves aren’t big enough - no way they can fix that by early August, even with a ton of money.

I also think almost all of the inconvenience lies with the teachers - they are expected to get little kids to wear masks all day, check temps, harp on kids about social distancing, eat in their rooms, possibly no recess or downtime for them. That is a huge inconvenience for 1 teacher with as many as 30 kids. I worry a lot will quit.

 

[SmallWorld71]

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.

I don’t have a problem with the masks. But, they are saying no more than 10 kids in a class and no more than 2 adults. That won’t work with the amount of teachers or space in almost any school. So, you would then be looking at an alternating schedule which means working parents are out of luck. Or, they have to find child care. When this began back in March and kids were out of school here but most parents were working still, there were a couple moms who kindly volunteered to watch a bunch of kids so they were all together anyway.
Another problem I have with it is that they want 1 teacher to work with 1 group. Sorry, but my daughter’s AP Spanish teacher is not qualified to teach her AP Calculus class. This set up won’t work for middle and high school.
Finally, distance learning is a horrible alternative. Our school has had 82% of students who have been engaged in some learning each week. That means 18% are doing nothing. And the rates are much lower in poorer and minority areas. That’s a lot of children we are leaving behind.
Every parent and teacher I know is willing to take precautions such as masks, sanitizing, distancing as much as possible, no sharing materials etc... But, these regulations border on abuse.
The irony is, Massachusetts numbers have been dropping significantly. These regulations stem from fear and control, not data.
Hopefully, the numbers will continue to drop and things will change. School is almost 3 months away so I pray this just ends up being worst case scenario.

 

[HeatherC]

Ah. I apologize if it causes any inconvenience. Of course, we can’t have that.

Really? Why bother commenting at all. Have you been in a classroom lately?

And this goes far beyond being inconvenient. It is basically almost impossible to enact effectively. There is not enough space in buildings to social distance the way the guidelines are. That is not a complaint, it is the reality. There are not enough teachers to implement this even if they send only elementary kids. We know of two districts here who just had to cut all their arts and gym programs from Kindergarten through 12th grade. Another district (Brookline) has just laid off half of all their teachers due to a 6.5 million budget gap. Enacting these guidelines with staffing, unplanned for supplies, is not realistic. That is NOT a complaint. It is the sad reality of what schools and teachers are facing. So yeah....it’s far more than an inconvenience!

 

[DLgal]

The numbers of illnesses and deaths in people under 18 in no way justifies heavyhanded restrictions on schools going forward. Most of these guidelines are absolutely unnecessary. Let the teachers wear masks if they feel comfortable with doing so, but let the kids return to school as it was before. No masks. No social distancing. Recess, okay. Assemblies, maybe modify those or hold them outdoors only. Maybe eat lunch in the classroom rather than a large cafeteria, etc. Give every class a gallon jug of hand sanitizer and require students to use it at the start and end of class, or in elementary schools, every hour or half hour. Whatever. Have a zero tolerance policy on sick kids coming to school. Make the attendance policy more lenient, or allow for distance learning when kids need to miss several days due to illness. No more of this "you only get 10 absences per year" nonsense. Let parents choose distance learning if THEY feel it is better for their family.

 

[Lumpy1106]

Here's the guidance from the California Department of Education. A couple of head-scratchers;
Page 18 -

How can we support movement to ensure children are expending adequate energy? As student movement from classroom to classroom or recess activities are restricted, there may not be as many opportunities for physical activity during the school day. Consider building in transition activities that allow for movement.

In other words, they have no plan to incorporate things like recess and extra-curricular activities; things we have been rightly told for decades are crucial to child development.
Page 34 - Mental Health and Well Being for All - Basically admits that this is not good for anyone mentally, but the solutions - oh boy. Have you ever participated in Mindfulness (page 35) or restorative circles (page 36). This is next-level hooey IMHO.

The whole document reads like the ONLY important thing is the physical distancing and masks. Not education of any sort - certainly not healthy child development. Care to guess how this will go if it really is implemented?

 

[disindec]

High risk kids and high risk teachers stay home and distance learn together. No assemblies. More hand washing. Campaigns to get people to stay home if they are sick. No masks and no excessive social distancing.

The vast majority of kids and people under 65 (pretty much all teachers and staff) would be fine if they got Covid-19. It doesn't make sense to withhold education and social interaction from a whole generation of school children. I say let it ride.

The bigger issue I see is that the private schools will have the flexibility to open as normal. When people start jumping ship (and we are considering it) the entire public school system is going to collapse. Is that better than a small percentage of the population dying? I don't think so.

I’m in Central MA and there is at least 3 catholic schools closing this month. There are very few private schools around here to flock to.

 

[disindec]

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.

My sister in law teaches at a local high school and she did the math today... there is literally only enough classrooms in the district for 3/5 of the students if there is 10 to a room.

I have an almost 4 year old who I decided before this not to send to traditional preschool... I can’t even express how happy I am with that decision. It’s going to be such a mess.