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

[greg9x]

My wife who has allergies sometimes in the Spring takes Zyrtec. Maybe others can take an antihistamine before going to work/school if it’s causing issues?

if only it was that simple... A LOT of people take allergy medicines and still suffer greatly during allergy seasons.. I take Zyrtec AND Singular, pollen is still giving me itchy eyes, burning sinuses and throat, etc. right now. Have to be a constant walking disclaimer "I have allergies, not the virus ."

 

[Dole_whip_doll]

if only it was that simple... A LOT of people take allergy medicines and still suffer greatly during allergy seasons.. I take Zyrtec AND Singular, pollen is still giving me itchy eyes, burning sinuses and throat, etc. right now. Have to be a constant walking disclaimer "I have allergies, not the virus ."

You said it so much better than my attempts!

 

[amylevan]

if only it was that simple... A LOT of people take allergy medicines and still suffer greatly during allergy seasons.. I take Zyrtec AND Singular, pollen is still giving me itchy eyes, burning sinuses and throat, etc. right now. Have to be a constant walking disclaimer "I have allergies, not the virus ."

I’ve yet to find a medicine mix that eliminates my allergy symptoms. My current mix reduces them, but I’m still a wreck (and I've even had allergy shots!). I feel like I need a sign that says “it’s not Covid, it’s pollen”.

 

[barkley]

there's a new topic of discussion on our area news that i suspect may (depending on what is decided) push more parents on the fence about homeschooling into opting for it.

here we go-a district on the west side of our state announced that they are canceling all sports next year. this had our local news stations rushing to find out what the deal is here on the eastern side. all the districts here said they are waiting for guidance from the state's interscholastic activities association. the association was asked for comment and they have said that they are planning for them but not guaranteeing, and even if they do have them they may be either shorter seasons or not even try to start up until some time after november.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

if only it was that simple... A LOT of people take allergy medicines and still suffer greatly during allergy seasons.. I take Zyrtec AND Singular, pollen is still giving me itchy eyes, burning sinuses and throat, etc. right now. Have to be a constant walking disclaimer "I have allergies, not the virus ."

I’ve yet to find a medicine mix that eliminates my allergy symptoms. My current mix reduces them, but I’m still a wreck (and I've even had allergy shots!). I feel like I need a sign that says “it’s not Covid, it’s pollen”.

I've been taking allergy medicine for most of my life. While it can reduce the reaction my body has it has never eliminated it, never.

Allergy shots supposedly may work better on some people but it takes usually several years for it to be effective as you are very slowly building up your body for exposure.

 

[Colleen27]

there's a new topic of discussion on our area news that i suspect may (depending on what is decided) push more parents on the fence about homeschooling into opting for it.

here we go-a district on the west side of our state announced that they are canceling all sports next year. this had our local news stations rushing to find out what the deal is here on the eastern side. all the districts here said they are waiting for guidance from the state's interscholastic activities association. the association was asked for comment and they have said that they are planning for them but not guaranteeing, and even if they do have them they may be either shorter seasons or not even try to start up until some time after november.

I haven't heard anything about athletics here yet, but I've heard several local districts are considering eliminating all art and music programs in anticipation of the one-two punch of higher costs and drastically reduced state funding for the upcoming year. I think that's going to give some of those "on the fence" families a push too, especially if we're in a stage of reopening by then that would allow private and small-group art and music classes to resume. I don't think a stripped-down "core classes only" experience is going to be attractive to parents who are already concerned about whether the benefits of a traditional school setting outweigh the risks of exposure to the virus.

 

[Lumpy1106]

National coronavirus updates: Fauci weighs pros, cons of reopening schools this fall amid COVID-19

"Children can get infected, so, yes, so you've got to be careful," Fauci said. "You got to be careful for them and you got to be careful that they may not spread it. Now, to make an extrapolation that you shouldn't open schools, I think is a bit of a reach."

"In some situations there will be no problem for children to go back to school," he said. "In others, you may need to do some modifications. You know, modifications could be breaking up the class so you don't have a crowded classroom, maybe half in the morning, half in the afternoon, having children doing alternate schedules. There's a whole bunch of things that one can do."

He is being really conservative in his wording and rightly so - he has been lauded as THE expert and what he says is dissected by everyone. IMHO, if Fauci says we should open the schools, IT IS IMPERATIVE that we open the schools. No exceptions. Get them open.

 

[godisney14]

I haven't heard anything about athletics here yet, but I've heard several local districts are considering eliminating all art and music programs in anticipation of the one-two punch of higher costs and drastically reduced state funding for the upcoming year. I think that's going to give some of those "on the fence" families a push too, especially if we're in a stage of reopening by then that would allow private and small-group art and music classes to resume. I don't think a stripped-down "core classes only" experience is going to be attractive to parents who are already concerned about whether the benefits of a traditional school setting outweigh the risks of exposure to the virus.

Music, if any, seemed to be the logical one for cutting or suspending for now. All those kids singing in close quarters, or blowing and spitting into the wind/brass instruments.
Seems like some athletics would be another area of suspension or cancellation as well.

 

[Lumpy1106]

Music, if any, seemed to be the logical one for cutting or suspending for now. All those kids singing in close quarters, or blowing and spitting into the wind/brass instruments.
Seems like some athletics would be another area of suspension or cancellation as well.

In a phone interview with CNN Wednesday, Fauci noted that children tend to have milder symptoms or even no symptoms when they are infected with COVID-19.

I wouldn't cut those either. Reason being, these are MAJOR social groups that these kids will maintain for a lifetime. If we haven't suspended these programs through Flu, Strep Throat, Pink Eye, etc, etc, etc, why would we do that now? The expected symptoms, if there are any, are far less severe and cost of these relationships is too great. Kids need friends, kids need their social network - period.

 

[Brett Wyman]

In our community there are now pitching, as ONE of the many options, that middle schoolers and high schoolers stay at home for online learning as they are better equipped maturity wise to handle it. The elementary kids will then socially distance through ALL of the schools elementary, middle, and high. As a father of a rising 1st grader Im excited to hear my kid may be in school a normal 5 days a week, she needs it. But Im guessing that doesn't sit as well with parents of high and middle schoolers.

 

[mi*vida*loca]

Our district has started fall sports meetings. They were done virtually.

They sent a questionnaire to parents asking if we would send our kids if school opened, do you think online learning is working, so you have access to online learning equipment, etc.

I want school to open for all students in the fall. I have a new high schooler and my son will start junior year of college.

 

[Colleen27]

Music, if any, seemed to be the logical one for cutting or suspending for now. All those kids singing in close quarters, or blowing and spitting into the wind/brass instruments.
Seems like some athletics would be another area of suspension or cancellation as well.

Around me, it doesn't appear to be as much about virus risk as about budgets. Schools subsidize their art and music programs, have dedicated teachers for those subjects, and bear most of the costs for equipment and supplies. Pay-for-play fees and gate receipts cover almost all of the expenses of the athletic program, so aside from swimming (because the school does bear most of the costs of pool upkeep), those programs are self-supporting and therefore safe for the time being.

I wouldn't cut those either. Reason being, these are MAJOR social groups that these kids will maintain for a lifetime. If we haven't suspended these programs through Flu, Strep Throat, Pink Eye, etc, etc, etc, why would we do that now? The expected symptoms, if there are any, are far less severe and cost of these relationships is too great. Kids need friends, kids need their social network - period.

I couldn't agree with this more. I don't know that I'd have made it through school without band and drama - those were the places where I made friends and didn't get teased about being the nerdy girl with her nose in a book, and the friends from my school years that I am still in touch with at 40yo are all people I met in those activities. But our public schools are facing an existential financial crisis right now so I fear a lot of things that are undoubtedly positive and even essential to many students are going to end up on the chopping block because of the costs.

My youngest has been in private school since pre-K and the plan was to send her to public school for her high school years, largely because of a strong interest in theatre and a love of performing. Our local private high school is so small that they don't even have a program, though her current K-8 does, so we felt like public would be a better fit. But right now, there's a very good chance that our district's award-winning drama program won't exist by the time she gets there (she's a rising 7th grader).

 

[Lumpy1106]

In our community there are now pitching, as ONE of the many options, that middle schoolers and high schoolers stay at home for online learning as they are better equipped maturity wise to handle it. The elementary kids will then socially distance through ALL of the schools elementary, middle, and high. As a father of a rising 1st grader Im excited to hear my kid may be in school a normal 5 days a week, she needs it. But Im guessing that doesn't sit as well with parents of high and middle schoolers.

My experience has been the opposite of this. My Kindergartner has had a pretty positive experience EDUCATIONALLY, while my high schoolers have struggled to maintain enough interest to do any of the work. Granted, they went to pass-fail grading and the work is largely busy work, but still - to say they are "better equipped maturity-wise to handle it" is not true at all. The opposite in fact - they are mature enough to decide if they aren't doing it, they aren't doing it. They need that push from in-person teaching. I think what this is really saying is that older kids are more able to be left at home alone - that's no way to decide who will and will not be going back to school though.

 

[Brett Wyman]

My experience has been the opposite of this. My Kindergartner has had a pretty positive experience EDUCATIONALLY, while my high schoolers have struggled to maintain enough interest to do any of the work. Granted, they went to pass-fail grading and the work is largely busy work, but still - to say they are "better equipped maturity-wise to handle it" is not true at all. The opposite in fact - they are mature enough to decide if they aren't doing it, they aren't doing it. They need that push from in-person teaching. I think what this is really saying is that older kids are more able to be left at home alone - that's no way to decide who will and will not be going back to school though.

Probably a big factor that they just cant mention out loud.

 

[Lumpy1106]

Around me, it doesn't appear to be as much about virus risk as about budgets. Schools subsidize their art and music programs, have dedicated teachers for those subjects, and bear most of the costs for equipment and supplies. Pay-for-play fees and gate receipts cover almost all of the expenses of the athletic program, so aside from swimming (because the school does bear most of the costs of pool upkeep), those programs are self-supporting and therefore safe for the time being.



I couldn't agree with this more. I don't know that I'd have made it through school without band and drama - those were the places where I made friends and didn't get teased about being the nerdy girl with her nose in a book, and the friends from my school years that I am still in touch with at 40yo are all people I met in those activities. But our public schools are facing an existential financial crisis right now so I fear a lot of things that are undoubtedly positive and even essential to many students are going to end up on the chopping block because of the costs.

My youngest has been in private school since pre-K and the plan was to send her to public school for her high school years, largely because of a strong interest in theatre and a love of performing. Our local private high school is so small that they don't even have a program, though her current K-8 does, so we felt like public would be a better fit. But right now, there's a very good chance that our district's award-winning drama program won't exist by the time she gets there (she's a rising 7th grader).

I feel you. For my kids it was lacrosse rather than drama but the story is the same. GOOD LUCK!!! Don't ever give up; it is as important as you think it is.

 

[mi*vida*loca]

My experience has been the opposite of this. My Kindergartner has had a pretty positive experience EDUCATIONALLY, while my high schoolers have struggled to maintain enough interest to do any of the work. Granted, they went to pass-fail grading and the work is largely busy work, but still - to say they are "better equipped maturity-wise to handle it" is not true at all. The opposite in fact - they are mature enough to decide if they aren't doing it, they aren't doing it. They need that push from in-person teaching. I think what this is really saying is that older kids are more able to be left at home alone - that's no way to decide who will and will not be going back to school though.

I agree. My 8th grader says online learning is a joke. She’s a straight A student and her grades are even higher now but she says she’s not learning anything. It’s all busy work and she told me she’d rather just stop doing the works now and take her grades because she has no interest anymore. (We are done next week) She also doesn’t attend any of the zoom meetings.

I also think teenagers need human interaction. How to deal with their peers and teachers. They’ll be out in the real world very soon.

 

[Southernmiss]

Our high school band of 150 students started band camp this week with lots of social distancing. Each section was outside and in small groups with each person at least 6 feet apart. Masks were used in closer situations.

It was a week of introducing incoming freshmen to high school band.

High school soccer players will begin conditioning next week with modifications.

One of our colleges has brought athletes back. They have extensive testing and an athlete and coach have tested positive and are in quarantine.

 

[Lumpy1106]

I took my son over to the school to return his lacrosse gear last week. When he showed up there were 4 other players there too. none of them were wearing masks, all handshakes and high-fives. What can I say? I was SO HAPPY to see them acting like the high-schoolers that they are that there was no way I was going to "correct" them. Nobody got sick, and two of them (graduating seniors) are headed to Australia for the summer to work on a ranch and surf all summer - then to college in some fashion in the Fall. My son asked me what he thought - I told him I wished he could go with them - that sounds freakin' awesome!

 

[lifesavacation]

there's a new topic of discussion on our area news that i suspect may (depending on what is decided) push more parents on the fence about homeschooling into opting for it.

here we go-a district on the west side of our state announced that they are canceling all sports next year. this had our local news stations rushing to find out what the deal is here on the eastern side. all the districts here said they are waiting for guidance from the state's interscholastic activities association. the association was asked for comment and they have said that they are planning for them but not guaranteeing, and even if they do have them they may be either shorter seasons or not even try to start up until some time after november.

You can homeschool and still participate in school sports so I’m confused about the connection.

 

[SamFaniam]

I took my son over to the school to return his lacrosse gear last week. When he showed up there were 4 other players there too. none of them were wearing masks, all handshakes and high-fives. What can I say? I was SO HAPPY to see them acting like the high-schoolers that they are that there was no way I was going to "correct" them. Nobody got sick, and two of them (graduating seniors) are headed to Australia for the summer to work on a ranch and surf all summer - then to college in some fashion in the Fall. My son asked me what he thought - I told him I wished he could go with them - that sounds freakin' awesome!

I hope they are not leaving for a while, as Australia is not yet open for regular tourism.