S/o More On Back to School

[SnuggleBuggles]

I just read the Vox article and I agree. But I'm in California, and my kids start in 4 weeks. We're supposed to be given "the plan" from both my kids' districts next week.
My DH works overseeing a school construction/renovation project in DS1's district. He sent me a photo yesterday to show me how they're setting up desks for social distancing, and all I could focus on is that there is carpet on the floor. Brand new, just installed, carpet tiles. I pointed that out to DH and he said it helps acoustics. Uh, ok. How exactly will they sanitize carpet quickly between classes??? If teacher and students are all wearing masks, the acoustics are going to suck anyway. I have very little faith that our school districts are thinking these things through. But my DS2 has a 504 and distance learning was a nightmare, and he did not do well with DH or me teaching him and no other kids around him. The conundrum I feel boils down to: they can teach the kids but can't keep them safe; I can keep them safe but can't teach them.

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Why would the carpet need to be sanitized? I’m betting circle time...won’t be on the floor now. But even if the floors were hard surfaced I wouldn’t expect them to be sanitized between classes.


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[jennilynn]

I know the Vox article was making the case for going back to school but I think it actually made me feel worse about it! Anyone else? Now I’m reconsidering. Our state is seeing cases skyrocket and test results are taking a week or longer so that’s not helpful.


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[bisous]

I know the Vox article was making the case for going back to school but I think it actually made me feel worse about it! Anyone else? Now I’m reconsidering. Our state is seeing cases skyrocket and test results are taking a week or longer so that’s not helpful.


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Yeah. I felt like it made an argument for going back to school but was not very reassuring about doing it with any level of success or way forward. Lots of caveats about safety with an acknowledgment that the contract tracing and testing required for a minimum level of success may not be possible.

[SnuggleBuggles]

I know the Vox article was making the case for going back to school but I think it actually made me feel worse about it! Anyone else? Now I’m reconsidering. Our state is seeing cases skyrocket and test results are taking a week or longer so that’s not helpful.


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Yep. Same.


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[PZMommy]

When reading my district's current proposal it sounds like they are thinking our attendance clerks will be a part of contact tracing.

We don’t even have attendance clerks. We have an office manager who is already overworked.

Like niccig posted, everyone is putting everything on the schools. We don’t even have enough funding to run things when there isn’t a pandemic, much less start taking on extra safety precautions. I don’t think we are even going to have the option to go back here. Our numbers are out of control, testing is once again limited, contact tracing is not happening. All of this does not help the case for opening at all, much less safely. Our union is pushing for remote learning to start.

[echoesofspring]

Why is it all on schools to figure this out?

I agree it shouldn't be on the schools and it's is a failure of leadership that it is. For our district at least I do feel like there's a little too much wishful thinking/hoping and not enough contingency planning occurring, and I wish they would be more transparent about what they are thinking/struggling with so that the community could rally with them to get resources, etc.

I'm not up to speed on the situation in Australia except to say I thought they had the virus pretty well under control and went back to school in person for their current semester a while ago. But when I asked a friend there today about it she told me Melbourne is back in lockdown, and they are looking at going back to virtual learning when the current holiday ends. It's discouraging to hear when they seemed to be starting from such a better place than the US is on all of this.

[lurksalot]

We don’t even have attendance clerks. We have an office manager who is already overworked.

Like niccig posted, everyone is putting everything on the schools. We don’t even have enough funding to run things when there isn’t a pandemic, much less start taking on extra safety precautions. I don’t think we are even going to have the option to go back here. Our numbers are out of control, testing is once again limited, contact tracing is not happening. All of this does not help the case for opening at all, much less safely. Our union is pushing for remote learning to start.

I completely agree with all of the above, especially for our hardest-hit areas. Today, world meters has our new case count at >71,000. Also, did you all see the NPR article today with the updated recommendations from the AAP? They are definitely walking back their previous remarks.

[doberbrat]

3 teachers share a classroom w/o kids - all 3 get Corona and 1 dies

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/...rs/5411122002/

I know its not the point but I'd like to know how she got it. It seems like the teacher who died was the one who spread it to the other teachers but I wish it was more clear about where she got it or that it was a community spread - it seems to imply she got it camping which doesnt make sense to me.

[carolinamama]

I know the Vox article was making the case for going back to school but I think it actually made me feel worse about it! Anyone else? Now I’m reconsidering. Our state is seeing cases skyrocket and test results are taking a week or longer so that’s not helpful.


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Yes, the more I read and compare to our reality, the worse I feel about in-person school. I said above that the Vox article actually highlighted the reasons my kids are going with the virtual option this year even if it was advocated a return to school. Maybe I am in the minority, to me articles along these lines (AAP) are more position statements than a justification for throwing kids out there with only a wish and a prayer.

I had a little mental breakdown today about the choices I have to make in the next week. We are between a rock and a hard place with no great option and now that we are here, I'm sad for all our kids.

[jgenie]

After a summer with people traveling to and from hot spots I don’t think there will be an area with low numbers. I too worry about the long term health implications.