It's not looking great for schools...Your plans?

(Bob M) #1

My wife and I have to make a decision as to whether to send our kids (13,10) back to school in person or remote. I live in CT, USA, so our covid-19 cases are currently low.

We have chosen – at least for now – to send our kids back to school. They are allowed to ride the bus. My wife might arrange to take one while the other goes with one family. We’re not sure.

They will be in “pods”, small groups. They will do everything together, lunch, etc. There are many other precautions our state and local schools are taking, all without any federal guidance, since there is none. The one good thing is that kids have to wear masks, and if they don’t, they don’t come to school.

The problem?

No one can figure out how well kids do or do not transmit covid. Here’s a study indicating younger kids have higher RNA for covid than older:

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In this example, lower values are WORSE in terms of the amount of RNA. CT = PCR amplification cycle threshold (CT) values that were recorded, with lower values indicating higher amounts of viral nucleic acid. That is, to get some level of RNA, if the number of replications (basically, cycles) is smaller, this means it took fewer replications to get to the same point.

This does not indicate that children are necessarily spreaders, but they do have a high viral load. There are also multiple other studies indicating that children do spread the virus, and some indicating it’s unclear.

I know people are going to respond saying that children are not as affected by covid-19. (1) We don’t know how much they are affected (or are spreaders, for that matter), since many of the studies happened during shutdown. (2) Even if they kids don’t get affected, the teachers can be. Here’s an article about a teacher in Arizona who died of covid while teaching summer school:

https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/arizona-education/2020/07/09/after-arizona-teacher-kim-byrd-dies-covid-questions-raised-over-school-reopening/5405651002/

Also, for us, our family lives in a house with an in law apartment, and my mother lives in the in law. She’s 75, has had cancer and heart disease. If she gets this disease, she will not survive.

Anyway, because we are in CT, with low covid cases, we are going to see what happens with our kids in school, but I don’t have high hopes. I think we’ll be distance learning after not too long. And we’ll have to implement staying away from my mother again. That will suck, particularly in the winter, when we can’t see her outside.

But it’s a decision between staying home, which neither kid likes, or going to school and risking illness. Not many good choices.

For those of you in a location like AZ, CA, FL, TX, I don’t know what I’d do. I’m 55 and a dad we know who is my age spent 12 days in the ICU on a ventilator and 52 days in the hospital due to covid. What this means is even if my kids aren’t affected, I could be. (Unlike many low carb gurus who believe low carb/keto makes us immune to covid, and we walk on water and bullets bounce off our ripped abs, me, I’m not so sure. I’d rather not test this theory.)

What are you choosing to do with your kids?

#2

yea we are rural NC booney type area…my kid is high school, back 2 days for names A-M and spaced and masks optional but my kid will wear one. She wants school again. I am fine with it and then 2 days in class, Mon-Tues and then online extra work to be done. Then Wed they clean the school and kids N-Z go for Thurs and Friday the same with in person and online work and then clean over weekend.

For us it should work and hopefully all we can do is cross fingers and hope the world settles.

I think location means alot on this decision. We are low risk right now so…

(Stephanie ) #3

Im in Colorado,and we have 2 High school seniors. Our district decided to do remote learning for grades 6-12, and in person for k-5. They will reevaluate 2nd week of September. If they return with in person learning at that time i will ask my boys and see what they would like to do.

#4

You’re seeing the train wreck about to occur and choose to go along with it?

My pointers:

  • The governments are always rash in their decisions because they disregard the current data and what the scientists say.

  • I would home school or remote. Especially if their blood type is A+ or AB+ or positive blood type since I don’t believe negative blood types can spread the virus.

  • Children like to play and it will be very hard to play while wearing a mask at recess.

#5

Both of my children will be going back to school half time (with the rest of their school time online). I’m grateful that their school are 1) taking the sanitation protocols incredibly seriously and 2) allowing for in-person time for their students and teachers. All students and teachers have the option of staying home if they choose as long as they state that choice before the start of the year.

Personally I think that social isolation and an atmosphere of fear are very unhealthy for kids and pose a much greater threat than the virus itself (to them) so I would only keep mine home if they were particularly at risk for the virus. Transmission to elders, though, is a tricky question.

FWIW I don’t think that being low carb (and avoiding processed fats) makes you immune to COVID, but it probably drops the risk factor by quite a bit - maybe enough that it’s not a huge consideration for you. Your mom might be a different story…

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Immune systems are built on repeated exposure to microbes and viruses. This obviously doesn’t mean recklessly exposing children to everything, but it does mean that sterile environments are actually a risk for kids, small children in particular. Rural children might be in a different situation, but many of the city kids I know have been inside for months with Clorox wipes on every surface, and it’s really not a good plan. In addition to the fear and lack of sunlight and movement, their immune systems are just not getting what all of our immune systems need, which is exposure to the outside world and other people.

#6

My daughter was supposed to be starting kindergarten this year. Our district is still deciding their plan, but is offering remote learning for all who don’t want to send their children to school. I figure that putting her in public school at all this year is likely to be a dumpster fire, so I am just going to home school her. We have a few families in our “covid pod” with us, and they have been homeschooling for years so we will just join them and keep letting our kids socialize.

(Megan) #7

Im in Nevada and they are sending kids k-6 back full time and the older ones are doing a hybrid, every other day in class, schedule. (And of course, if the parents choose, the kids have the option to do all distance learning) My kids are young and Im personally glad they are going back. NOT for free daycare, but because they need to learn and play and move forward. While I dont know or care for the new math, they need to learn different ways to learn all sorts of life skills. Im an accountant, not a teacher, and I do not know how to teach someone any other way to do things. If they dont understand MY way of explaining, Im not aware how to teach them in a way that they will understand. I have been concentrating on making sure the kids are wearing their masks correctly, making them aware of how much they touch it and such, making sure they arent touching random things in stores, making them wash their hands and just being aware of how to limit exposure.

Im sure once kids or teachers start testing positive they will shut things down again, and Ill be free to work from home and distance learn the kids. But until then…we shall keep calm and move forward.

#8

My district is doing remote for the first 9 weeks and then re-evaluating. Hopefully they go back. Beyond noticeable the negative impact it’s had on him being out. Luckily he’s been in daycare throughout this whole thing so there’s been SOME structure outside of home. His daycare is bringing in extra teachers and setting everything up during school hours so the kids can have help with whatever assignments the kids in each school get so that should be a good start. Luckily they stepped up and went above and beyond.

#9

only one with a snippy judgement call on everyone else. You just called everyone a fool who doesn’t agree with your personal opinion…geez.

and to think we had a great thread happening on what works for each family and people judging their own lives and options.

:frowning:

(Elizabeth ) #10

Agreeing from the way that it’s stated I’m not sure that this poster has children? When you say I would that usually means if you had that choice to make which usually means you don’t.? Some of us home schooled back in the wild and woolie days when we were the pariahs. God gave children parents to help make those decisions for them.

(bulkbiker) #11

Consistent if nothing else… eh @anon81060937 ?

#12

Our county has made the decision to re-open, but is waiting until Sept. 7, rather than the last week of August IF cases do not increase and put us in a different classification. Currently, our county is classified as a “5”, as being one of the least affected. Population is around 40K, and there are 40 positive cases reported since March, with no deaths. The principle said that as long as we maintain a 4-5 classification, we re-open. If we near a “3”, then we go to remote learning only.

The school and bus company have met and decided upon enhanced procedures. The school has set up a “quarantine room”, is sanitizing constantly, added another lunch period to spread students out more. The bus system I don’t know about yet, but we parents were pushing for a second adult on the bus to take temps before kids get on. If their temp is over 100.3 - they don’t get on. Not sure how that turned out, but, that was the idea.

Our student gets dropped off at school by one of us. Normally would ride the bus home, but, she is also able to take driver’s ed earlier than most - so, she may end up driving before long. We shall see.

We do not have this kid in a huge school system here. My guess, is the local one she attends like a class D or E (if there is an E). Very small. So, from an overcrowding standpoint, its not a big concern.

#13

(Doug) #14

My wife teaches high school, kids mostly 15 - 18. Teachers began this week, teaching remotely - they are at the school, kids are not. At some point things may change. Quite a few teachers are uneasy, mostly those who are older.

#15

I work a lot with kids and see this all the time. I was once in a music lesson with a 10yo with her 6yo sister sitting in. The younger one tried several times to divert attention from her sister and finally lay down on the floor and started banging her feet onto the glass-panelled door. I asked her to stop and when she finally did, her mom said “thank you so much for taking your feet off the door.” :exploding_head:

The message was that she was doing us all some kind of favor by behaving in a reasonable way (and also that her mom didn’t actually expect her to behave reasonably, that it was exceptional). I think this is disastrous for children and it seems to be rampant. Parents at the playground hovering over their kids exclaiming “great job!!” with every movement of the swing.

#16

I recently heard that several of the older teachers at our schools were taking early retirements. Probably for the same reason, along with budget cuts.

#17

Yup. Children raising children.

Children don’t listen to words. It’s best to learn how to give them the look so they know what they’re doing is wrong.

You don’t think that it’s lenient to be sending kids back to school during a pandemic?

I wouldn’t send my own flesh and blood back to school after I’ve experienced this underestimated virus which is easily transmissible by simply breathing.

#18

No, personally I don’t. I agree with you on everything in that article but I guess I don’t see where parental leniency comes into the virus question. If anything the parents who are hovering over their children in the playground are also chasing after them with the Clorox wipes and seem to be afraid of any germ. (But I was very happy to see us on the same page about something! :slightly_smiling_face:)

#19

You don’t have kids do you?

(FRANK) #20

Straight up, I don’t have a dog in this fight (kids are grown), however, being the opinionated SOB that I am, here’s my thoughts. First, why not try going back to school? If it doesn’t pan out, shut it down. To the older teachers who are reluctant, let them teach class from a remote location.

The problem with this virus is the reactions have been knee-jerk and extremely politically charged. Remove the politics and apply some common sense. We’ve been through many pandemics in our nation’s history, and we don’t need to let this one tank our country.