Are you sending your kids to school next month?

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

I am taking her word for it. However, I do think the poster is as upset with the new policy as I would be. That is how I read the post.

As for parents not testing their children - look here on the DIS. I have seen many posts stating that parents don't want to test their children unless necessary because it's not a pleasant test. I get it. There is a person at our testing location who we all call the brain proctologist because she puts the swab so far up our noses. I would not want this person to give a COVID test to my child either.

Finally, I've never said parents aren't testing their kids in every school in every place in the US. As I said, parents aren't testing their kids but I never said all parents. Never have I said that.

My conversation with you is over.

What an abrupt way to talk to someone like that. You only have to look at the DIS to see that people are telling you what's going on in their area, your comment that I quoted was doubting what they were saying and that's what I was talking about. I wasn't talking about not believing that particular poster you quoted but rather all the other ones who have explained what has been going on in their area. We should believe you that for your area parents aren't (edited: corrected word) testing the kids, COVID is spreading like wildfire in your schools, but that means you should believe other people on what they have said for their areas.

It was in response to this: "In the fall many were saying that there was no spread in schools. It was all happening outside of school."

 

[Heigh-Ho]

My conversation with you is over.

 

[Heigh-Ho]

Our school district had to test a random 20% of students and staff (result rate was below 1%). In our case the tests were provided by the county (WNY).

Do they do these random tests often or was this the first one? Random testing sounds like a good plan if places have the capacity for that. Asymptomatic happens and that could catch that.

 

[firefly_ris]

Do they do these random tests often or was this the first one? Random testing sounds like a good plan if places have the capacity for that. Asymptomatic happens and that could catch that.

So far they only did them twice as far as I know. My kids were not selected. It was part of the stipulation for being able to stay open in an NY "Yellow Zone". But I think since Christmas the whole zone thing has been changing and I haven't heard more -- maybe if there was a spike happening in the area they would do them again but I don't know specifics. I just know that our district has stayed open since school started in September.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

.

 

[Kestryl]

Is your DH and his co-workers supposed to go the the students' houses and pick them up and drive them to school?

I don’t know, I guess! He’s pretty insulted by it. The majority of his in-person kids are out on quarantine or sick with covid (he had multiple cases in one of his classes). He only has one other student that has been out chronically, and that student is currently suspended, so... As for the handful of other absences, I guess he’s supposed to clean teeth (dentist appointments) or provide physical therapy or demand the kid can’t attend a funeral for their grandparent?

 

[mrs. magoo]

Here in Monroe County (Western NY) our districts are randomly testing 20% of the teachers and students every other week. We are in an orange zone. Our many school districts have all different plans - some are in person 4 days a week while others are 2 days a week. One district does 5 days a week and another does 5 days a week for half the students and then those kids are home while the other group attends. The ones that have school 5 days a week have separate remote and in person classes. I am currently teaching both remote and in person 4 days a week to my special education kids. The county health department is adamant that the spread is not in school and I tend to agree. The kids are very good about masks and for the most part social distancing while in school. There may have been a case of transmission in the teacher lunchroom because people were eating too close together but again it is hard to say definitely that is where it came from. It is so hard to contact trace with the amount of community spread that who knows.

 

[piglet1979]

In the fall many were saying that there was no spread in schools. It was all happening outside of school. Now many districts are going to the close contact is within 6 feet of the infected person in order to be quarantined. Your district is going to soon find out that COVID is being spread in school no matter how many precautions are taken. It happened our district. It's happening in other districts. People just aren't testing their children as much so they have no idea if their child is asymptomatic.


I am so thankful that my district, as crazy as they may drive us at times, is being very cautious and careful. Trust me, if they weren't I would not have gone back.

At the beginning my district was doing great. We started fully remote then hybrid, back to fully remote. During this time they kept kids at least 3 feet apart if not more. No with having all the kids in 4 days a week they have said that they will do what they can to keep the kids 3 feet apart but the middle school and high school it will be impossible to do in the halls and at lunch. The student and teachers are required to wear a mask but I don't trust that is being enforced as my kids have shown me their virtual classroom (teachers are teaching in person and virtual at the same time) teachers not wearing their mask while having students in their rooms.

I do know some parents in my area are not testing their kids unless they need to. My daughters friend lost her sense of taste for about 24 hours. They did not get her tested and sent her back to school the next day.

 

[Colleen27]

In the fall many were saying that there was no spread in schools. It was all happening outside of school. Now many districts are going to the close contact is within 6 feet of the infected person in order to be quarantined. Your district is going to soon find out that COVID is being spread in school no matter how many precautions are taken. It happened our district. It's happening in other districts. People just aren't testing their children as much so they have no idea if their child is asymptomatic.

This simply is not true, IME. We've had a handful of cases at the high school affiliated with my youngest's K-8, and none of those cases led to spread in the classroom. So unless every single subsequent case was asymptomatic and any spread within those asymptomatic secondary cases' households was also asymptomatic and undetected, which seems unlikely, the precautions being taken in the classroom do appear to work.

Our elem's first positive was asymptomatic and in our school's largest class - 19 students - so that will be a major test of how well our precautions work. A handful of students are quarantined under the close-contact rule because of sports practices with the positive student, but we are following the 6' guideline and have the desks spaced further than that so it isn't as though the whole class is quarantining. The student was last in school the middle of last week and got the positive result over the weekend, so we should get a sense of the consequences fairly shortly.

 

[HeatherC]

This simply is not true, IME. We've had a handful of cases at the high school affiliated with my youngest's K-8, and none of those cases led to spread in the classroom. So unless every single subsequent case was asymptomatic and any spread within those asymptomatic secondary cases' households was also asymptomatic and undetected, which seems unlikely, the precautions being taken in the classroom do appear to work.

Our elem's first positive was asymptomatic and in our school's largest class - 19 students - so that will be a major test of how well our precautions work. A handful of students are quarantined under the close-contact rule because of sports practices with the positive student, but we are following the 6' guideline and have the desks spaced further than that so it isn't as though the whole class is quarantining. The student was last in school the middle of last week and got the positive result over the weekend, so we should get a sense of the consequences fairly shortly.

Where I am we are starting to hear that it is being spread in the schools. One school in town just shut down because of it and neighboring towns are also seeing increased cases. I think it probably has to do with the new strains they are seeing that are more easily transmissible.

A lot of schools aren’t testing either so there really is no way to know if kids are asymptomatic.

 

[EACarlson]

My district is currently hybrid, two days in, three days remote. There was a board workshop on Tuesday that went for 4 hours to discuss where to go. There is a scheduled board meeting next Tuesday which now has a question on the agenda to decide if the district should go full time in person. Most of the districts around us are full time in person.

 

[Olaf Myfrenzargay]

My kids are in independent Catholic. Thankfully are full time and have been for the most part all year (Other than a couple of weeks) and they now test the kids every week. Wonderful teachers and admin a this place I will say.

 

[Colleen27]

Where I am we are starting to hear that it is being spread in the schools. One school in town just shut down because of it and neighboring towns are also seeing increased cases. I think it probably has to do with the new strains they are seeing that are more easily transmissible.

A lot of schools aren’t testing either so there really is no way to know if kids are asymptomatic.

The thing is, even if individual kids are asymptomatic, the cluster still pops up because others they are in contact with aren't. People around me are talking like every kid in school is a silent superspreader because kids are more likely to be asymptomatic so no one would ever know if they contracted and are spreading the virus... but even if the kids aren't exhibiting enough symptoms to be tested based on their own condition, it is pretty unlikely that entire families are also so mildly affected.

Around me, the school clusters so far are pretty clearly attributable to spread in the larger community. There's been little evidence of clusters originating in the classroom. As far as I know, my area isn't dealing with a significant presence of the newer variants yet, so that could change, but right now the problem is parents bringing the virus home to the family (because most parents around me aren't in jobs that can be done from home) which leads to one-off student cases or small clusters among students who carpool or otherwise socialize outside of school.

 

[goodeats]

Our school has been hybrid (elementary, 2 1/2 hours a day, about 15 kids in the classroom, masked at all times) since the end of September, and we have had cases on campus, but no spread on campus. If your kid has been in close contact with a positive case, you get a letter from the district asking you to stay home for x number of days or y number of days with a negative covid test. I'm more than comfortable with the system and I don't see how any transmission could happen on campus. Sure, carpools, afterschool playdates, etc, but those would happen whether schools opened or not.

FWIW, I have no faith in the state of CA and the teachers' unions and we are seeking private school options for our older daughter that is transitioning to middle school next year. The elementary hybrid schedule is doable (although extremely inconvenient!), but for secondary it's a big mess. The private schools in our county have been open full time, mostly with masks, and there has not been issues with cases. It's very worrisome how this going to affect public education long-term.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

The school district my house is in voted tonight to allow all students in all schools to go back to in-person learning as of March 1st. Remote will still be an option for those who want it.

Presently elementary has been mostly in-person with middle and high school switching between hybrid or remote.

 

[amylevan]

The school district my house is in voted tonight to allow all students in all schools to go back to in-person learning as of March 1st. Remote will still be an option for those who want it.

Presently elementary has been mostly in-person with middle and high school switching between hybrid or remote.

There were rumors that a school district in our area was going to do the same, and the teachers union responded with the threat of a strike. They’ve been hybrid since September but threatened to not step foot back in a classroom until a list of unsafe items were resolved. The list of points was not released so I can’t really comment on the validity of their point. I CAN say that our state is serious about masks in schools so that point should at least not be one of them.

 

[piglet1979]

The school district my house is in voted tonight to allow all students in all schools to go back to in-person learning as of March 1st. Remote will still be an option for those who want it.

Presently elementary has been mostly in-person with middle and high school switching between hybrid or remote.

Our district started 4 days a week for 6-12th grade with Fridays being remote with a 3 hour break in the middle of the day for teachers to reach out to the students that have decided to stay fully remote. K-5 went back 5 days the week before.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

There were rumors that a school district in our area was going to do the same, and the teachers union responded with the threat of a strike. They’ve been hybrid since September but threatened to not step foot back in a classroom until a list of unsafe items were resolved. The list of points was not released so I can’t really comment on the validity of their point. I CAN say that our state is serious about masks in schools so that point should at least not be one of them.

I almost put it in my comment but they said any teachers wanting out of their contract can do so without penalty; I gathered that was to hopefully stem some issues. I have no doubt that some teachers have issues with things being done but I have no doubt other teachers don't have issues. I believe all the districts in my immediate area opted to require masks. I think the push was because vaccinations starting to kick up in the metro and our present amount of cases.

 

[VandVsmama]

My kids' school is resuming in person instruction on 2/16. My kids can't wait. They're sick of online instruction.

 

[TJA]

Also WNY here!! Our school has been hybrid since September. Masks every day, distancing, arrows in halls, etc. It has gone well. We've had some Covid cases, so the school contact traces and sends notice to who needs to quarantine. The goal is to get all the kids back every day by the last semester. I'm praying it will happen cause my kids are Seniors and they've had a bummer of a Junior year missing sports and prom, and now Senior year has been hybrid with masks so they haven't seen many friends but at least they've been able to learn better cause they have some in-school days. They are nervous for their AP tests cause learning on remote days has been a challenge.