Going Remote

[HopperFan]

All schools, all levels in my county. I know of one other county that is also going remote. I live in Northern GA.

Last I looked:

Going back virtual week one, to be decided for after that.
Atlanta Public
Clayton County
Dekalb County
Fulton County
Rockdale County
Four of these are HUGE HUGE school systems (as you know). Total around 220,000.

A few have announced mask mandates.

My DS school is back as usual, no protocols whatsoever, high percentage of unvaccinated staff and students. School has around 2500+ students. Fall semester getting a substitute (which is up to the teachers to find) was impossible. He expects he'll have to give up his planning period to help cover classes as teachers get sick. He said many of his coworkers say they are quitting after this year, the lack of support to teachers has many of them looking for safer jobs. Sad.

Friend who is rotating doctor in 3 of the largest ATL hospitals says they are in worst shape now than they've been since beginning. Before holidays 10% of all admitted for COVID are under 12 years old. They are to work this month at the children's hospital and prepared for the worst.

 

[JimMIA]

Where did you buy your KN 95 mask and how much?

This is what we've been using for more than a year. From Amazon, with free next-day delivery with Prime. Very reasonable price. https://www.amazon.com/SuppyAID-RRS-KN95-5PK-Protective-Protection-Haze-Proof/dp/B086JD7TKZ/ref=sr_1_24?crid=3PPJWRCTQKNW7&keywords=kn95&qid=1641171802&sprefix=kn+95,aps,198&sr=8-24

And good quality. No issues at all.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

This is what we've been using for more than a year. From Amazon, with free next-day delivery with Prime. Very reasonable price. https://www.amazon.com/SuppyAID-RRS-KN95-5PK-Protective-Protection-Haze-Proof/dp/B086JD7TKZ/ref=sr_1_24?crid=3PPJWRCTQKNW7&keywords=kn95&qid=1641171802&sprefix=kn+95,aps,198&sr=8-24

And good quality. No issues at all.

Delivery timeframe is dependent on one's area and where the item is coming from.

The soonest I can get the very one you list is the 5th, black the 6th.

I'm sure there's other options for masks in my area that are same-day (if I ordered early in the day) or Next day or 1-day, etc though.

 

[HeatherC]

I find it crazy that the CDC says don’t go on a cruise where everyone is vaccinated because it isn’t safe, but it is ok to send millions of unvaccinated kids back to crowded classrooms when cases are spiraling out of control and hospitals are already overwhelmed.

My daughter is a teacher in one of the places where the cases are the highest in the state and has to be back in person tomorrow. Half the teachers are already testing positive. Unreal.

 

[JimMIA]

Delivery timeframe is dependent on one's area and where the item is coming from.

Of course. We have a major Amazon distribution center here, so it's next day for that particular one.

That was just a suggestion, but I'm sure Amazon has numerous other options and probably some with quicker delivery in your area.

 

[mefordis]

I find it crazy that the CDC says don’t go on a cruise where everyone is vaccinated because it isn’t safe, but it is ok to send millions of unvaccinated kids back to crowded classrooms when cases are spiraling out of control and hospitals are already overwhelmed.

My daughter is a teacher in one of the places where the cases are the highest in the state and has to be back in person tomorrow. Half the teachers are already testing positive. Unreal.

I believe it's because there are so many cases on the cruise ships, even though everyone has been vaccinated. In our schools we have 95% vaccinated, not as much as cruise ships but pretty good.

 

[GreatLakes]

I find it crazy that the CDC says don’t go on a cruise where everyone is vaccinated because it isn’t safe, but it is ok to send millions of unvaccinated kids back to crowded classrooms when cases are spiraling out of control and hospitals are already overwhelmed.

My daughter is a teacher in one of the places where the cases are the highest in the state and has to be back in person tomorrow. Half the teachers are already testing positive. Unreal.

It is risk/reward. Cruises have no real redeeming value, they are just for fun. Education does. One is necessary at some level, even legally required. The other is fun on a boat.

It makes complete sense to recommend against a cruise while not doing the same for a classroom.

 

[amylevan]

I find it crazy that the CDC says don’t go on a cruise where everyone is vaccinated because it isn’t safe, but it is ok to send millions of unvaccinated kids back to crowded classrooms when cases are spiraling out of control and hospitals are already overwhelmed.

My daughter is a teacher in one of the places where the cases are the highest in the state and has to be back in person tomorrow. Half the teachers are already testing positive. Unreal.

Because a vacation is not essential. Education is.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Of course. We have a major Amazon distribution center here, so it's next day for that particular one.

That was just a suggestion, but I'm sure Amazon has numerous other options and probably some with quicker delivery in your area.

We have multiple Amazon facilities (they've heavily invested in our area), in fact two more were just built one on each side of the state line. It always depends on where the particular items is stored at and their capacity for deliveries in one's area and when you actually order as well. Most of my items actually come from about 15 mins from my house but are not marked for eligibility for quicker delivery (some have but most aren't). I have found a quirk though we can now pick up "faster" at 1 Whole Foods location but when you go through the process it always jumps the pick up date to be later than originally stated so we've just opted to have it delivered instead especially if it was the same day listed for delivery.

I know it wasn't the point of your post but I did want to mention that in case people were looking to get masks fast. There's a ton of masks out there that's for sure, almost too many to vet through. Although I did see the one you linked had a lot of reviews to go off of.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

I find it crazy that the CDC says don’t go on a cruise where everyone is vaccinated because it isn’t safe, but it is ok to send millions of unvaccinated kids back to crowded classrooms when cases are spiraling out of control and hospitals are already overwhelmed.

My daughter is a teacher in one of the places where the cases are the highest in the state and has to be back in person tomorrow. Half the teachers are already testing positive. Unreal.

One of reasons the CDC mentioned was because of the unique nature of the ships. You know with classrooms and all students aren't confined to some enclosed space with no way off. Airplanes are considered safer because the filtration system and while I'm sure cruises are using filters it's a bit different. You're also not confined to an airplane for days. Not to mention with cruises you're talking about the exposure to countries in which they do not have the same vaccination situation. They do pose a risk to even us with a full vaccination plus a booster. I mean think about it you're on a boat going from port to port interacting with people who may or may not have received the same vaccines as you, the same number of doses, or even a vaccination at all. This is also why you're hearing from cruise companies sailings having ports being denied to them. I believe the Bahamas just had one and then some other Caribbean countries did too.

Just because something seems like it should be compared it really shouldn't.

 

[HeatherC]

Because a vacation is not essential. Education is.

I totally agree. Education is essential, but this is a global health crisis. I guess what I really meant to say is that the CDC makes these “recommendations” which are supposed to be strictly based on science. In this instance it doesn’t seem to have to do much with the science. The science would seem to say that cruise ships follow much stricter protocols than schools in regards to sanitizing and cleaning and requiring all to be vaccinated. To me that sounds a lot safer than sending millions of children who cannot be vaccinated (younger kids) into close quarters for six hours a day.

As an example, my daughters school is requiring kids to eat lunch in their home rooms. That means 30 unvaccinated kids in one room with masks off for at least 30 minutes. In addition, some schools like my daughters room, have no windows for circulation, are in older buildings and cramped with too many people. Plus, they are required to keep their classroom doors closed. How is that safe and following the science? I guess I find the whole thing crazy particularly with cases running out of control.

 

[spiders]

The cruise ship argument is so ridiculously weak. The positively rate isn’t any higher than it is anywhere else and no other environment is required to test you before you get on and before you get off.

Does anyone really think if you stopped a subway train and tested everyone that they are going to have a lower number than a cruise?

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

The cruise ship argument is so ridiculously weak. The positively rate isn’t any higher than it is anywhere else and no other environment is required to test you before you get on and before you get off.

Does anyone really think if you stopped a subway train and tested everyone that they are going to have a lower number than a cruise?

I mentioned this on another thread. People don't realize the CDC doesn't really have this control like they can over the cruise industry. The CDC can make guidelines here for schools and for domestic travel (as was the link I shared in the other thread) but we can see the CDC has been exercising the authority over the cruise industry. I don't think people realize if the CDC could realistically get more control over the masking and testing situations for schools across the country they probably would. As is what people focus on is some way to prove that some other point. So yeah you'll say it's a weak argument and the CDC would probably tell you "look if we could test every kid every day before and after school starts for the day, if we could make masks mandated for every student and if we could tell the schools they couldn't open unless ages 5 and up were fully vaccinated" they would same for when it comes to public transit (although I do believe that masks are still mandated there, right? Planes I know they are). As is they gotta work with what they have. So the CDC advising people not to cruise isn't as outlandish as one would think but it will unfortunately be used in other ways.

 

[tcufrog]

My sister teaches for one of the largest school districts in the US. Every other school district surrounding hers is going virtual. My sister teaches a special ed class where all of her students are virtual yet they won't let her go virtual so she spends all day in an empty classroom teaching to a screen filled with kids.

 

[Christine]

Of course. We have a major Amazon distribution center here, so it's next day for that particular one.

That was just a suggestion, but I'm sure Amazon has numerous other options and probably some with quicker delivery in your area.

Thanks, I ordered a pack. I could have gotten same day but I would have had to pay. I can wait till Wednesday. I want to give them a try and you have to be REALLY careful on Amazon. A lot of the N95 and KN95s are counterfeit. I don't know how you really tell is the problem. I was watching some guy on YouTube called the Mask Nerd and he's an aerosol engineer and tested a lot of them and said what brands are good but warned not to order from Amazon or Etsy because of counterfeits. Ugh.

 

[mjkacmom]

The cruise ship argument is so ridiculously weak. The positively rate isn’t any higher than it is anywhere else and no other environment is required to test you before you get on and before you get off.

Does anyone really think if you stopped a subway train and tested everyone that they are going to have a lower number than a cruise?

What lines are requiring testing before getting off? And not all lines require 100% vaccination.

 

[mrs. magoo]

I am typing this from my desk at school waiting to see how many kids return in person today. My classroom is an interior classroom with no windows and something that blows cold air all day long. Last year I made them clean the filter that I don't think had been cleaned in 5 years time. My building was opened in 1905 so there are so many quirks that it is just a breeding ground for mold, mildew and whatever is in the air. My high school students refuse to wear their masks correctly or show up with nothing. The Union wanted to go remote until Wednesday when supposedly the district is giving us all 1 KN 95 mask. I don't really know what I am supposed to do with 1 mask but whatever at this point. Stay safe everyone.

 

[HeatherC]

I am typing this from my desk at school waiting to see how many kids return in person today. My classroom is an interior classroom with no windows and something that blows cold air all day long. Last year I made them clean the filter that I don't think had been cleaned in 5 years time. My building was opened in 1905 so there are so many quirks that it is just a breeding ground for mold, mildew and whatever is in the air. My high school students refuse to wear their masks correctly or show up with nothing. The Union wanted to go remote until Wednesday when supposedly the district is giving us all 1 KN 95 mask. I don't really know what I am supposed to do with 1 mask but whatever at this point. Stay safe everyone.

Thank you for being a teacher! I hope you are able to stay healthy! This is exactly what I mean when I say things are crazy. Politicians just want to say they are able to keep schools open. They don’t have a clue what actually being in classrooms with 23 plus students is like. We can’t go into a lot of government offices nowadays and a lot of them are working remotely because of Covid. But hey, let’s throw everyone together in crowded classrooms.

 

[DisneyJamieCA]

Thanks, I ordered a pack. I could have gotten same day but I would have had to pay. I can wait till Wednesday. I want to give them a try and you have to be REALLY careful on Amazon. A lot of the N95 and KN95s are counterfeit. I don't know how you really tell is the problem. I was watching some guy on YouTube called the Mask Nerd and he's an aerosol engineer and tested a lot of them and said what brands are good but warned not to order from Amazon or Etsy because of counterfeits. Ugh.

It is a problem for sure! I researched the brand I posted awhile back and was able to find it listed on the FDA page still and multiple articles as the real deal. So far it’s worked well for me.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Looks like districts, including one that just jumped on, in my county have a test to stay option that has been around for a while. If a student is exposed they have to test every day if they opt to stay in, they have to wear a mask and they have to eat 6 feet from other students. Testing is done for 7 days and must be negative and brought to the nurse (at least one district this is the person it is brought to) each day before school starts.

Depending on the district mask requirements come back into play for everyone if the positivity and quarantine level rises (for example the district my house is in the percent is 3, if it rises above that masking for all occurs for 2 weeks and presumably rolling count until the positivity is below the threshold).

Remote is going to be seldom used in my state due to laws.