Our school district just announced it would be 100% online in the fall.

[harllee]

No way I would be sending my children to school right now. I would have to figure out a way to homeschool or do virtual classes. I would not let a college age child live in a dorm right now and especially not a fraternity or sorority house.

[harllee]

My county in NC just announced 100% online learning for all grades, at least for the first quarter. This is the correct decision. It will be a hardship for many families but it will save lives and many health problems. We now need to figure out how to help families where both parents are working.

[Lucky13]

Quote:

Originally Posted by molly312 Here's my take on school closing: One year out of a child's life regardless of grade level (K-8, or 9-12) - to keep them safe from organ damage, brain damage, or other longer-term issues connected with Covid-19 is a small price to pay. No matter if they attend in-person school, online school or hybrid school this will not be a normal school year. Every school system is going to have disruptions this year. All teachers know this and as time goes on, there is going to be an educational clean-up price for all. However, if your child is healthy when that time comes, he/she can be remediated. It is taking kids much longer to grow up these days. What does an extra year of school cost everybody? In-person college under these circumstances is very questionable. Does your child have the maturity to not put the bars and frat parties first? Online classes are good for some. Everybody in the country is in the same boat. Teachers know how to get kids "caught up". Yes, we will have to look at our traditional education system differently for a couple of years. This virus is no joke. We don't know the long term effects on children. Do we really want to find out the hard way? Can't turn back the clock on that. Parents clamp down. Protect the kids. They are the future. You can make up a year of Geometry, Physics, etc. You can't reverse life-long damaged lungs. I am a retired teacher. I live in a university and college town.

+1

[Calico]

Quote:

Originally Posted by molly312 Here's my take on school closing: One year out of a child's life regardless of grade level (K-8, or 9-12) - to keep them safe from organ damage, brain damage, or other longer-term issues connected with Covid-19 is a small price to pay. No matter if they attend in-person school, online school or hybrid school this will not be a normal school year. Every school system is going to have disruptions this year. All teachers know this and as time goes on, there is going to be an educational clean-up price for all. However, if your child is healthy when that time comes, he/she can be remediated. It is taking kids much longer to grow up these days. What does an extra year of school cost everybody? In-person college under these circumstances is very questionable. Does your child have the maturity to not put the bars and frat parties first? Online classes are good for some. Everybody in the country is in the same boat. Teachers know how to get kids "caught up". Yes, we will have to look at our traditional education system differently for a couple of years. This virus is no joke. We don't know the long term effects on children. Do we really want to find out the hard way? Can't turn back the clock on that. Parents clamp down. Protect the kids. They are the future. You can make up a year of Geometry, Physics, etc. You can't reverse life-long damaged lungs. I am a retired teacher. I live in a university and college town.

+100

[Winemaker]

I believe it all lies with whether your local school board determines whether the education of our children is an "essential business". The bigger threat I think is the vulnerable adults involved.

https://www.acsh.org/news/2020/07/14...-schools-14909

[youbet]

Quote:

Originally Posted by W2R This pandemic is SO hard on kids and teenagers. I think most of them aren't able to communicate that very well right now (due to their youth).

Our grand daughter just finished the final few months of her high school senior year doing classes online. No prom. No graduation (a real bummer since she was to be awarded several honors, both academic and athletic). No time spent at the "top of the hill" as a graduating senior.

The state university she'll be attending this autumn is having students come to campus. They've done extensive work on the dorms changing all the rooms to single. And classes will be a mix of online and in-person. The plan they published looks OK to me, but I'm hardly an expert. This is a school highly recognized for its STEM programs and she's planning on an engineering major, not good stuff to do 100% online IMHO.

She's being quite stoic about it all but I sense a bit of "this can't be happening to me" settling in with her. DW and I aren't sure how to help other than financially if university winds up taking five years (or more). We're prepared to do that. I hope it all works out.

[MichaelB]

Quote:

Originally Posted by youbet Our grand daughter just finished the final few months of her high school senior year doing classes online. No prom. No graduation (a real bummer since she was to be awarded several honors, both academic and athletic). No time spent at the "top of the hill" as a graduating senior. The state university she'll be attending this autumn is having students come to campus. They've done extensive work on the dorms changing all the rooms to single. And classes will be a mix of online and in-person. The plan they published looks OK to me, but I'm hardly an expert. This is a school highly recognized for its STEM programs and she's planning on an engineering major, not good stuff to do 100% online IMHO. She's being quite stoic about it all but I sense a bit of "this can't be happening to me" settling in with her. DW and I aren't sure how to help other than financially if university winds up taking five years (or more). We're prepared to do that. I hope it all works out.

It is unfortunate she misses her peer recognition, but I would guess recognition from her family will be both more meaningful and longer lasting, and that she clearly has. Congratulations

[Chuckanut]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Winemaker I believe it all lies with whether your local school board determines whether the education of our children is an "essential business". The bigger threat I think is the vulnerable adults involved. https://www.acsh.org/news/2020/07/14...-schools-14909

+1 on the vulnerable adults- both the staff and the staff's vulnerable family members Why do we forget about them?

One other thing.... Many lower income folks depend on schools for childcare most of the working day. This is going to be a big mess.

[gayl]

DD has chosen homeschooling my granddaughters. I bought the same ciriculum as the local schools / actually got the same textbooks for the 9th grader at thriftbooks.com and they were barely used! The 6 yr old has started reading and addition. She's in the same 5 books as a number of other homeschool kids in her area completing the state standards. Both will meet up for sports and arts or music (their choice). This might be a better alternative long term --- better than getting up at 5am to catch the school bus at 6.

[Chuckanut]

Quote:

Originally Posted by gayl DD has chosen homeschooling my granddaughters. I bought the same ciriculum as the local schools / actually got the same textbooks for the 9th grader at thriftbooks.com and they were barely used! The 6 yr old has started reading and addition. She's in the same 5 books as a number of other homeschool kids in her area completing the state standards. Both will meet up for sports and arts or music (their choice). This might be a better alternative long term --- better than getting up at 5am to catch the school bus at 6.

For those who don't know, there is a huge home schooling network of parents who work together to provide a wonderful education for their kids. From what I can see it works quite well until HS age when things like band, sports and some science classes start to require a more complicated/specialized classroom experience. Some districts will allow home schoolers to only enroll in things like band and sports. I was impressed with the home school materials I looked at. It can be done, if the parent(s) want to do it.

[youbet]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MichaelB It is unfortunate she misses her peer recognition, but I would guess recognition from her family will be both more meaningful and longer lasting, and that she clearly has. Congratulations

Thanks MichaelB!

Here's how they're handling the graduation:

Each graduate and a driver are given an appointment time. At that time they arrive (with the grad in robe and cap) and pull their vehicle into line. They move forward until they are in front of a photo op stage where the grad gets out of the car, is photographed and takes the diploma which is waiting for them on a table. Faculty and admin is posing in the background with appropriate social distancing. Then it's back in the car and off you go!

I hope it's a cool day because the faculty and admin posing behind the grads will be there in their robes for hours!

No guests, no speakers, no awards, no nuttin' ! Certainly not what Grandma and Papa where hoping for!

[gayl]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chuckanut For those who don't know, there is a huge home schooling network of parents who work together to provide a wonderful education for their kids. From what I can see it works quite well until HS age when things like band, sports and some science classes start to require a more complicated/specialized classroom experience. Some districts will allow home schoolers to only enroll in things like band and sports. I was impressed with the home school materials I looked at. It can be done, if the parent(s) want to do it.

DGDs are lucky in that 1 plays basketball in a statewide league (once this is over) & 1 is in gymnastics (once this is over). The challenge is HS science and that will have to be done through the local community college. The family can handle nutrition & computer science but not the rest. But kids in distance learning are getting even less.

Their brother graduated college (as a music / elementary school teacher nonetheless) and had NO graduation celebration. Times are different. (He owes ~$7800 and no one's interviewing)

[Ronstar]

High school sports here have started summer practice. Volleyball girl has contacted Covid 19 so all players are quarantined and the volleyball program suspended. And the infected girl is getting hate texts. Insane.

[gayl]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ronstar High school sports here have started summer practice. Volleyball girl has contacted Covid 19 so all players are quarantined and the volleyball program suspended. And the infected girl is getting hate texts. Insane.

People are mean!!

[brewer12345]

Daily case count here was 618 today. This is up from around 100 in early June and positivity rate was just shy of 10%. We don't test much, so who knows what the real extent is, but clearly the outbreak is rapidly growing. My idiot sister and her family left yesterday to fly to NJ to see my elderly parents, both of whom have comorbidities.

The local school district announced today that they are following Denver by pushing start date back a week. They are still continuing with the fantasy that they are going to start with full in-person student body.

[Montecfo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by brewer12345 Daily case count here was 618 today. This is up from around 100 in early June and positivity rate was just shy of 10%. We don't test much, so who knows what the real extent is, but clearly the outbreak is rapidly growing. My idiot sister and her family left yesterday to fly to NJ to see my elderly parents, both of whom have comorbidities. The local school district announced today that they are following Denver by pushing start date back a week. They are still continuing with the fantasy that they are going to start with full in-person student body.

All the data show getting the kids in class is best and covid risk is small overall based on numerous studies overseas.

I hope we can get as many kids as possible safely into class where they learn better and have access to services including free and reduced lunches, and so we they do not fall behind other countries.

[Another Reader]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Montecfo All the data show getting the kids in class is best and covid risk is small overall based on numerous studies overseas. I hope we can get as many kids as possible safely into class where they learn better and have access to services including free and reduced lunches, and so we they do not fall behind other countries.

Those studies were done in countries that have successfully controlled their situation and the case counts are low. Not in countries where the case count is high and rising and little is being done to slow it.

Schools here are reluctantly giving up on in person classes. Newsom ordered school districts in counties on the watch list to open with distance learning. I don't see that changing for awhile.

[brewer12345]

Quote:

Originally Posted by REWahoo And their families. No good answers at all.

Easy. Go remote and take it seriously. When things get better, bring kids back to the classroom.

[timo2]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Montecfo All the data show getting the kids in class is best and covid risk is small overall based on numerous studies overseas. I hope we can get as many kids as possible safely into class where they learn better and have access to services including free and reduced lunches, and so we they do not fall behind other countries.

What are we to make of this?
"Nearly a Thousand COVID-19 Cases Reported in California Day Cares. New data revealed by NBC Bay Area’s Investigative Unit shows 998 COVID-19 cases in child care facilities across California. The Investigative Unit documents how two Bay Area child care centers scrambled to prevent outbreaks after learning of COVID-19 positive cases among the kids who attend their facilities"

https://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/inv...cares/2366696/

[brewer12345]

Quote:

Originally Posted by timo2 What are we to make of this? "Nearly a Thousand COVID-19 Cases Reported in California Day Cares. New data revealed by NBC Bay Area’s Investigative Unit shows 998 COVID-19 cases in child care facilities across California. The Investigative Unit documents how two Bay Area child care centers scrambled to prevent outbreaks after learning of COVID-19 positive cases among the kids who attend their facilities" https://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/inv...cares/2366696/

Obviously all the ridiculous boosterism about sending kids back to school is bull pucky.