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

[youbet]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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/in...ases-reported-in-california-daycares/2366696/

 

[brewer12345]

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/in...ases-reported-in-california-daycares/2366696/

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

 

[audreyh1]

Israel's experiment with school reopening was a disaster.

https://www.thedailybeast.com/israe...were-a-disaster-that-wiped-out-lockdown-gains

From the article:

On June 3, two weeks after schools opened, more than 244 students and staff were found to test positive for COVID-19.

According to the education ministry, 2,026 students, teachers, and staff have contracted COVID-19, and 28,147 are in quarantine due to possible contagion.

Just in the first two weeks of July, 393 kindergartens and schools open for summer programs have been shuttered due to cases of COVID-19.

Wow! They were down to really low levels, and suddenly opened ing schools caused an explosion of cases - not good.

I don’t see how it the US it won’t add more miserable outcomes and contribute mightily to the current contagion.

 

[EastWest Gal]

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 does the school do if a teacher gets COVID-19? Send the class home to quarantine for 14 days? What if it’s a high school math teacher with 5 classes? And all the kids get to school on different busses, exposing more kids? It will only take a few cases before the whole school is quarantined. And with a turnaround time of 5-7 days for testing, due to backlogs in the labs, testing and contact tracing is impossible.

We cannot reasonably safely bring kids into schools while the pandemic is raging out of control. Until we universally practice distancing and effective wearing of masks, and speed up testing, sending kids back to school will be a disaster.

I think cohorting students can work, but getting as much school online as possible is very important.

If it is not safe for the school board to meet in person to decide whether or not to send kids to school, then it is not safe to send the kids, teachers, and staff to school.

 

[winger]

It's not really about getting schools reopened, is it?

How much difference is it going to make for the kids if schools don't reopen this school year? Will a year really make much difference?

It's about the parents. Schools provide childcare. With the schools closed, how will parents find child care so they can go to work? Leave the kids home alone? Have grandma come by every day and watch the kids? Pay for childcare, after paying school taxes for schools that are closed? Childcare will be a worse virus spreader than schools, because of less accountability.

Have you checked the cost of good child care?

The economy will suffer if parents need to stay home to keep the kids.
We are in deep doo-doo.

 

[audreyh1]

OK, I know I participated (shocked by the Israel story), but the whole school thing really deserves its own thread!

Did I mentioned Texas reported a new record 174 today?

A little more from our poor county (local news coverage): it’s about not being able to get a field hospital but did get four more refrigerator trailers, and funeral homes currently holdingway more bodies than capacity. https://www.valleycentral.com/news/...bnxE7buGRXJr-WH-vt22MELknqB_v2LZSu98BWvlBQyTw

 

[BeachOrCity]

It's not really about getting schools reopened, is it?



How much difference is it going to make for the kids if schools don't reopen this school year? Will a year really make much difference?



It's about the parents. Schools provide childcare. With the schools closed, how will parents find child care so they can go to work? Leave the kids home alone? Have grandma come by every day and watch the kids? Pay for childcare, after paying school taxes for schools that are closed? Childcare will be a worse virus spreader than schools, because of less accountability.



Have you checked the cost of good child care?



The economy will suffer if parents need to stay home to keep the kids.

We are in deep doo-doo.

^^^^^ +1. I know several families struggle with this exact scenario. One parent is also a teacher. Can’t even teach remotely and help his kids remotely at the same time.

 

[TechLead]

We cannot reasonably safely bring kids into schools while the pandemic is raging out of control. Until we universally practice distancing and effective wearing of masks, and speed up testing, sending kids back to school will be a disaster.

Correct. We know that schools/economy can open *once* pandemic is under control. Examples how to do it is Taiwan, Germany, South Korea, etc.

We are light years away from it. Schools in USA will not open this Fall.

 

[Dtail]

Correct. We know that schools/economy can open *once* pandemic is under control. Examples how to do it is Taiwan, Germany, South Korea, etc.

We are light years away from it. Schools in USA will not open this Fall.

Well they will open, have lots of infections and then shut them down.

 

[MichaelB]

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!

It’ll be a ceremony to remember for the ages. Graduating in the time of COVID.

 

[pj.mask]

We would love to send our kids to school but because people refuse to take precautions ‘because it infringes on their freedoms’ our districts are not reopening (currently only listed as virtual learning for first ~3 weeks). Even if opened now, school is one of the highest risk activities.

I never understood why so many people refuse to look at long term overall cost/benefit analysis. Many simply live in the moment (with $ retirement planning or safety - including Covid).

Most people on this forum are here because they evaluate ‘do I want an expensive item today, or a lifetime of that expensive item after so many years of compounding interest?’

 

[Gumby]

My guess is that the older teachers are just waiting to see what will happen. If in-person school is mandated and they are at all financially ready, many will retire in August.

 

[REWahoo]

My guess is that the older teachers are just waiting to see what will happen. If in-person school is mandated and they are at all financially ready, many will retire in August.

^ This.

Although schools here have delayed opening for up to two weeks and many will be online or "hybrid" for at least the first 3 to 6 weeks, some districts have reported as many as 10% of their teachers have submitted their retirement papers.

 

[Ronstar]

Our school district thinks that they are opening schools in August. Just saw a video where an administrator said that the function of the schools is to educate the students.

He followed up with saying that the schools need to provide for the safety of the students and teachers.

Maybe they should reassess their priorities- for at least during the pandemic.

 

[brewer12345]

^ This.

Although schools here have delayed opening for up to two weeks and many will be online or "hybrid" for at least the first 3 to 6 weeks, some districts have reported as many as 10% of their teachers have submitted their retirement papers.

And exactly how many subs do we think there will be when teachers start getting infected?

 

[MRG]

My guess is that the older teachers are just waiting to see what will happen. If in-person school is mandated and they are at all financially ready, many will retire in August.

That's what SIL is doing. She planned on teaching 5 more years but will not be teaching in person.

 

[Montecfo]

It’s going to be really tough for two earning families. Both can’t go to work with a child at home. On the other hand it will let each child learn at their own pace.

Tougher yet for single moms and dads! And kids with learning issues, problems at home, derelict parents, those who rely on free/reduced cost breakfast and lunch, etc