School & University Concerns for CoVid 19

Hat Tip to John West's Daily Big Threat Blog:

Major universities close classrooms amid coronavirus outbreak
https://www.foxnews.com/us/coronavirus-washington-university-stanford-close-online-classes

The first major American universities to close classroom doors in response to the coronavirus outbreak are happening in California and Washington, the state with the most deaths from COVID-19.

The University of Washington informed its 55,000 students Friday that it was shutting down in-person classes and finals starting Monday as it also announced a staff member "who works in the Roosevelt Commons East building" tested positive for the virus and is in "self-isolation at home," according to UW News. ---CONTINUED---

Stanford Cancels In-Person Classes For Remainder Of Winter Quarter Due To Coronavirus
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/stanford-cancels-in-person-classes-for-remainder-of-winter-quarter-due-to-coronavirus/ar-BB10Tu6k

Starting Monday, instructors will post lectures online and final exams will have to be administered in a take-home format. ---continued---

Liberty University invites students back to campus, requires faculty to report to work
https://www.theblaze.com/news/liberty-university-invites-students-back-to-campus-requires-faculty-to-report-to-work

Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia, is going against the trend of many schools in the nation, inviting students to return to campus after spring break despite the threat of the coronavirus spreading, according to the Richmond Times-Dispatch. ---CONTINUED---

Next door in MI, the debate over classes still rages.

While mine are grown, some of my coworkers are talking about online learning. I think online and homeschooling are different?

Best comment I heard was if you think your kids are learning in a cesspool, well here's your chance to fix it by schooling them yourself.

This was announced in tonight's news for our local area:

https://www.pennlive.com/news/2020/07/cumberland-valley-releases-scaffolded-reopening-plan-to-return-to-classrooms-in-the-fall.html

According to the plan, elementary school class sizes will be capped at 20 students, while middle and high school students will alternate in-person learning days on an “A/B” schedule. This will reduce the number of students in classrooms by 50 percent, officials said. Officials said the district will provide distance learning in addition to face to face for students who are at a higher risk. wrote:According to the plan, elementary school class sizes will be capped at 20 students, while middle and high school students will alternate in-person learning days on an “A/B” schedule. This will reduce the number of students in classrooms by 50 percent, officials said.

Officials said the district will provide distance learning in addition to face to face for students who are at a higher risk.

Dave58 wrote:https://www.thedailybeast.com/israeli-data-show-school-openings-were-a-disaster-that-wiped-out-lockdown-gains

They are getting ready to re-open school here.. If you as a parent are not sure about sending your kids back you can do it on line with special permission....

My daughter has told me that the kids will not be going back this year.. They will be home schooled...

Maybe i am just an old doomsayer , but I think this is going to end in tears. Our school system is already having teachers and bus drivers quit saying that they feel it is to dangerous and all it takes is 1 kid to crash the system...

So this is in IN. How are things looking in your neck of the woods ?????

Well Dave, our kids are going back to school, the end of August. Heck, the grandson started football camp at the school. We rednecks can handle the pressure.

It's sounding like around me schools are going to go to 50% in class and 50% virtual.

They are still working on the details but it sounds like all the classes are split in half. So if there were 24 kids in a classroom 12 would be in group A and 12 in group B. They would then take turns alternating who is in school and who is remote either every other week, or, each work it's split 2 days in school 3days virtual and then next week 3daty virtual 2 days I. School.

They are also trying to encourage parents to provide transportation for kids. They're hoping to keep kids on buses spread out. Half the kids would be home at any time and half in school so the buses should be less densely packed to spread kids out and in addition they want to encourage parents to drive their kids where possible.

The economy will never go back to normal unless all the working parents can go back to work. You can't do that when kids are trying to do virtual schooling.

It's a complete cluster.

While I work in IT, I'm employed by a school district in MA and we still don't know exactly what the school year will start out as, let alone how things will go throughout the year.
The MA Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) has all districts creating 3 plans - full in person, full remote, and hybrid. But we don't know which plan will be feasible until we're closer to school open. Sigh.

So the facilities staff and IT staff have to prepare for the worst case for us and just do what we can until it's "game day." I'm just glad I can hide in my office and server room and avoid most direct human interaction.

With how the pandemic is going on all over the country, I'll never let my kids go to school in person, I won't risk it even with the low risk of infection.

WELCOME to EHP, VorosLaroid! Hope to read more from you!

VorosLaroid wrote:With how the pandemic is going on all over the country, I'll never let my kids go to school in person, I won't risk it even with the low risk of infection.

First, welcome to EHP VorosLaroid, chime on in on the subjects, always looking for a new set of eyes.

Second, all my kids are gone from the nest and now looking after the grandkids. All the grandkids will be going to school.

I look at it this way, if your kids are playing with other kids in your neighborhood, or even playing with the relatives, well, than you may as well send them to school, they're probably safer their as the teachers will be making sure of social distancing and the wearing of masks.

Let's clarify. It's not working parents, it's working women they want to get back to work.

With many daycares still shut, childcare usually falls on the women. Even in 2 parent families, women are still the main caregiver to children and elderly parents. In single parent households headed by a woman, if Grandma isn't available to babysit or take the kids off the bus, women in low wage jobs will file for unemployment/welfare/food stamps.

Stepping down from my soapbox, now.

Dave58 wrote:

rick1 wrote:

VorosLaroid wrote:With how the pandemic is going on all over the country, I'll never let my kids go to school in person, I won't risk it even with the low risk of infection.

First, welcome to EHP VorosLaroid, chime on in on the subjects, always looking for a new set of eyes.

Second, all my kids are gone from the nest and now looking after the grandkids. All the grandkids will be going to school.

I look at it this way, if your kids are playing with other kids in your neighborhood, or even playing with the relatives, well, than you may as well send them to school, they're probably safer their as the teachers will be making sure of social distancing and the wearing of masks.

My daughter is sending the grandkids back to school.... I don't agree with her but I understand why she is doing it...

What i don't understand is Why do they need to send them back now why not wait until spring ????  I mean I get it the kids are worth money  the school sys. gets so much money per head for every kids they have...... But why not give it 6 months so maybe things calm down ?????

When the school bus drivers and teachers think the schools will be closed back down before they draw their first check why go back ?????

 

Dave, I found this report that may put some parents/grandparents minds at ease (somewhat). A total of 26 children,  ages under 1yo to age 14 yo, as of June 17th have died from coronavirus. The chart then goes to ages 15yo to 24yo. More children die from drownings, car accidents, falls, etc., then anything else:

https://www.acsh.org/news/2020/06/23/coronavirus-covid-deaths-us-age-race-14863

Dave58 wrote:Well they have reopened all the schools around here......

And they have closed all the schools around here..

They were open about 1 week before kids starting getting sick, But great news they decided to keep the sports part of it active even though soccer and football players are getting sick....

I guess the schools need their money from concessions and ticket sales.........   (sorry for bit*hing)

Some schools have already opened and some don't open until Sept. 8th. As far as sports, they are on, but, there will be empty seats in the bleachers except for the parents of the players. No ticket sales, no concession stands.

The grandson has played on two different baseball teams in the hometown and he is also on a baseball travel team, he has been to Ohio, Pittsburgh, NY, West Virginia and Scratton and nobody on the team has gotten sick. They keep a good watch on the players (so far). He's also been at football camp (twice a week) for the last 5 weeks and so far so good.