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Alright, as promised...work day is over so here's my first impression on the guidelines.
As mentioned in the quote tweet, it doesn't make sense to me that they recognize COVID-19 has impacted different places differently, yet have. uniform policy for the state. #maedu #mapoli https://twitter.com/hashtagRoberto/status/1276191723165753344
As mentioned in the quote tweet, it doesn't make sense to me that they recognize COVID-19 has impacted different places differently, yet have. uniform policy for the state. #maedu #mapoli https://twitter.com/hashtagRoberto/status/1276191723165753344
They say other countries have taken steps to reopen schools. Yes, but other countries have done a SIGNIFICANTLY better job than the US in reducing cases. While Mass has done much better than the US as a whole, this still feels wrong.
LOOK AT THIS!
LOOK AT THIS!
"Strongly recommend" that students get flu vaccine. This SHOULD be a requirement and districts should cover it for students who can't get it for free through insurance or other programs.
They believe risk of transmission in schools is lower than in many other settings. Lower than in my house? I doubt it. There’s a reason why schools were the first thing to close down in March.
Which brings me to this point, which I believe @TracyNovick tweeted a few days ago...
Which brings me to this point, which I believe @TracyNovick tweeted a few days ago...
Schools closing communicated to people the severity of this pandemic. If we reopen, we're telling people that we're all good, even as parents disagree.
Black parents, 48% very or somewhat confident that school will be safe. 44% percent for Latinx parents. https://commonwealthmagazine.org/news-analysis/41909/
Black parents, 48% very or somewhat confident that school will be safe. 44% percent for Latinx parents. https://commonwealthmagazine.org/news-analysis/41909/
Guidelines recognize importance of families and their decisions whether to send kids to school. Some families don’t have a choice. Also, parents aren’t science experts so they make these decisions based on this guidance. And again…PARENTS ARE CONCERNED https://www.politico.com/news/2020/06/24/rush-to-reopen-schools-worries-voters-337539
DESE spends a lot of time arguing that schools weren't very important to the spread. Maybe that's because we closed them at the first sign of danger, so kids have been HOME! Shoutout to superintendents for pre-empting @MassGovernor on this one, by the way...
This next argument is one of the most baffling: kids are safer from COVID-19 than adults.
Last I checked, adults teach kids, drive buses, clean schools. And adults LIVE with our students at home. So yes, maybe students will be fine, but mom, dad, and grandma won't be.
Last I checked, adults teach kids, drive buses, clean schools. And adults LIVE with our students at home. So yes, maybe students will be fine, but mom, dad, and grandma won't be.
They recommend 3ft distancing over 6ft, citing that UK, Denmark, and France have done so.
UK: 4521 case per million, +652 cases yesterday
France: 2472, +81
Denmark: 2178, +54
US: 7440/M, +38,386
This isn’t apples to oranges. It’s more like cherries to watermelons
UK: 4521 case per million, +652 cases yesterday
France: 2472, +81
Denmark: 2178, +54
US: 7440/M, +38,386
This isn’t apples to oranges. It’s more like cherries to watermelons
So minimum distance of 3 feet, 6 when possible. This means wealthier districts will likely be able to do 6. As a stark example, here's Wellesley High and Chelsea High from above. Same zoom. See the difference?
Large green field vs large (private) parking lot.
Large green field vs large (private) parking lot.
Next they say families should be screening kids before bringing them to school. HA! Parents will send their kids to school anyway because they have to get to work. Lack of proper, affordable childcare is a HUGE problem. Screening should be required at schools.
And on that point, Beijing schools had to close because they had an outbreak, and they had screenings. Imagine without screenings! This was two weeks ago! https://www.axios.com/beijing-coronavirus-outbreak-schools-closed-7d48b9c3-2dc3-448e-90ef-623aed5bbfba.html
Regular testing is NOT recommended?! WHAT?!
I work at a university and they are saying there’s going to be *constant* testing. And that’s with adults who actually are better about keeping distance than kids. How are you going to keep kids apart? Which brings me to discipline
I work at a university and they are saying there’s going to be *constant* testing. And that’s with adults who actually are better about keeping distance than kids. How are you going to keep kids apart? Which brings me to discipline
I am incredibly concerned with how we’ll manage noncompliance. Will we end up disproportionately disciplining Black and Latinx students when they get frustrated with these processes and lash out?
SROs CANNOT be a part of this process!
SROs CANNOT be a part of this process!
Guidelines once again reaffirm that districts are on the hook for PPE. I've already said that this is ridiculous. Our letter from Tuesday also calls out DESE on this.
Buying in bulk makes it cheaper. DESE should buy and distribute. Doing it like this will drive up prices.
Buying in bulk makes it cheaper. DESE should buy and distribute. Doing it like this will drive up prices.
Building and facilities disparities are being completely overlooked here. Using “alternative school spaces” and “external facility spaces” assumes that schools have the same amounts of those to begin with.
Hint: they don't
Hint: they don't
State government: Let’s reduce class sizes
Also state government: No money. You’ll have to cut teachers
The number of students is the same. It’s basic math that if your numerator stays equal and your denominator goes down, you’re going to have more students per classroom.
Also state government: No money. You’ll have to cut teachers
The number of students is the same. It’s basic math that if your numerator stays equal and your denominator goes down, you’re going to have more students per classroom.
All in all, this guidance is terrible. It will result in Black and brown communities getting another wave of COVID-19. It exposes immunocompromised school staff (and their families) to COVID-19. And it communicates that everything is fine, when it's not.
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Also, @dre4theville had a great, simple analysis:
It's clear that these guidelines were written to answer the question "How do we get students back in the buildings in September?" not the more important question, "How do we best serve and protect our students in the fall?"
It's clear that these guidelines were written to answer the question "How do we get students back in the buildings in September?" not the more important question, "How do we best serve and protect our students in the fall?"
