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Some of testimonies at the BOE meeting last week were full of false and misleading statements about opening school buildings. It's time to correct the record. 
Myth: Teachers are outsourcing their jobs to low-wage childcare workers.
Fact: Learning hubs provide childcare, not school, staffed by people who choose to be there. For the record, we don't think they're safe. There have been many outbreaks at these hubs.
Fact: Learning hubs provide childcare, not school, staffed by people who choose to be there. For the record, we don't think they're safe. There have been many outbreaks at these hubs.
Myth: Private schools have opened with no outbreaks.
Fact: Private schools have had many outbreaks. Due to a lack of asymptomatic testing, problematic contact tracing, and refusal to test or cooperate with contact tracers, the numbers are likely higher. https://twitter.com/PCMC1/status/1357162966664310784
Fact: Private schools have had many outbreaks. Due to a lack of asymptomatic testing, problematic contact tracing, and refusal to test or cooperate with contact tracers, the numbers are likely higher. https://twitter.com/PCMC1/status/1357162966664310784
Out of context statement: President Biden said schools should be open.
Fact: Biden said in order to open schools, we have to do specific things to make sure they are safe, including routine testing. MCPS has indicated they are unwilling to do this.
Fact: Biden said in order to open schools, we have to do specific things to make sure they are safe, including routine testing. MCPS has indicated they are unwilling to do this.
Myth: The CDC said schools should be open.
Fact: The CDC hasn't come out with new guidance yet, but a recent study & comments by CDC director Rochelle Walensky (and her predecessor) have been misattributed as guidance. Here's the current CDC guidance. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/schools-childcare/index.html
Fact: The CDC hasn't come out with new guidance yet, but a recent study & comments by CDC director Rochelle Walensky (and her predecessor) have been misattributed as guidance. Here's the current CDC guidance. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/schools-childcare/index.html
Myth: The science is clear that schools are safe.
Fact: There have been conflicting studies on this but the ones that show problems never garner much attention. Most studies released are limited by incomplete data due to lack of proper contact tracing and asymptomatic testing.
Fact: There have been conflicting studies on this but the ones that show problems never garner much attention. Most studies released are limited by incomplete data due to lack of proper contact tracing and asymptomatic testing.
For example, a CDC study that showed thousands of cases linked to schools in Wisconsin was mostly ignored, while another study of rural schools that showed little spread received a ton of media attention. https://twitter.com/matt_barnum/status/1357395795092324353
Misleading statement: I never got COVID at work because I wear a mask everyday, so we know schools are safe too.
Fact: This is anecdotal, not evidence. You also hear stories of people who smoked their entire life and lived to be 100, but that's not proof that it's safe.
Fact: This is anecdotal, not evidence. You also hear stories of people who smoked their entire life and lived to be 100, but that's not proof that it's safe.
We also know people who did everything right, double-masked and still caught COVID. Also, many people who make this comment are health care workers who work in controlled settings with one patient at a time, not multiple people in an enclosed space for 7 hrs with unmasked meals.
With the exception of the orthodontist, which is very high risk, most of the other health professionals who testified are much lower risk than school staff. None of the people who testified worked in the ER or directly with COVID patients.
Myth: Teachers want special treatment. Grocery store workers, nurses, firefighters, etc. have been working the entire pandemic.
Truth: Teachers have also been working the entire pandemic! Those other jobs can't be done virtually like teaching, but they should be made more safe.
Truth: Teachers have also been working the entire pandemic! Those other jobs can't be done virtually like teaching, but they should be made more safe.
Also, many people forget that the most important thing we can do to keep essential workers safe is to stay at home! Just as driving in a snowstorm puts first responders at greater risk, opening schools also puts essential workers at greater risk of contracting the virus.
Myth: Most school districts in the country offer in-person learning.
Fact: About 56% of school districts were exclusively remote as of Dec. 18, according to the Center on Reinventing Public Education at the University of Washington.
Fact: About 56% of school districts were exclusively remote as of Dec. 18, according to the Center on Reinventing Public Education at the University of Washington.
Myth: Europe has successfully kept their schools open.
Fact: Many European countries have been closing schools due to the more contagious variants that have caused huge spikes and threaten to overwhelm healthcare systems. https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/coronavirus-schools-uk-variant-europe/2021/01/29/c4e73d78-5f2e-11eb-a177-7765f29a9524_story.html
Fact: Many European countries have been closing schools due to the more contagious variants that have caused huge spikes and threaten to overwhelm healthcare systems. https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/coronavirus-schools-uk-variant-europe/2021/01/29/c4e73d78-5f2e-11eb-a177-7765f29a9524_story.html
Myth: School systems have opened successfully all over the country.
Fact: Most school systems that have opened have had to open and close schools due to outbreaks and staff shortages from illness and quarantines. This is extremely disruptive to students, families and staff.
Fact: Most school systems that have opened have had to open and close schools due to outbreaks and staff shortages from illness and quarantines. This is extremely disruptive to students, families and staff.
In Utah, high schools opened and closed so many times, they ended up being online for 40% of the semester. https://twitter.com/CourtneyLTanner/status/1357727535233028097
In NYC 53% of open elementary and District 75 schools have experienced closures. There are examples like this from around the country. I wouldn’t call this “successful.” https://ny.chalkbeat.org/2021/2/3/22264725/nyc-school-closures-covid-disruptions
Myth: Families are going homeless because parents have to quit their jobs to assist their children with distance learning.
Fact: No one should be in this situation as childcare vouchers are available for low-income residents in Montgomery County.
Fact: No one should be in this situation as childcare vouchers are available for low-income residents in Montgomery County.
Myth: We need to open schools to help disadvantaged children, particularly students of color.
Fact: The majority of economically disadvantaged families, particularly BIPOC, are opting to keep their children virtual, so opening school buildings won’t help.
Fact: The majority of economically disadvantaged families, particularly BIPOC, are opting to keep their children virtual, so opening school buildings won’t help.
Most families who are returning live in the wealthy areas of Bethesda and Chevy Chase. If we open school buildings for affluent, mostly while families, we are only widening inequities. https://twitter.com/CaitlynnPeetz14/status/1357858582910431233
Opening school buildings does not address economic inequality, homelessness and other issues that prevent children from functioning their best at school. These issues existed before the pandemic and are being exacerbated by the pandemic. Opening schools isn't a solution.
Myth: Suicides are up due to school closures and we need to reopen schools to solve our children’s mental health issues.
Fact: Youth suicide is NOT up in most areas of the US. https://twitter.com/tylerblack32/status/1355579439225073664
Fact: Youth suicide is NOT up in most areas of the US. https://twitter.com/tylerblack32/status/1355579439225073664
There has been misleading reporting about an alarming rise in youth suicides in some areas like Las Vegas that are only comparing 2019 to 2020 without accounting for normal variance every year. There were actually more suicides in 2018. https://twitter.com/tylerblack32/status/1353428208553664513
However, youth suicide has been a problem before the pandemic. Opening schools will not magically solve our kids’ mental health issues. Important thread by a suicidologist and expert in child & adolescent emergency psychiatry. https://twitter.com/tylerblack32/status/1286713750624641027
Myth: Children with special needs require in-person learning.
Fact: While many children with special needs are struggling with distance learning, many are not. In fact, some are excelling, especially those who get easily distracted in a classroom.
Fact: While many children with special needs are struggling with distance learning, many are not. In fact, some are excelling, especially those who get easily distracted in a classroom.
Many parents have decided that even if their child is struggling online, they would rather keep their child safe at home. Many children with special needs are also medically fragile and may not be able to wear a mask to protect themselves or others.
