School is starting across Texas. FBISD began on Aug 11. Clements HS is already reporting covid cases on day 2. HISD begins on Aug 23. Katy ISD on Aug 18. Woodlands ISD on Aug 25. And so on. Folks in Austin, Dallas and SA, please post your dates and data here. With all the discussion about mask mandates at schools (or lack there of), I thought it would be useful to track what happens at the various ISDs as we move forward. As we monitor the situation, I think the questions will be: - how fast will Delta spread? - will schools be able to maintain in-person learning? - will schools go to a hybrid plan or remote only? Should they? - If hybrid, will parents effectively pull their kids out and do remote only? - finally, if this is about doing right by the kids, what’s worse: wearing a mask or remote learning (if it comes down to that?) @dachuda86 @HardenVolumeOne @Commodore @SuraGotMadHops: I would like the Republican view on these specific issues as they evolve. ——— Since I’m starting this thread, I guess I should state my thoughts and not just expect others to weigh in. I hope I am dead wrong, but I’m having a hard time seeing a scenario where we don’t have widespread delta variant across every large public school by late august/early September. If that’s the case, I’m having a hard time seeing a scenario where schools don’t go to remote learning or hybrid for some meaningful period of time, with parents then keeping their kids home if they can even do that (because some can’t because they lack child care). I believe there is no real debate as to how bad remote learning is for kids, academically and socially. (Not central to this thread, but it seems that this scenario will (again) disproportionately hurt the lower and lower/middle class. They’re the ones with kids at higher risk of doing poorly. They’re the ones who are more likely to lack child care options. They’re the ones who don’t have the time to teach their kids what their kids aren’t learning remotely. And they’re the ones who can least afford to get covid brought home by their kids. My understanding is that private schools are currently requiring masking and have high vaccination rates. I know that’s the case with St Johns and St Agnes. I would assume Kinkaid, Strake and Episcopal have or will follow suit. The wealthy can minimize the direct impact of the no mask mandate).
My point of view currently, and I don't necessarily consider it a Republican point of view, just my personal one: From what I understand, the virus has never been particularly dangerous for children. The major concern is children contracting the virus and spreading it to teachers or their parents at home. Again, I put the responsibility on the adults that serve at school, and the adults at home that have kids at school, to get vaxed, and they assume their own risk if they don't. Done for are the days of adjusting life for the ones that make the decision regarding their own vulnerability. I would rather have the kids at school in person, without masks. If they are safe for the most part, then let things be normal for them, and have the adults adjust around them.
This was true previously, but seems to have changed. Pediatric ICUs all over the country - mostly the deep south - are starting to fill up. A higher % of total cases is now in children than we were previously seeing. The "why" for this is unknown, but presumably its a combination of less masking and delta strain mutations. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-new...ng-children-s-hospitals-areas-seeing-n1276238 Arkansas Children’s Hospital in Little Rock had 23 patients under 18 admitted to its system last week. Ten were in the ICU and five were on ventilators. St. Louis Children’s Hospital in Missouri saw 13 kids come to the ER for Covid in the last week of July, and then it saw 20 who needed beds in the first week of August. At Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston, Covid positivity rates have risen from around 3 percent to above 10 percent among kids. The number of hospitalized children was in the single digits several weeks ago but rose to more than 30 last week. This may be the peak or it may not be - but it's also before any real schools have re-opened. So the question is do we take preventive measures and use something we know helps and that kids are used to already, or wait and see if a bunch of kids get extremely sick first and we have a uncontrolled spread in schools?
Subject to change, of course, but as of now my 5 y/o is planned to start in-person kindergarten on 8/23 (why no love for CFISD, OP???) and my 2 y/o is still in daycare. Might take the 2 y/o out of daycare through November. Thinking it over. Her speech skills were hampered by being apart from people IMO. Not eager to do it again. I am hesitant to take the 5 y/o out; there was a cost to taking her out of daycare during the original pandemy and I'd hate to repeat that. She basically stagnated for a year learning-wise, and got more shy whereas before she was always the alpha around peers. We tried remote learning with her for both ballet and via the Houston Arboretum and both were a flop. She needs the in-person thing. So I'll need to do some more reading on it. We also had kid #3 four days ago so that is another thing we have to keep in mind. ::EDIT:: Actually, looks like I missed the deadline to apply for remote learning for my 5 y/o; it was yesterday. Not fair. We've been in the hospital and not checking emails since it was sent out. Lame, brahs. Lame.
This is the biggest problem with all the messaging that has been out there. Everyone that wants to advocate for "personal responsibility" is operating on old data from last year, you know, the other variants that had been less harmful to children. We are now in a new variant, but for whatever reason, some just can't seem to comprehend that situations are dynamic rather than static, so here we are going through the struggle again. I wish we weren't so piss poor at messaging. Maybe we need to rename every damn variant of this virus to something different other than COVID so others will have a better sense of urgency. What I mean by this is say this is Delta Variant and don't refer to it as COVID at all. Just mind psychology, so work with me here. Thanks to some of the posters before that posted some good data although knowing @SuraGotMadHops he will find a way to disregard it since it doesn't fit his outdated narrative.
Don't be a generalizer...it makes you sound antagonistic and disrespectful. My opinion was expressly solicited by the OP, and I shared that opinion. If in fact the virus is dangerous to children, then that absolutely needs to be considered. However, I would rather that be addressed via vaccines (for those eligible - 12 and up) or virtual learning. As I have said before, I don't think masking is very effective, and sending kids to school with masks will not stop the spread, IMO. Again, at the end of the day, I say it's up to the parents to decide if they want their children vaccinated or not.
What is your basis for this, given the scientific consensus otherwise? And of course knowing that masking in schools last year resulted in the virtual complete elimination of the flu season in 2020?
Masks worked great for flu and cold, but Covid was too contagious for general, non-N95, mask wearing to have any significant effect. I have explained this position in the Covid thread on the D&D, you can check and argue with me about it over there. I don't want to derail this thread from the schooling issue. I also wouldn't agree that there is a scientific "consensus," about this issue. There is absolutely disagreement among medical experts on the effect of masks.
My daughter is a college senior and student teaching in Tomball ISD starting monday. She's vaccinated but still super worried about catching it and wondering how bad its going to be this year around all those kids. If she wanted to put her life on the line for a job she would have taken up nursing.
I wonder how many people who have posted in this thread actually have school-aged kids and, of that group, how many are vaccinated.
damn man, thanks for putting this here. My kids are older and vaccinated. I feel terrible for parents of young kids.
Viral loads play a large part as well. In person schools, without masks could lead to substantial viral loads... and that can result in worse cases. I would not be surprised if that becomes an issue... a large enough viral load can even impact the uber healthy demographics.
sorry about CFISD. I don’t know anyone out there, so it didn’t come to mind. If you don’t mind, pls post more when you have updates on your situation. I think this is the most important issue confronting parents today.
Good point. Myself, the Mrs, and every one in our extended family who we come into contact with, have been vaccinated. My wife got it while pregnant, so hopefully it confers some benefit to our newborn. Who knows.
Ehh.... masks do make a difference with COVID. First they make a difference with viral load, which has to do with how severe a case of COVID can be. Also there are two types of particles, masks are successful at prevents the expelling of one of the particles. So no, makes are not 100%, but they certainly help prevent the spread of COVID and help limit viral load as well.
you and I disagree on a lot, a whole lot, but thank you for posting in this thread. I think it’s a hugely important topic. I have a question. For kids not eligible for vaccines, you would prefer virtual learning over in person learning with masks. That suggests that your worry is the health of the kids, that masks don’t work and they could get covid. (I assume you agree that remote learning is far inferior to in person learning from a emotional growth, social development and academic learning perspective for most kids). Yet that prioritization of worry about covid protection seems inconsistent with the preference for kids (including vaccinated and unvaccinated) attending school with masks optional. That view would seem to prioritize learning and development over health risks because we know many kids aren’t vaccinated and we can make educated guesses as to what regions and school districts have more unvaccinated kids).
