Yes. It will be. Especially if that is the focus of all learning. Teachers and districts have worked hard to improve the distance learning. I have already started lesson planning the layout of distance learning classrooms for the new year.
Kids need to return to school. Remote learning is barely any learning at all. They need the social engagement and development. BUT, there is zero chance public schools can pull this off in the areas that are dealing with covid. If people (@pgabriel) think there's enough room in classrooms for 20 kids at 6 feet distance, that's totally delusional. Entirely divorced from reality. Likewise, you can't manage a hallway with hundreds or thousands of kids and maintain any semblance of distance. Discipline? What, you're going to have enough teachers and staff in the hallways forcing kids to march in single file in one direction? That's just beyond stupid. Also, you can't operate a cafeteria to feed the several hundred or thousand kids that need to eat. If you do, you're screwed and might as well shut down. So, you need kids to bring lunch, eat in classroom or outside (good luck managing them outside), at 6 foot distance. It's a fiasco and just a matter of time that covid infections start taking down the teachers and staff. It is hugely unfair to ask them to take this on, particularly with little to no support from the government. So get ready for the trainwreck. If we want to have public schools open in mid/late august, the only responsible solution is to shut it all down on August 1 for two weeks. But we all know that's not going to happen, not in republican states anyway. No, they demand that the economy stay open, schools open in august, so parents can return to work. And none of this will work. It's all a bunch of wishful thinking by morons who have no discipline and don't believe in science. Again, the reality is that the Republicans just think we should make do, let covid do what it's going to do, and muddle our way through this chaos until a vaccine is available. In the meantime, let's keep that economy going. Of course, the wealthy republican lawmakers don't have to face this problem. Their kids all go to private school. For example, Ted Cruz's kids go to St. John's School in River Oaks in Houston, one of the top private schools in the country. They'll have small class sizes to make this manageable, hand sanitizers at every corner, masks available and mandated for all kids, funds and facilities to have some chance of pulling this off.
100 %wrong. Liberals don't want only half of the European model. They aren't foolish enough to believe that the different parts aren't connected.
That's up to the CDC to change. We will follow their guidelines to the best of our ability. Districts will be as cautious as possible. Truthfully the fed and state gov have left districts hung out to dry.
I'm not saying bet on this but kids aren't as susceptible to the virus. You have to test all before day one Beijing closed schools after an outbreak after reopening but it was in the midst of a bigger shutdown so its unclear how much the flare up was due to school
Good lord, you cannot be this short sighted. Please tell me that you know hundreds/thousands of teachers, coaches, staff are at risk when HISD opens. How the hell can they be protected when you're dealing with thousands of kids in public schools. And when they start getting infected, who teaches those classes? This is basic project management and looking at the pinch points, vulnerability points. You cannot operate public schools with this level of Covid.
Won't work for younger students and for those with disabilities, and the risk to teachers is GREAT in catching the virus. Even at higher levels the teaching is diminished. DD
There are some ways to adapt. A lot of progress has been made in a short time. It isn't ideal for sure but better than nothing.
You need to just stop now. The State of Texas is not going to pay for nor provide testing for anyone. Professional athletes are treated better than teachers and students. Repeating one liners you hear on tv or radio isn't reality. I'm done going round and round. Most teachers care about the safety of their students and have their best interest at heart. It's not safe to just go back normal. I'm sorry if you can't see that. I'm choosing to trust doctors and scientists over politicians who have an election in Nov. Good luck
I am in no way trying to criticize the efforts of teachers to do their best and to teach effectively with distance learning. But the the quality of learning drops off a cliff ... under the best circumstances. My kids and their peers are outstanding students by any objective measure, among the best in the state/country. So these are the kids who are most likely to try hard, pay attention, do their best. And learning falls off a cliff with distance learning, despite best efforts.
I disagree, I think nothing is the answer until we can go full bore......it hurts many students that are striving to get higher class placement, it hurts those with disabilities, it hurts teachers by putting them at greater risk. Why not delay until a vaccine - 3 to 5 months? DD
No you can't. It's not that easy, especially with children in elementary school, who aren't even required to wear masks 9 and under. Even if they did, many would be touching their masks, pulling them off, and all. Then you have all the special needs students who require close contact in many situations throughout the day. Try keeping a mask on a child who will rip it off. Try social distancing if a child has a meltdown or outburst. Then you get into the whole touching everything issue, and even the whole mask issue for those who do wear masks. Who's going to ensure the masks are clean. Are the schools going to wash them every night? There are kids who come in the same clothes day after day, so I wouldn't expect their parents to wash their masks if they don't wash their clothes. There are so many reasons this isn't safe, especially when one in 4 teachers are at high risk if they did catch the virus.
Kids are NOT falling behind that is just flat out ****ING STUPID !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Kids take a gap year and come back fine, elementary education moves at a snails pace you can miss a year and easily catch up in a couple of months. No one is falling behind if we just hit pause. DD
Are you purposely acting in bad faith or what? Are you going to ignore that they had strict lockdowns that cut their Coronavirus rates by over 90% while ours is exponentially shooting through the roof with zero comprehensive plans to deter growth in whatsoever?
Some more evidence that young kids are not great spreaders. https://news.yahoo.com/german-study-finds-no-evidence-164704005.html With that said, our cases are too high to ensure the staff and teachers are safe. Once the numbers go down, start with elementary schools but teachers get proper PPE.
I agree, but the reality is that it's not safe. Falling behind in learning for a year isn't good at all, but it can't kill you. What about the hundreds of thousands of teachers, bus drivers, cafeteria workers, maintenance personnel, custodians, high risk students and parents and caretakers of the children all across America who could end up hospitalized if they got the virus?
God damn what state are you in where the district gives a crap about anyone and will be cautious? That wouldn't happen in my district i can promise you that