NYC Public School Students and Staff Deserve The Safest Possible Learning Environments: An Open Letter to Governor Hochul, Mayor Adams, Commissioners Rosa, Bassett, and Chokshi, Chancellors Banks and Young (and any staff creating or implementing COVID

MCPS top rated school.
CO2 shows ventilation poor.

An Open Letter to Governor Hochul, Mayor Adams, Commissioners Rosa, Bassett, and Chokshi, Chancellors Banks and Young (and any staff creating or implementing COVID related policy)

NYC Public School Students and Staff Deserve The Safest Possible Learning Environments

The following are the minimum requirements to ensure schools are truly safe and protect the health of all children, educators, and their families. Each link takes you to that section for more detailed information:

1. Regularly post transparent, accurate, and essential data

2. Implement data-driven policies for ventilation & masks

3. Use testing to prevent spread, not as a talking point

4. Make a clear, sound, & responsible plan for future surges

5. Address the misguided pressure to return to “normal”

6. Make sure infectious students and staff observe safe isolation periods

7. Offer vaccination at school, including boosters, for staff and students

During the January surge:

• According to the NY Times, 3 children (0-17) died in NYC

• Richard “Zaire” Keyes-Neal, a District 75 student at P141K, lost his battle with COVID-19

• 1,587 NYC children between the ages of 0-17 were hospitalized with/for COVID

• 108,625 student cases were reported by the DOE’s situation room, 82% of all cases this year

• Students from 30 schools participated in a walkout demanding safer school conditions

• In-school prevalence rates rose to 15% of all students and staff tested

• Only 36% of 0-17 year olds were fully vaccinated 

• Families experienced an information blackout when situation room letters were halted for two weeks...

continues at link

Montgomery Co. Board of Education to Discuss Virtual Learning on Snow Dates in CLOSED Session while Anne Arundel Co. Discusses in OPEN Session.

Montgomery County Board of Education Closed Session for February 1, 2022 to discuss Virtual Learning on Snow Days.

 https://go.boarddocs.com/mabe/mcpsmd/Board.nsf/files/CB4SXK74A6A6/$file/220201%20Resolution%20for%20Todays%20Closed%20Session.pdf

Meanwhile in Anne Arundel County their Board of Education will be discussing the same topic in an Open Session with an opportunity for Public Comment.

https://www.aacps.org/site/handlers/filedownload.ashx?moduleinstanceid=24362&dataid=91434&FileName=Agenda%2002-02-22.pdf

PRESS RELEASE from Anne Arundel County Board of Education: 

Anne Arundel County Public School: Board To Receive Presentation On AACPS' Virtual Learning Plan For Inclement Weather Days

Einstein High School Closed due to Mechanical Failure

Albert Einstein High School is closed Monday due to a mechanical failure, according to Montgomery County Public School’s Twitter account. The mechanical system’s failure affects heat and water for the school and won’t be “repaired in time for normal school operations.” All MCPS students are off Tuesday for a Teacher Professional Day...

https://www.mymcmedia.org/einstein-hs-closed-due-to-mechanical-failure/?fbclid=IwAR0-lppf1xwebofz0_doGQfSuwBKmCci1Q_tmZHgc-4LjQTBq0rGIic02bI

These Doctors Wanted to Get Schools Back to Normal. Their Botched Effort May Backfire.

 

The first rule of science: Check your facts before publishing.

...The pedigree of the physicians in the group is impressive, too. Several hold positions at the University of California-San Francisco School of Medicine. Others are affiliated with prestigious children’s hospitals. Despite these sterling credentials, when several scientists dug into the toolkit’s sourcing shortly after it launched, they found major inconsistencies and errors. Most glaringly, the doctors claimed that child suicides had increased dramatically during the pandemic—which was false. (They have since edited that slide to reflect more accurate data.) Among the other misrepresentations and poorly supported arguments, the group made an unfair comparison of Covid and flu death rates in kids, misinterpreted the conclusions of a meta-analysis of the prevalence of long Covid in children, and blamed school closures alone (ignoring the effects of the pandemic itself) on kids’ mental health problems...

https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2022/01/doctors-urgency-normal-toolkit-schools-covid-normal-botched-effort-backfire/

4 More Schools Go Virtual as Omicron Variant Continues to Spread

Four more Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) will revert to virtual learning for 10 days as the omicron variant continues to spread.

Loiederman Middle School, Harmony Hills, Pine Crest and Wheaton Woods elementary schools and the autism program at Westover Elementary School temporarily will cease in-school classes as of Jan. 31. They are expected to reopen their doors Feb. 10, according to an MCPS Community Message issued Thursday evening...

https://www.mymcmedia.org/4-more-schools-go-virtual-as-omicron-variant-continues-to-spread/

The Blake Beat: "I’ve always wanted to live out a dystopian fiction plotline. A huge health crisis going on globally, schools only caring about politics and not the safety of their community, spending my time always being worried about dying instead of normal teenage activities."

 I love it at school right now.

Nothing like walking into the hallways and breathing in a thick scent of dread and fear. Smells great, really. Some people are even pulling down their masks to get a nice whiff. Who could blame them?

We even get breaks from our teachers all the time! Isn’t that great? I mean, nobody likes their teacher, the person they’re plenty used to getting instruction from at this point in the year. It’s MUCH better to get a change of pace of teachers, especially burnt out teachers that need to be using the time to plan for their other classes or tend to the students who are stuck at home.

I get to go through my classes, nice and exhausted, and retain not a single word that was said. Doing my assignments by stumbling through them is so much better than actually trying. No stress about getting right or wrong answers if you BSed the whole thing. Really taking advantage of in-person learning, because students can REALLY get the benefits of in-person instruction. I’m definitely learning better than I ever would at home...

https://www.theblakebeat.com/live-laugh-love/

Jan. 18th @mcps COVID-19 Data for Active Cases Sorted from Highest to Lowest

 Montgomery County's Board of Education shut down their public reporting of student and staff active COVID-19 cases in schools weeks ago.

MCPS parents are now compiling their own data to track what is going on in schools.  Today's numbers are shown in the image and in the PDF below.  

This spreadsheet can be found here.  

Note: The data source is MCPS and many MCPS teachers and parents have reported the MCPS data that is released is not accurate. 

2022 Jan 18 MCPS Covid - Ac... by Parents' Coalition of Montg...

Returning from virtual learning, Prince George’s Co. schools to distribute masks, test kits to students

The CEO of Prince George’s County, Maryland, public schools said the system will be giving out test kits and KN95 masks as it returns from a distance-learning model on Jan. 18.

CEO Monica Goldson said in a letter to the community that the school system will aggressively test its student and staff population each week following the return to in-person learning...

https://wtop.com/prince-georges-county/2022/01/returning-from-virtual-learning-prince-georges-co-schools-to-distribute-masks-test-kits-to-students/

How Baltimore County Public Schools was making decisions when school opened after winter break.

COVID-19 School Status 

BCPS may move individual schools or groups of schools to virtual learning after reviewing a number of factors (e.g., percent of positive student and staff cases, number of staff, and students in quarantine, and special program considerations) in collaboration with the Maryland Department of Health, Maryland State Department of Education, and/or the Baltimore County Department of Health. These closures will be tracked here. Factors considered during collaborative team discussions regarding a move to virtual instruction include but are not limited to:

 • # of staff testing positive* 

• # of students testing positive* 

• # of staff in quarantine • # of students in quarantine 

• # of staffing vacancies 

• Special program considerations 

• Additional Information 

*Consistent with the Maryland Department of Health definition, five percent or more of unrelated students/teachers/staff (minimum of 10 of these individuals) testing positive for COVID-19 in a 14-day period is a consideration. However, please note that the 5 percent threshold does not automatically result in school closure. If a decision is made for a temporary transition to virtual learning, parents/guardians at the school will be notified...

https://p3cdn4static.sharpschool.com/UserFiles/Servers/Server_2744/File/Covid19/010222-COVID%2019%20Dashboard%20School%20Status.pdf?fbclid=IwAR3oiIguBN9MaQQHOBp0OP0ui0PD1ixpRqydXzpui6C-uGTI-Bu9_-GKgEE

FOX 5 EXCLUSIVE: Montgomery County sheds light on public schools' 5% guidance controversy

 By Stephanie Ramirez

Published January 11, 2022 11:08AM

A daily count of COVID cases is meaningless without knowing how many other kids and teachers tested positive in the previous 5 to 10 days and how that compares to the total population of the school.

...As an example, I live in Montgomery County, Maryland. A week ago, the county announced it would publish daily COVID case counts for each school, then calculate the amount of schools more than 5% positive over a 2 week period, which would trigger the school to go virtual. 

That was clear, responsible use of data they already had. They generated a spreadsheet (unfortunately via pdf) but it clearly showed RED schools, YELLOW, and GREEN. The data not only was understandable, its existence would trigger a set of actions. Great...

https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1481692633558884355.html

Great idea! Made 1 for my kid's classroom but not allowed to donate it b/c @MCPS says...

Great idea! Made 1 for my kid's classroom but not allowed to donate it b/c @MCPS says "it is not recommended to bring in outside air filters as there are complications that arise including who is responsible for ensuring they are working properly, maintained, and cleaned" 🤦‍♀️

— Sanyukta Mathur, DrPH MHS (@SanyuktaMathur) January 14, 2022

More schools expected to move to virtual learning in Montgomery County

School system leaders in Montgomery County are planning to move more schools with high coronavirus infection rates into virtual learning in coming days, as the number of students and staff testing positive climbs amid the surge of the omicron variant.

The update late Friday afternoon came as another difficult week ended in Maryland’s largest school system, which faced mounting pressure to its rethink plans for full-scale in-person education...

...School officials said next steps will be announced during the week of Jan. 18, when they expect to place some schools into virtual learning for 10 calendar days. Parents were asked to report results of at-home rapid tests for their children by Friday...

...Now the school system has stopped posting percentages of student and staff positivity altogether, instead giving daily case counts. But parents and educators, worried about the state of omicron infection in their schools, started doing calculations of their own...

https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2022/01/15/montgomery-county-schools-covid-virtual/

Montgomery Co. set to reveal new plans for shifting to virtual learning

After scrapping its previous formula on when a school switches to virtual learning due to COVID-19, Montgomery County, Maryland, schools are expected to soon reveal the new plan for making the pivot.

During a board of education meeting on Thursday, officials for the school district previewed the plan for shifting to 10 days of virtual learning if certain criteria were met.

Some of the factors include the number of students and teachers testing positive for COVID-19 over a 10-day period, the number of absences for students and teachers, and if the school doesn’t have enough substitute teachers. The number of unserved bus routes and the concerns of school officials about being able to safely and efficiently operate will also come into play with the decisions...

https://wtop.com/montgomery-county/2022/01/montgomery-co-set-to-reveal-new-plans-for-shifting-to-virtual-learning/?fbclid=IwAR30vwPjuUQj9-VG5uSsLvkEth1oYgOqCTyt-c7qdABabmg7m2KVqv2mCs8

Montgomery Co. Ex. proposes temporary hybrid learning option as Omicron surges on

County Executive Marc Elrich is proposing a temporary hybrid-learning option for both Montgomery County Public School students and teachers until the COVID-19 omicron surge ends...

https://wjla.com/news/local/montgomery-county-executive-wants-hybrid-learning-option-asap

On Thursday, the district [@mcps] said they started the day with 889 call outs,

Montgomery County teachers share new frustrations since returning from winter break

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Md. — On Thursday, the Montgomery County Public School (MCPS) Board of Education held a business meeting where school leaders discussed how the surge in COVID cases is impacting classrooms. During the meeting, MCPS revealed their plans to move forward and discussed the reality of daily staffing shortages they’re experiencing.

On Thursday, the district said they started the day with 889 call outs, that number does not include the call outs the district received in the morning.

Leah Michaels is an MCPS teacher and sits on the Board of the Teachers Union.

"We’re just in denial, I feel like the system is in denial. We do not have the staff we need to really make it work well in person, at least not without more creative thinking and solutions," Michael said...

https://www.wusa9.com/article/news/local/maryland/mcps-new-covid-protocols-teachers/65-77be3a1f-42c5-47e6-ae9d-a0898ebccecf?fbclid=IwAR1IyVaMdjaTDkfDWtaAiGvLkOg7FdN3I9bJNzSIa7UbQaJY39V32Jcpo0I

Boston schools superintendent becomes substitute teacher as staffing shortages grip district

 https://www.boston.com/news/schools/2022/01/05/boston-schools-superintendent-becomes-substitute-teacher-as-staffing-shortages-grip-district/?amp=1

Opinion: It’s time to acknowledge reality. Many schools will likely have to close because of omicron.

...But our desire to keep kids in classrooms should always be tempered by a keen situational awareness of the ever-changing coronavirus pandemic. As the omicron variant rages across the country, we must prepare for the possibility that some schools may have to close. This isn’t a political statement; it’s a simple reality.

Omicron has rewritten the pandemic rule book regarding transmission and immunity. Unlike the series of rolling geographic surges that accompanied previous variants, omicron represents a viral blizzard of widespread infections spanning the entire country. For the next three to five weeks, the sheer number of cases will pose significant challenges to U.S. health-care systems, public safety operations, critical infrastructure capacities, food distribution and services, and educational programs. Each could temporarily lose 25 to 40 percent of their workforce because of isolation and quarantine...

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/01/12/its-time-acknowledge-reality-many-schools-will-likely-have-close-because-omicron/

Jan. 12th *** MCPS COVID-19 Active Cases Jump 4,856 in One Week *** Total Cases More Than Double in One Week ***

     JANUARY 5, 2022

JANUARY 12, 2022

@Jill_Jorgensen Hundreds of kids walked out of Brooklyn Tech today to protest the continuation of in person school during the Omicron wave and to call for a remote option . [Largest school in USA]

Hundreds of kids walked out of Brooklyn Tech today to protest the continuation of in person school during the Omicron wave and to call for a remote option pic.twitter.com/0HMVAFM2YC

— Jillian Jorgensen (@Jill_Jorgensen) January 11, 2022

(If you’re not from around here: Brooklyn Tech is one of the city’s prestigious specialized high schools, and it’s also the largest high school in the entire country)

— Jillian Jorgensen (@Jill_Jorgensen) January 11, 2022

@ens_tar · 36m Replying to @Jill_Jorgensen No[w] the adults bashing us for protesting. Go be salty somewhere else. If we wanted to skip school we would’ve not come at all. And I can freely exit tech after 6th period so again, if we wanted to skip we could do it any day. 6000+ kids in one building and no social distancing