If schools reopen, it will be a total shit show.

[Dream Girl]

What’s happens when dozens of kids start testing positive? Will schools have to close again, will this kickstart spikes and outbreaks everywhere. I’m listening to Pence, he is poo-point, lying and BS ing all over the places. I think it will really hit home when little blue eyed blond kids start testing positive and getting sick.

[Ferrets are Cool]

1. It "will" be.

[Dream Girl]

2. Yes I caught that.

[onecaliberal]

3. Parents with brains will not send their kids.

[demmiblue]

4. At the same time, parents without income will have no choice (especially single parents).

This situation is so fucked up.

[onecaliberal]

7. What are those parents doing for day care now?

[demmiblue]

13. I think a lot are surviving on unemployment ... or have been (depending on the state).

I know a teacher who has a son with health issues (heart and lung)... going back to school would be dangerous to expose him to an in-class environment. I also know a few other teachers with families who have had to struggle to do two jobs at once in a state that closed school in March... it has been a nightmare.

It is an impossible situation for many. This is not a commentary about school shut-downs, but more of a recognition about the hardships so many face. Safety, of course, is first.

[Dream Girl]

16. Yes, many are and will be between a rock and a hard place. It is truly an impossible situation

[demmiblue]

18. Yes, and it especially affects women.

[onecaliberal]

22. I understand. I live in a red county by all accounts is planning to send all kids back 5 days

A week in person. Thank god the university my kids attend is online for fall.

[Ms. Toad]

51. School is not daycare.

While parents whose children might be first generation college students might be willing to sacrifice a couple of months, they may be unwilling to put their children in daycare for a school that anticipates being open all year - and put their children even farther behind their peers than they may already be.

[onecaliberal]

57. School is not day care but it allows women to work while their children

Are at school. For people with children that work, and have worked through the quarantine day care has been very important. California has subsidized for essential workers.

[Ms. Toad]

58. You seemed to be implying that if parents managed this summer,

they ought to be able to manage once the school year started.

I was pointing out why the school year is different from summer, because school is not daycare. Temporary arrangements for children to stay with grandparents, or to be parked in front of a TV while parents work are not ideal - but functional - during a period when the expectation is that kids are just being kids. That changes dramatically during the time of year when children gain or lose ground against their peers as to preparedness for high school, college, life. Parents who were willing to make do with child care during the summer are not likely going to be willing to sacrifice their child's ability to stay even with their more affluent peers by sending them to grandma or parking the in front of the TV once school starts.

[onecaliberal]

63. You seem to be missing that not all children are school age. Their parents still have to work.

[marlakay]

52. Daughter in San Antonio not sending

Her two middle school boys.

She and her husband are lucky in a way they will both be working full time at home and taking turns helping the kids.

I just think its a nightmare for parents that can't help or have young children while they are working.

I read article today a lady got fired because of noise her kids made in background, they were 1 & 3.

[uponit7771]

54. +1, Red Don understands GDP numbers will drop faster come Sept if 90% of kids aren't ***IN*** ...

... schools with their butts in chairs.

So sorry for that lady, damn

[lame54]

5. That's Pence's superpower...

Saying the most horrible things with that overly calm soothing voice

Pure evil

[Hoyt]

6. Honestly, I think PLANNING to reopen makes a lot of sense, even if it has to be delayed as Sept

approaches.

Seems just saying "Nope, we ain't opening" several months ahead of time is a loser on a lot of fronts. My bet is that school reopening will be delayed as we get closer; but, we lost a couple of months in the Spring and at some point it is going to hurt a lot of kid's future.

Plus, I'm generally opposed to home-schooling -- especially by ignorant white wingers who indoctrinate their kids -- and that's what we have right now.

[Ferrets are Cool]

8. I am so torn on this issue and the parents AND teachers are caught between a rock

and a hard place. (notwithstanding OrangeAnus)

[Hoyt]

12. There is really no easy answer. That's why I think we plan, including taking every precaution

possible, and then if things aren't better in September, we delay it.

My Lady Friend's 4 year-old grandson went back to pre-school about a month ago. He's doing really well, and not nearly as aggressive as before. It's worrisome for sure, but . . . . . . .

[uponit7771]

50. There's no "torn", Trump didn't prop a sentinel process to send kids to school. No one want lung ...

... scarred or dead kids who've caught CV19

[Ferrets are Cool]

56. I believe they are torn. Many teacher "teach" because of a love of teaching. They certainly don't do

it for money. They would love to be teaching instead of staying home, but they also don't want to get sick OR see their students get sick.

They ARE torn. At least the ones I know are. YMMV

[onecaliberal]

9. There is a lot of planning happening for a lot of scenarios.

None of them are great. We all get that. Killing and or permanent medical conditions should absolutely be the highest consideration. Not how much it will cost to keep children and teachers safe.

[Dream Girl]

17. Agree. Preserving health and life should be priories in a sane world.

[uponit7771]

49. Having scarred lungs or being dead or having dead parents will hurt kids futures more.

[Hoyt]

55. Yeah, if that's a common occurrence. I'm still for planning and preparing

to open if it’s feasible when time comes. I’m not positive the dire predictions are fact, not sure they aren’t either.

[sop]

10. Compulsory education is the law, schools have mandatory attendance policies.

If the child is not in school, parents are notified. Parents can be arrested and charged with truancy, they can even go to jail.

[Ferrets are Cool]

14. That would be an interesting court case during a pandemic.

[Paladin]

15. Going to jail vs. putting children's lives in mortal danger to bolster the current regime?

Is that supposed to be a tough call?

Fuck trump, Pence, DeVos, and all the other shitheads calling for a premature opening of schools. Our children's lives are not bargaining chips.

[Dream Girl]

20. If the schools don't reopen it will continue to impact the economy

And hurts Trumps re-election chances. DThere is no choice!

[Paladin]

23. Well, now. We wouldn't want to "Ontinur" things, now would we? (nt)

[Dream Girl]

24. Typo, I can't see very well due to a stroke.

Feel better now?

[Paladin]

27. My epilepsy and diabetes 2 make me a smartass, sometimes.

I say we call it even.

[Dream Girl]

28. Even. We don't always know what others are going though.

Right after my stroke, I stopped posting before my OPs were complete gibberish. I’d say I’m doing MUCH better now.😉

[Paladin]

40. Glad to hear of your improvement. Best wishes. (nt)

[Phoenix61]

19. All they have to do is say they are home

schooling. I’m in Florida and I’ve never heard of a parent being jailed for failing to send their child to school. CPS May get involved but they aren’t going to place a child in foster care for that.

[Ms. Toad]

53. States vary as to the barriers to home schooling.

Some are pretty stringent.

[hedda_foil]

21. They are always allowed to pull their kids and home school becuz rw xtians love home schooling.

Times have changed sop.

[sop]

30. Home schooling is the exception to mandatory attendance, but there are certain requirements

for parents who choose to home school their kids. Someone has to be at home to do the schooling, and the curriculum has to meet state guidelines. But, the vast majority of parents aren't equipped to do home schooling, even if they wanted to.

Problem is Trump just wants to reopen the schools to get people back to work so he'll look better come election time. He hasn't given much thought to the consequences, and he doesn't really have a plan to keep students, their families and teachers safe. Like everything Trump has done so far, it's completely half-assed and will only get more people killed.

DeSantis wants to reopen the schools here in Florida, but he has offered no actual plan to keep students, parents and teachers safe. I assume some school districts will require masks for all students. If possible, teachers will attempt social distancing, but that may prove impossible with the school overcrowding we have in many districts. They're also talking about possibly testing students on a regular basis. Still, I haven't seen any concrete plans from the governor.

A lot of parents won't risk their kids' health just to satisfy Trump's political needs. I can't see the state prosecuting parents for truancy, so the "mandate" won't really be mandatory. It's going to be a huge mess.

[hedda_foil]

39. Yes, someone has to be with the kids but a whole range of curricula for Florida are online.

Course materials too. K-12. Secular or religious. Some good, some barely scraping by. Some online charters ala JEB! You name it, it's there.
https://www.google.com/search?q=home+schooling+curriculum+florida&oq=home+schooling+curriculum+florida&aqs=chrome..69i57j0j69i64l3.13167j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

I'm not recommending it, but when parents want to keep their kids at home because of the virus, and the governor is a Trumpian tool, they do have workable options.

[JCMach1]

11. Worse than that... check TX experience re-opening daycare

https://dfw.cbslocal.com/2020/07/06/texas-coronavirus-cases-top-1300-from-child-care-facilities-alone/

As parents nationwide wonder if it’s safe to send kids back to day care, Texas is grappling with a surge of COVID-19 cases from child care centers.

At least 1,335 people have tested positive from child care facilities in Texas, the state’s Department of Health and Human Services reported Monday, citing figures from Friday.

Of those infected, 894 were staff members and 441 were children. The cases came from 883 child care facilities that are open in the state, DHHS said.

[womanofthehills]

25. What about that 32% of the population who have not paid July's rent/house paying

Will they be living in cars? Tents? On the street? While Kayne West and Elaine Chow get millions in Small business loans.

[TheBlackAdder]

26. So much for that ol' conservative line: THINK OF THE CHILDREN

[world wide wally]

29. So, what is the plan for when teachers start coming down with Covid and there aren't enough

substitutes to fill in? This is almost a guaranteed development come October.
And will Trump and his chief bootlicker apologize when the first student dies of Covid?

[ElementaryPenguin]

32. No plan at all. Trump NEVER has a plan except to BULLSHIT ABOUT EVERYTHING!!

THAT'S the "plan!"

For all of us to listen and obey the "chosen one" - the KING BULLSHITTER!!!

[spanone]

35. Pence was asked today 'what is the plan for school opening'

He said 'to continue to do what we've done since the beginning'

so they think they have done everything right.....not really, but the think we're really, really stupid

[McCamy Taylor]

31. We will lose all our teachers

Which might be the plan.....

[themaguffin]

33. Our district is offering a choice, in person or virtual. We are doing virtual. Easy decision sadly.

[Dorian Gray]

34. I think schools CAN open responsibly

but the local governments NEED to prioritize safety, PPE and standards. I want my child back in school bc the emotional cost was BIG the last few months. The programs that cared for essential worker's children in NYC these last few months did well with no flareups. So it's possible to responsibly open to minimize danger.

Now, I don't trust the federal government to get thee infrastructure ready for that to happen.

THey should have prioritized this months ago.

[spanone]

36. trump just thought this up, little to no thought went into it.

and he thinks the cdc guidelines for opening schools are too harsh & expensive, so next week they are rewriting them for him.

[Dorian Gray]

37. Oh yeah...

he's a mess....

Once again, it's up to states and local municipalities to do this correctly.

And I think that when trump is out of office this should lead to a bigger conversation about the need for the federal fucking government when they didn't do jack shit for anybody in a pandemic.

But for now, there are ways t safely open. We need to prioritize PPE and cleaning supplies and safety instruction. School will look different. Smaller classrooms. And for NYC we need some radical ideas to open safely. But it could be done.

I wouldn't trust trump to lead the way though. NO WAY.

[spanone]

38. Well, the governors followed trump's suggestions and opened up states way too early....

hope they are not swayed with our children and grandchildren

[Dorian Gray]

62. If I lived in Florida or Georgia or Texas

I would not consider sending my kid to school in August. No way.

I live in NYC and trust the planners at my daughter's school and our local and state government more than the federal government.

So each municipality needs to determine what is right. Palm Beach County committed to online learning for start of the year, and that's the right decision there. (I'm not crazy.)

I think openings can be done relatively safely in the North East, especially in less densely populated school systems. NYC will be tricky, but with creativity and determination they can figure out a way to get kids in the classroom safely. (And they are allowing parents to choose to school online.)

I think that teachers should be allowed to take a leave of absence if they choose to do so. It's a tricky year.

[Dream Girl]

44. I don't get the impression that there's much of a plan at all

[Dorian Gray]

45. That's the problem

[uponit7771]

48. Harvard is calling for a 3 day test for EVERYONE sentinel process, there's NO WAY a municipality

... can afford that or get it from the government who lied to everyone about testing throughput

[pstokely]

59. do they or you fall into the higher risk category?

the issue is kids being asymptomatic spreaders, and higher risk school staff and family members, virtual education is harder for the lower grades

[Dorian Gray]

61. I know this is a problem....

And I know that the government is NOT planning properly, and I don't think it should be done a la Trump. Throw them in there.

Any staff member who is higher risk should be allowed t take a leave of absence or teach online. Just as students in NYC will be able to choose to learn online. (Which will happen this year. Families can choose that and re-evaluate that quarterly.)

Schools need to be provided with sufficient PPE. Teachers and students with masks/faceshields/cleaning supplies/etc.

HVAC needs Hepa Filters ASAP. (Universal)

And when there are flareups (as there are in Florida, Texas, Arizona) schools need to shut down. (I am speaking to NYC right now, as that's where I live.)

When spikes in certain neighborhoods or schools ar apparent, families and staff need to be flexible to going to at home distance learning.

Emergency care should be available to essential workers.

Hiring for aides and assistants need t happen so we can have much smaller classrooms, and schools need t utlize the other door space that they have (or that local city parks have).

I just read that Palm Beach County isn't going to in person learning and since they're spiking, I agree with that decision. In NYC, we are reducing the cases. No current spike here.

A lot of people are answering this question relative to the city they live in. Which makes sense. But I think opening schools is important enough where I live to figure it out safely and responsibly. (So we need better brains than Trump's people.)

[smirkymonkey]

41. It's not just the children who will get sick.

They will bring it home to their parents and grandparents who will then bring it into the workplace and every place else they go, especially if they are not social distancing or wearing masks.

Also, the teachers will be at very high risk and considering how overworked and underpaid they are, I don't know if many of them are going to be willing to risk their lives to continue in their current professions and bring the virus back home to their own families.

I don't know the answer. It seems to me that there is no good solution, just a less devastating one.

[spanone]

42. 134,700 Dead on his watch. Now he wants us to trust him with our kids.

and grandkids

[LanternWaste]

43. If schools are reopened on a national scale in Sept...

If schools are reopened on a national scale in Sept, the result will be massive spike of cases in October. Massive to the point that today's horrible numbers will be a fond memory.

I can't see anything past that point ever returning to any semblance of normality in the next decade. Entire demographics as well as entire industries will be decimated past any measure we've experienced since the 20s and 30s.

[Initech]

47. Just once, I want to see someone tell Trump "NO".

But he won't hear that. All he wants is his big parties and big parades that kiss his ass, and that's it.

[pstokely]

60. there is no national school start date

the start dates for schools range from early August to early September, the schools in the current hotspots start usually start in August

[Initech]

46. Oh this will be a colossal disaster.

And what about kids spreading it to their parents? And what about colleges and universities? There's no way this should be allowed, the virus is currently ruling all.