Teacher here - School not following protocols

[masmdu]

NC elementary school teacher here.
Back to school for the first time in a year. NC claims schools are following protocols for covid safety. Not at my school. Not even close to the 3 ft between students and 6 between teachers and students. Lots of kids with their mask under their chins. Teachers fist bumping and arms around students' shoulders.
I felt good about going back after getting 2 doses of pfizer. But by the end of the week I had a sinking feeling that things are going to get worse. I hope I'm wrong.

[bluestarone]

1. Sorry to hear this! (just not right!)

I bet there are LOTS of schools doing this same thing! Please try to be safe!

[masmdu]

2. Thanks. I will and I'll reevaluate come summer

vacation as to whether I need to look for a different job.

[Piasladic]

3. Teacher here also -

Thank Goodness that I'm at a college where we can still Zoom.

We were also fed lies about this summer's face-to-face courses. "Only 15 students!" they said... "Everyone with masks!" they said. Lies... Guess what? We can't even get the support staff to properly use a mask or even just wear one. I am sure that our students will be more diligent in mask use (sarcasm). Yes, your classes are capped at fifteen, but you get thirty and have to do it two times twice a week for the same pay. F-that

[Frustratedlady]

9. My daughter teaches in an elementary school and is totally amazed at the kids and masks.

She said they don't have any problems or complaints from children about wearing masks...even at recess when they have been told they can play outside without masks. They don't seem to mind them at all.

Some of the teachers have to be reminded, however.

[Piasladic]

10. These are children

Children understand rules. That is so cool for your daughter!


My students- 21-100 not so much. It's always the adults that needs to be constantly reminded there are rules!

[Reader Rabbit]

4. Contact OSHA.

In many states, you can call and report safety violations anonymously.

[AZLD4Candidate]

14. Contact the Dept of Health as well.

[CaptainTruth]

17. +1

[spinbaby]

5. I saw the same things at my grandson's school

I picked my grandson up from school yesterday and the playground was crowded with elementary kids who were playing—lots of touching and masks pulled down.

[kimbutgar]

6. I work as a substitute and before I can take any assignments I have to take an online class about

Covid. Schools here in my area are opening n the next few weeks but I won’t take an assignment until I get my second shot.

But I can easily see students and teachers becoming more relaxed and thinking things are back to normal. I am going to wait and see until the end of this month before I venture back into the classroom. My other job is in senior communities and everyone follows protocols because they remember disease outbreaks in the past. There is no precedence for this generation.

[arkielib]

7. No masks required in schools here

The public schools in my area just removed any mask requirement for students or teachers. And that was after it was reported that the new virus variants are more easily spread by children. I feared this would happen after our Republican governor removed our state's mask "mandate" - which was never enforced anyway. I teach at a university where everyone is still required to wear masks, but I'm seeing more and more faculty and students wearing their masks under their noses. I enforce proper mask wearing in my classes, but I can't control what happens anywhere else on campus. I am so glad I am fully vaccinated!

[NH Ethylene]

23. That's really shocking!

I was just reading today that they've found that the UK variant, which is likely behind the new surge among younger people, is also more dangerous!

[dsc]

8. Like virtually everything else in schools this will be dependent upon the principal

mine is pretty good about the need but average about confronting so we get mixed results. I am fortunate to be teaching seniors who have largely opted to remain virtual so my class sizes are quite small in person. Combined with having been fully vaccinated, makes me feel as good as possible about this.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

11. Have you talked to the principal?

I'd start there.

[Oliver Bolliver Butt]

12. I've been checking the crowds in MLB games on TV

despite team websites saying fans will be required to wear (over mouth AND nose) masks at all times when not actively eating and drinking, compliance appears to be hovering around 10%.

[jayschool2013]

15. I'm watching two college baseball games today

One in Lincoln, Nebraska, where the Big Ten conference rules require masks for patrons in the stadium (maximum 2,500 people in a stadium that can hold 7,500). Everyone is masked, and only a few pulled down to allow for shoving hot dogs down their gullets.

One in Oxford, Mississippi. Full stadium, not a mask in sight in the stands. The players, coaches and umpires are in varying states of mask-wearing.

That's two red states, but one in the northern Great Plains and the other in the DEEEEEEEPPP South.

[Traildogbob]

18. Watched USA women soccer

Play in Sweden today. No fans allowed. Period. We have an epidemic of stupid here in Murcia First.
USA...USA....USA!

[3Hotdogs]

13. O.S.H.A. did or soon will issue guidelines for schools.

[Midnight Writer]

16. The new variants will affect young people more than the original pandemic.

I hope it fizzles, but this is not the time to let our guard down. Hope is not a plan.

I imagine public perception will change if young people start being affected as severely as seniors. I've heard so many people writing off the loss of lives as people who "already had one foot in the grave".

[Luciferous]

19. Don't forget kids packed into the cafeteria without masks because they're eating.

[ProfessorGAC]

21. See Post 20

The eating thing is being addressed at some schools. I'm sure not all, but 13 out of 13 where I sub.

[NH Ethylene]

24. My school just put up a huge tarp for outside eating at lunch.

We are following all the precautions and the students (high school) are really doing their best to comply. They seem to appreciate being back in school after nearly a year of remote learning.

[Luciferous]

28. That's a good idea.

[AwakeAtLast]

25. Our cafeterias maintain 6ft distance

We rearranged our schedule to accommodate the change. We have been in person the whole year, no huge outbreaks.

[Luciferous]

27. When we were doing the hybrid model they had the kids distanced, but when they brought all of the

kids back in they didn't make any changes to the lunch schedule.

[ProfessorGAC]

20. Very Surprised

I've subbed in 13 different schools since schools resumed (some earlier than others). [I'm a retired scientist, so I sub math & science grades 6-12]
All 13 have been taking the protocols very seriously.
Disinfectants & hand sanitizer in every room, masks must be worn "correctly", lunch periods have been subdivided to reduce numbers eating at a time, chairs & tables removed from libraries, and so on. In some schools, teachers move from room to room instead of the students, in others hallways are 1 way, or schedules are staggered by 5 or so minutes, by grade so the hallways end up 25-33% loaded, rather than packed full.
I'm in NE Illinois south of Chicago.
Sorry to hear the situation you're dealing with.

[Luciferous]

26. Up until a couple of weeks ago I worked in a high school cafeteria and when they

brought all of the kids back in they didn't add any more lunch periods to accommodate the increase in kids so there's no social distancing while they have their masks off. It sounds like you work in a district that is making more of an effort to keep the kids and faculty safe.

[ProfessorGAC]

30. Apparently So

And, it's actually 11 districts in 2 counties.
So, the ROE for the counties must be leading the effort & are demanding strict compliance and the school districts are cooperating.
I've seen nothing that concerned me, otherwise I would have refused to return to said school. I sure don't need the $110 a day. I'm there to help, not risk my life.

[wnylib]

22. I am not surprised at all by this.

It's amazing how much general ignorance there is about protection from infection. Besides the selfish people who refuse to be inconvenienced by masks and distancing, a lot of well meaning people just don't get it.

They don't get that a hug can pass the virus. "It's just a hug for a couple minutes." Or, "It's ok. We're old friends." As if knowing the person you hug or drop in on for a visit without a mask deters the virus. They confuse stranger muggings with viral spread.

I belong to a discussion group - or used to, before the pandemic. We would meet to discuss a theme or book. Not exactly a book club, but similar. They all agreed on distancing and masks. When the shut down ended last year, they wanted to meet again, wearing masks and taking temps on arrival. I missed the first meeting and asked another member how it went. She said they all wore masks and did a temp check at the hostess' door. There were only 5 people there so they moved to a SMALLER room so her son and his friends (WTF?) could be in the larger room. After everyone was seated, they decided it was safe to remove their masks because no one had a high temp.

They really believed they were being careful. I got an e-mail asking if I would be at the next meeting. I answered no, unless they keep their masks on. Have not attended any of them.

[FakeNoose]

29. I hope your teachers have been vaccinated?

That would be square one. If NC hasn't vaccinated all of their teachers, then the schools shouldn't even be open yet. But every state is using different milestones.