Coronavirus and the Schools

[LM K]

The plan is to use office staff with teaching certificates to go into classrooms to teach until more teachers can be hired (maybe years in the future? ).

I see a problem here. Not all teacher certificates are in the same subjects and grade level. Won't do much good to put an elementary level art teacher in front of a high school chemistry class. Considering the long term shortage of certified STEM teachers something like this will be a frequent issue.

Pffff. That's what videos are for.

[RTH10260]

https:// twitter.com/abc13houston/status/1428084304219934720?s=19

The plan is to use office staff with teaching certificates to go into classrooms to teach until more teachers can be hired (maybe years in the future? ).

I see a problem here. Not all teacher certificates are in the same subjects and grade level. Won't do much good to put an elementary level art teacher in front of a high school chemistry class. Considering the long term shortage of certified STEM teachers something like this will be a frequent issue.

I see a further problem: how long have these prospect teachers been out of teaching? I could think that many retired from active teaching but wanted to remain within the school system. Perhaps burnout in front of an unruly class, but remaining at the school until elligible for pension? I don't think this will turn out well. Also too who will replace them in their office position, that work needs to be done too.

[raison de arizona]

Mississippi Quarantines 20,000 With 5,993 Students Positive For COVID; Teen Deaths Rise

With both siblings wearing backpacks, Mkayla Robinson put her arms around her little brother, and the two smiled for a photo on Friday, Aug. 6., as they prepared to leave home to start her final year of junior high and his first day of kindergarten. But eight days into her eighth-grade year at Raleigh Junior High, Robinson died of COVID-19 on Saturday, Aug. 14, mere hours after testing positive for the virus.

https://www.mississippifreepress.org/14 ... aths-rise/

Heartbreaking, but also infuriating because it was avoidable.

[keith]

Assault and battery with intent cause grievous bodily harm. Throw their ass in jail.

[LM K]

I hope the teacher and/or school files charges. The teacher/school will be very tempted to not file charges because they don't want to make the parent's child uncomfortable.

[Dave from down under]

Leonard said the teacher who had her mask ripped off was not injured, but staff have reported the incident was “upsetting” to the teacher and “she felt scared.” He explained they could have pressed criminal charges over this incident, but after having a follow-up meeting with the parent in question, none have been filed yet.

[tek]

One of the most important things a parent can teach their child is that actions have consequences.

Lack of that is part of why we're where we are today.

[Dave from down under]

[Volkonski]

[Volkonski]

[raison de arizona]

[tek]

Palm Beach County School Board members on Wednesday removed parents’ ability to exempt their children from wearing masks on public school campuses, joining a growing number of school boards defying Gov. Ron DeSantis’ ban on mask mandates.
Under a new policy adopted late Wednesday, all students will have to wear a facial covering at school unless they have an exemption for a disability. The policy is expected to take effect Monday.
[...]
Earlier Wednesday, the school boards in Miami-Dade and Hillsborough counties also decided to require all students to wear masks unless they provide evidence of a medical exemption, joining Broward and Alachua counties.
[...]
A DeSantis spokeswoman Thursday criticized the school board's decision, saying it "infringes upon parents’ rights to make health and educational decisions for their own children."

https://www.palmbeachpost.com/story/new ... 190024002/

[Slim Cognito]

I don't get how it infringes on a parent's right to make educational choices. They can chose to mask, home school or get a voucher for a private, non-masking school.

[AndyinPA]

After parents complained, Pittsburgh Public Schools now to go back on September 3, not September 8. Mask policy still in place without too many complaints.

[Volkonski]

[Volkonski]

Good

[LM K]

My college has revised it's covid policies. Thank dog.

These new campus policies are in place for 12 months. After the admins previous lame ass conditions, this surprised me.

My campus has been remote only since March, 2020. Face-to-face classes begin at the end of Sept, 2021. I will continue teaching online until at least Jan, 2022.

1. All face-to-face classes are going to be cut to 50% enrollment. I wish the college hadn't fully enrolled fall classes 2 months ago. Those faculty teaching face-to-face will teach two sections of each classes or a part-time facility member will teach one of the two sections. This will be a logistical nightmare for faculty and students in face-to-face classes.

Thankfully, last spring the college cut the number of face-to-face classes to 50%. Online class enrollment will remain the same.

2. The college must now use the most conservative recommendations by CDC, Oregon Health Authority, Lane County Public Health, and/ OSHA.

3. Mask mandated for everyone regardless of vaccination status.

Faculty will be informed if a student cannot wear a mask because of medical issues. Students must provide medical documentation and receive approval from the campus accommodations office before being allowed on campus without a mask.

Faculty is required to contact Public Safety if a student refuses to comply with the mask mandate. Faculty has the right to take the entire class elsewhere or to cancel class if a student refuses to wear a mask.

4. All staff and students must be vaccinated unless their vaccine exception is approved. Those claiming a philosophical exemption are required to provide proof that they've received a vaccination training certificate from a healthcare provider. (Basically their healthcare provider required them to watch a training video about vaccines.)

Some campus programs do not need to accept any or all exemptions.

Those not vaccinated must test for covid weekly. Vaccinated staff and students may be subject to periodic testing at anytime.

Vaccination or exemption status must be confirmed one week before returning to campus.*

The CDC defines a fully vaccinated campus to be a campus with a 90% or higher vaccination rate. Vaccination stats for our campus will be published weekly in the weekly campus newsletter.

5. Students and staff must complete a health assessment every morning on any day they will be on campus, before coming to campus.

6. Enforce the no food/beverages rule in each classroom. (I have no idea how to lecture for 2 hours without water.)

7. N95 masks must be provided for all student and staff in heath programs. KN95s must be provided to all high-risk students and staff.

8. All high-risk staff must be allowed to work remotely if possible.

9. Faculty must be informed if a student has covid. Faculty cannot inform their students that a fellow student tested positive.

10. Portable HEPA filters will be supplied to staff whom share offices upon request.

11. Staff will be provided with outdoor break rooms. Outdoor break rooms must be covered and heated. (This is a really big deal in my campus building; it's the largest and busiest building on campus.)

12. Face-to-face classes are to be assigned to faculty whom express a desire to teach face-to-face. The college can only assign those whom don't request to face-to-face classes once all interested faculty has been assigned.

13. Faculty aren't required to have face-to-face office hours.

*This is a major change. Previously the college was going to give students 2-4 weeks to confirm their vaccination status or exemption.

[Foggy]

A DeSantis spokeswoman Thursday criticized the school board's decision, saying it "infringes upon parents’ rights to make health and educational decisions for their own children."

Sure, Jan.

And I'll fall for that one when parents are allowed to inject their children with heroin, to bring them into a bar while mommy and daddy are drinking whiskey, and to allow them to leave the house at any hour of the night or day to play in the town landfill, without wearing clothing.

Any decent government on the planet "infringes upon parents’ rights to make health and educational decisions for their own children." If they don't, we vote that government out of office.

[Lani]

The dangerous mess our schools are facing is primarily based on the false belief that children rarely become ill, and then it's likely to be mild. Well, not for kids who die, are very ill, are asymptomatic and spread the virus to friends and family, and/or are long COVID even from a mild illness. And now Delta has changed the landscape. We see that every friggen day as the info comes out from one school after another.

And masking. The masks we are used to wearing and which were effective are no longer enough. At a minimum, double mask. Better to get N95. I'm going to be ordering them for me. Until I get them, I have some paint/dust N95 masks at home - still better than my cloth and disposable masks.

[Dave from down under]

"6. Enforce the no food/beverages rule in each classroom. (I have no idea how to lecture for 2 hours without water.)"

Hydration pack with sipper tube beneath your mask or within your MOPP3 suit.

[LM K]

The dangerous mess our schools are facing is primarily based on the false belief that children rarely become ill, and then it's likely to be mild. Well, not for kids who die, are very ill, are asymptomatic and spread the virus to friends and family, and/or are long COVID even from a mild illness. And now Delta has changed the landscape. We see that every friggen day as the info comes out from one school after another.

And masking. The masks we are used to wearing and which were effective are no longer enough. At a minimum, double mask. Better to get N95. I'm going to be ordering them for me. Until I get them, I have some paint/dust N95 masks at home - still better than my cloth and disposable masks.

There are a ton of fraudulent masks out there. The NTY has an excellent article excellent article about fraudulent masks and how to find authentic N95 and KN95 masks.

They recommended these two websites from which to purchase authentic masks.

Bonafide Masks.

Project95.

A few days ago I purchased 50 KN95s from Bonafide Masks. Both sites are excellent. Project 95 sells a ton of PPE and home testing kits. I'm going to start purchasing gloves and other supplies from Project 95.

I'll purchase KN95s and K95s only from these sites. Added bonus! Everything is cheaper on both sites because they're bulk sellers. But even if masks costed more, I'd still use only these two sites.

[LM K]

"6. Enforce the no food/beverages rule in each classroom. (I have no idea how to lecture for 2 hours without water.)"

Hydration pack with sipper tube beneath your mask or within your MOPP3 suit.

Professor Shrinky Lady shows up for the first day of class!

[Foggy]

Needs more cowbell.



I'm practicing comments that make absolutely no sense.

[raison de arizona]

Somebunny taught het that she shouldn't wear a mask because it reduces her oxygen. They should also let those poor nurses know that wear one (or two) for entire 12 hour shifts. Wonder they don't just straight up pass out.

[MN-Skeptic]

Somebunny taught het that she shouldn't wear a mask because it reduces her oxygen. They should also let those poor nurses know that wear one (or two) for entire 12 hour shifts. Wonder they don't just straight up pass out.

I forgot where I read it, but these anti-maskers believe both that the masks freely let in viruses and that the masks effectively block the much, much smaller oxygen and carbon dioxide molecules.