If you have children would you send them back to school?

Until they get a handle on this stuff the kids can't be made pawns by the bullies. I would not send a kid or a teacher to school.

Thank you Edgar, ours will be home even if it's through next year!

Yeah, right.

Maybe I am an outlier but yes my daughter will be going back.

Her being out of school really impacted her negatively. It increased her anxiety, depression and stress. Although her school was significantly better than most with their virtual learning she still had a difficult time keeping motivated to do her schoolwork. She is the type that needs to be there. She thrives off the social interaction and it really has been a very difficult time. I am very fearful if they do not have in person classes she may freak out and have a break down. She is looking forward to going back.

She will be in her senior year and attends a small private school that she transferred to last year because of her emotional issues. Considering the the fact that no one under 19 has died in our state from covid and that there have been so few children that have contracted covid it seems the risk is much higher for her to not go to school. It will be less healthy mentally for her. Also with the size school they are in a good position to limit class size with the space to allow for distancing.

Now she is practicing with her basketball team. Which has helped her mental state.

Now this of course is if things keep going the way it is... we have been steadily decreasing ... we take all the suggested precautions.

I think each person needs to weigh how they feel and what they feel comfortable with.

I have a daughter in high school. She goes to Cambridge Rindge and Latin, an urban high school with 2000 students. If the school opens, she will go. The public health officials have a difficult job to do, I will support their decisions.

That being said, I am highly skeptical that schools will actually open in any meaningful way in September. My brother works in public health. He says that if the schools open in September they will be closed by October (I think that is a fairly common understanding in the public health community).

I agree with Edgar, I would not be willing to send my children back to school under such nebulous conditions. The kids won't like it much, I know they are bored and restlesss.....but it beats the hell out of being dead. If you can keep your children home until conditions improve, I'm all for it.

Trump won't pony up the dough to ensure each student has the materials necessary to make that happen. Poorer school districts need help with home computers/internet connection, a support system in place for the younger children to provide individual instruction while on a home based learning system and other assistance to provide a successful learning environment.

Unless Betsy Devos starts doing her job, I don't think this semester is going to be good for anybody.

They continue to starve the schools while asking them to do the impossible.

I do not think we have any kind of handle on this mess.As we start seeing more evidence of cytokine "storms" and a small but growing %age of younger people being infected with life changing post infection effects ( eye problems, cardiac arrhythmia, kidney diseases requiring dialysis), Id be very cautious about trading your kids health by trusting reopening plans that have yet to show that theyre even working.

We need to have an unlimited availability of high quality masks (like they hand out to kids in in Japan) and a robust testing and tracing capability, all till a suitable vaccine is developed . .


We should also make sure that ALL counties and states begin to "get it" and dont just "request" that wearing masks in public and social distancing be practiced. we need some TEETH in such laws just like wearing seat belts or speeding . We also need to silence the insane flag waving idiots who feel they know better than epidemiologists and nurses and EMTs who are working like dogs to try to keep these same idiots alive.







Its gonna be difficult but necessary for at least a medium term period of time.

Hell, we sont even have a good testing and tracing program. Weve got a chief exec who really believes that testing results are better left unknown , better we should inject some disinfectants.
Hes playing Russian Roulette with our kids and our lives.

It is great that you can do this - what do we do with the children that not in a position to be home schooled? Those that do not have computers; those that do have a parent that can do this?

Either side sounds rosy if you play it right and have the right circumstances.

For the average family - home schooling as a result of this covid - did not work.

I am fortunate and you are fortunate - you can home school; I have a school my child can go to that is in a position they can do this much more easily than the typical public school. Even in the virtual learning my daughter's school arranged for families that either did not have a computer or enough for all their children to borrow one from the school. We were told specifically by my daughter's therapist that this school provided the best virtual service of any other school see had experienced.

But what about the other kids - those that need to be in school the most - they are going to fall behind, they are going to miss the structure, education and other resources being in a school can provide.

Simply making a blanket statement and insinuating that those that can have their children home school care more about their child's overall health is kind of uppity. It is easy to say - not so easy when you think of all the consequences.

jcboy - not in particular directed at you - but at people in general that feel they can just straight out and say - hell no - I won't send my kids to school. Well good for you - you have the resources to help your children. It is not that these parents do not care about their children - it is what is best for their overall health - which includes mental health.

here is a great News release - that includes collaboration between Pediatricians, Educators and Superintendents:

https://services.aap.org/en/news-room/news-releases/aap/2020/pediatricians-educators-and-superintendents-urge-a-safe-return-to-school-this-fall/

what would be the reason NOT to send them back to school ? They are at almost zero risk of dying. What has the experience been in foreign countries which have opened schools ? Look at the facts and stop relying on your emotions and fears.

"The reopening of schools in 22 European countries has not led to any significant increase in coronavirus infections among children, parents or staff, a videoconference meeting of education ministers from around the EU has heard."

(Farmerman - above)As we start seeing more evidence of cytokine "storms" and a small but growing %age of younger people being infected with life changing post infection effects ( eye problems, cardiac arrhythmia, kidney diseases requiring dialysis), Id be very cautious about trading your kids health by trusting reopening plans that have yet to show that theyre even working.

The overall stats support what you are saying. Even AAP supports opening schools - the issue being we really do not know 100% what are the impacts - especially longer term. However we have to weigh the impacts of children not attending in person schools which does have impacts on children's health in various ways. I think it is reasonable to put certain guidelines in place to make it as safe as possible - with the option of those parents/children that do not feel safe or have health issues to have virtual classroom available. Similar for teachers who are at a higher risk - ensure we have things in place to protect them. And if they feel unsafe being in the classroom - there should be no penalty for them.

all the more reason NOT to open the schools...

With your logic - we should close everything other than what is actually necessary.

I do consider schools necessary for children's overall health and well being. Do you know they longer term impacts not having children in school and kept separate with little social interactions? That is what I mean and what AAP and other educators are concerned about. There is more than just a potential long term impact if a child is impacted by covid - there is also the long term impact that not being in school will have on our children. You are just looking at one side.

We never know the 100% impact - for pretty much anything. We cannot protect our children 100% from everything - you cannot put your children in a bubble - well you could but just imagine how f* up they will be long term. So right now we have a potential for EEE. It is very serious if you get it. Do you keep spray with all these chemicals to kill the mosquitoes - well then what about the deadly chemicals that kill these bugs? What are the long term impacts due to that?

So what do you do - you do whatever you can to mitigate risk to health and safety - you spray but do not allow the kids to be in the parks for so long. Well there are still chemicals there, but you mitigate the risks.

Common sense says if something is essential, like schools for the well being of children (which is more than just education) - you put in place safety measures to mitigate the risks. Even the AAP which is the overriding board on the health and safety for children along with many educators feel that the risks for health of covid is much less than the other safety and health risks of children not having in person schools.

We as a country are not equipped to have every child stay at home.

We as a country are not equipped to deal with a global pandemic. This is a general problem.