Our school district starts later than many, so I have been watching as other school districts open up and then bad things happen with Covid-19. I keep hoping our school system will watch this too, and make changes, but no. In fact, our school district has recently released their Final Version Covid-19 plan, which is to wait for the horse to get out, and then to start closing the barn door afterward (but only in increments). There’s a whole color-coded chart. We will start in Stage One, which is leaving the barn door open: vaccination will be optional for everyone including staff, mask-wearing will optional for everyone including staff, and there will be no distancing at all, and no precautions of any kind. The next step up, Stage Two, is “When the horse gets out”: at that point, we will have vaccinations/masks optional for everyone, and no distancing or precautions—but the stripe on the chart will be a DIFFERENT COLOR. The next step up from that, Stage Three, is “Horse is trampling more than x% of the population,” at which point vaccines/masks will be optional for everyone, and we will make sure people “social-distance” to 3+ feet apart. When the horse is trampling an even larger part of the population (Stage Four), vaccines/masks will still be optional for everyone, and we will distance to 6+ feet apart you guys!!!—which they told us last year was impossible to do, given the space limitations of our school building, so I am not sure how they plan to do this. The next step up from that is Stage Five: full remote learning. The stripe is PINK!! to show the danger!! There is no stage at which masks will be required for anyone.
You will not be surprised to hear that our school district has a large/active/vocal group of parents campaigning against ALL preventative measures, arguing that “Our kids have gone through enough!”—as if that type of argument is relevant in any way to this sort of situation. “Stop preventing kids from swapping hats in the lice outbreak! This outbreak has gone on too long, and our kids have been through enough! We need to get back to normal now!” “Three days of antibiotics for this pneumonia is ENOUGH, and the breathing treatments are traumatic! It’s time to stop living in fear!” “We’ve been aiming a hose at this fire for hours and the fire still isn’t out but we’re tired of this! Let’s turn off the hose and give everyone a much needed rest!” “People who need continuing treatments for long-term/chronic health conditions have had enough and shouldn’t have to go through any more! They can’t get back to normal unless they stop those treatments!” Or as Becky put it: “My kid was in a car seat for the first half of this trip. They have been immobilized enough! Let the kids move and stretch! No one has been hurt! Time to let my kid move around the car unhampered.”
I have, as you know, a child with a medically-suppressed immune system. There is a new recommendation that certain groups, including his group, should get a third Covid-19 shot, in part because it seems the vaccine does not always “take” in people with compromised immune systems. This is something that happened with his chicken pox vaccine, incidentally: he received both shots, but the vaccine did not take: it is exactly as if he did not get the vaccine. So he relies on herd immunity for chicken pox. Luckily (the doctor mentioned that for him chicken pox would almost certainly result in a nice long hospitalization) there has not been a huge outbreak of chicken pox, since most parents in our area get their children the recommended vaccines—or rather they DID do that, before the Covid-19 vaccine was recommended.
It has felt as if there is no way to make a decision here, since things have been changing so rapidly—but now we are in our final days for choice-making. The national/international pandemic news is worse every day, and yet the parents in our district are ramping up their “We need to MOVE FORWARD now!!” messaging, saying that no one should have to take even the smallest, easiest, most effective precautions, and that they only good option for kids is for things to be NORMAL—as if “normal” were a valid and chooseable option that the rest of us were rejecting for no reason. And the school seems to agree with them, and also is not offering any remote-learning option, so our choices are: send him to school, knowing he might be just the same as if he were unvaccinated, except also with a compromised immune system (a sinus infection two years ago landed him in the hospital for five days and then another two days, and included two separate surgeries), where he will be surrounded by students who are unvaccinated and unmasked—or else…figure out something else, for his junior year of high school, which is the one that at least until recently has been considered one of the most important for college. …Which would of course seem trivial if he were to end up intubated in the hospital, or worse.
I’m so sorry. We managed to change the “everything optional” plan in the Deep South with constant, data-driven, calm advocacy. It didn’t happen until the *night* before school started, but masks are required. Don’t give up, is what I’m saying. And also? Hugs because this is just So Awful.
Yes. This happened where I am, and because it waited to happen until the night before school started, I pulled my kids out of the public school. Too bad they couldn’t work it out a week ahead of time.
I just wanted to say how sorry I am that you are facing these impossible choices. It’s devastating to have to keep seeing all the ways that most people do not care about anyone but themselves. Sending love from Ohio and reminding you to trust your gut and that any choice you make of the sucky options will be the right choice.
I’m so sorry.
I wonder how he feels about. His feelings wouldn’t be the be all and end all of course…unless he is maybe the kind of kid who does not especially enjoy school in which case I would say there is absolutely no reason not to let him do some kind of independent study thing, or just blow it off until the horse is out of the barn.
I was also remembering that Rob is with your parents. Do you know what their school district is doing? If he was desperate to get out of the house, but agnostic about the specific set of kids, I might consider that.
Or, I also think it is perfectly acceptable to just not go the first week of school. Or the second week. And assume by week 3, you will have better information. (Maybe it will turn out that large numbers of kids do wear masks, even though they aren’t requires. Or that enough are vaccinated few are getting sick. It seems unlikely…but waiting for more information might be a compromise for a kid who does very much want to be at school).
We are in a very different situation. Kids under 12, masks required, air purifiers in every class, and teacher vaccinations will be required soon. We’ve gotten nearly daily notifications about cases at our school, and on Wednesday about one in our younger daughter’s class. But…so far it seems like the safety measures were enough to keep it from spreading beyond the one kid who brought it from home. So that makes me slightly hopeful.
Oh…this idea is a stretch, but you wrote a loooong time ago about how in your area, boarding schools are somewhat common. If he desperately wants to go to school, but not because of specific friends, maybe you could write to local boarding schools or private schools that have vaccine requirements (I bet they all do…rich people aren’t going to gamble with THEIR kids) explaining your situation and seeing if some kind of scholarship might be possible?
Wow. My daughter has IBD too but we are fortunate enough to live in Australia where in our state schools are closed due to an outbreak here. The situation you are describing is so bizarre and stressful, I would be so stressed. I really hope sense prevails and they make better choices for the kids there asap
I am so fed up with this exact kind of nonsense. Someone posted this on FB and it really hit the nail on the head: https://vancouversun.com/opinion/columnists/pete-mcmartin-enough-is-enough-im-done-with-all-of-the-covid-19-skeptics
I’m so sorry you’re having to deal with this impossible situation.
This sucks so, so much. I’m so sorry. I am not for a second suggesting that this fixes any of the asinine conditions you are facing, but is it possible to get E’s antibody levels tested so at least you know if he developed some immunity from the vaccine? Again, you should not have to and there should be masking and mandatory vaccines/testing in the schools, but maybe this could give you a tiny bit of piece of mind?
I DO think this is SUCH a good idea. I asked his GI specialists, and they said that was something the primary care doctor should order; I asked the PCP and he said it was something the specialists should order; I looked into a local lab that does it, and they’re doing only adults over 18. GAH
Have you tried the Urgent Care centers? I believe the Urgent Cares in our area will administer.
Push for this if it will ease your mind. Should be super easy for a doctor to order. If nothing else, order it yourself through an online lab company (looks like LabCorp will do it for $42 if you insurance doesn’t cover.) Or is he old enough/willing/able to donate blood to Red Cross? They were doing antibody testing as a matter of course when I donated last in the spring.
GAH, indeed! It’s not like either doctor has to either perform or pay for the test! Why is so difficult for them to just sign a piece of paper or push a few keys to fill out an online form? Do they find it embarrassing to have to make orders like that? You won’t tell their colleagues. And we won’t tell, either. I mean, for Pete’s sake, the one doctor cautioned you about chicken pox!
Hmmm… I replied below earlier today that I also think this is a great idea but I just heard this on NPR and now I don’t know
https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2021/08/28/1031287076/antibody-tests-should-not-be-your-go-to-for-checking-covid-immunity
I saw that in my feed, too! And of course immediately clicked it! And was feeling doubt until I got to this line: “‘There are tests that would show that you’ve been vaccinated or not, but is that going to be the kind of information you need?'”
I mean…yes! That is exactly the information I need! I need to know if his blood shows that he has received the vaccination. This article seems aimed at people who think they can measure their relative level of immunity based on the numbers they get, but I literally need a test to show if he has been vaccinated or not.
I know for sure it is *possible* to measure antibody levels somewhat accurately post-vaccination, because a friend of mine is in a clinical study of the Pfizer vaccine for immunocompromised people (he is currently getting maintenance chemo for a blood cancer; luckily he is very probably going to be OK on the cancer front, but covid is very dangerous for him) and they measured his antibodies several times post-jabs. Unfortunately he registered zero response to the first and second doses, but is hoping the third dose/being revaccinated when he is no longer on maintenance chemo will help.
My husband, who has Crohn’s, also entered a clinical trial to test vaccine response in immunocompromised individuals. Fortunately he did have response after two shots. I cannot imagine why a doctor wouldn’t order that test, uggggggh
The NPR article is essentially what I’ve heard from doctors and within the chronic illness community. They’re not reliable or standard or possibly even looking at the right things. It won’t even let you know necessarily if the immunization matters. They’re just that unknown. IF you fall as immunocompromised best to get the 3rd shot and then the booster after that. The only difference of opinion I’ve heard is whether people should “cross pollinate” between the mRNA ones (which as an incoming junior is thankfully one debate that wouldn’t apply yet probably).
My head is exploding. What the actual hell???
I too am wondering WHAT THE HELL. And why does every single level make vaccines and masks mandatory, right up until the nitro pink level if we must shut it all down?
This is horrifying. I’m so sorry.
My state has outlawed barn doors. They have, furthermore, banned schools from telling us if the horse gets out. (Contact tracing is illegal, because no school child should ever stay HOME and if they knew they were exposed they might feel pressure to. Because THAT’S the problem.)
Our school is that dog in the burning meme, and the legislature has mandated that the only words they can say is “this is fine.” I’m sure that will make it true.
I’m so, so sorry you are going through this. Our state offers a fully online public school option through capital city (county). It’s open to all state residents. Books and fees are covered (like any other public school). Our county offered a hybrid option last year, but I felt that this online program was more well established. Check out K-12 online. Maybe there is something similar for your state. I feel grateful that our (blue) county mandated vaccines for all
School employees and masking for all, but had they not, I would’ve had my kid do another year with this online program
WHAT THE (am I allowed to curse in your comments?) FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCCCCCCCCCKKKKKKKKKKKKK WHAT THE FUCK WHAT THE FUCK WHAT THE FUCK !!??!?!!!!!!!!!!!!!?!
Thank you, Birdie. I finished reading the post and my only thoughts were, “FUCK!” (am so articulate)
This is maddening! In the end, the only decision you can make is the one you can live with, no matter the outcome, if that makes any sense. I think this mass refusal to deal with the obvious and take the least bit of precaution will be studied in the history books as one of the more puzzling episodes in American history.
Oh, Swistle. I’ve been saying it more and more: people are not my favorite mammals and have slipped below Hippos, the most dangerous land mammal.
I’ve decided to homeschool my children due to similar people in my town. It really sucks. But we will have FUN. And learn things. And we are going to kill at diversity studies! I’m going to order “Indigenous People’s History of the USA for young people”. Because those same people killed the DEI website in town.
Love this comment so much!
We just finished our first week back at my school-workplace. Masks are required, and it’s middle school so about half the students are old enough for vaccines.
So far we’re at 3 student cases and 3 staff cases over two weeks (one just teacher week, one real week).
Honestly, way better than I anticipated, although it’s probably too early for in-school transmission cases to be showing up- we’ll see what happens next week.
I definitely have kids on my roster who haven’t showed up yet who I’m pretty sure the parents are keeping them home- the county has a virtual academy but because of staffing issues anyone who didn’t sign up by the july 1 deadline is on a waitlist.
It definitely sucks all around- but that doesn’t mean we can just not deal with it!!!
Good luck with your decision.
I’m sorry, Swistle. I don’t know what I’d do in your situation. I feel lucky masks are required in our schools and it’s not even particularly controversial. I don’t suppose you have any relatives living somewhere with stricter/saner rules?
#1 JUNIOR YEAR??? How is that possible?
#2 a bunch of parents in our district are putting together a class action lawsuit to make masks mandatory. Especially for kids with IEPs, the argument is that the school is not providing a safe school environment. We are currently masks optional for 7-12 but only 5-10% of high schoolers are wearing them, according to my son.
#3 the newspaper interviewed a woman at a mask protest who said she wouldn’t ask a doctor about Covid, as she had never met one that was as informed as she is about it. ?!@!#=#??????
You might live near me. #3 makes me ragey, but nothing surprises me anymore.
You said, “You will not be surprised…” but I am surprised! I am truly shocked. I live in a county where over 80% of people (and I think something like 90+% of 12-17 year olds) are vaccinated, yet masks are mandatory in all schools and in all public indoor places. All the kids I know, from my teens to my friends’ preschoolers, wear masks all day and they are not traumatized by them in the least! In my town not only has no one made a fuss about it, but many parents are asking for stricter protocols and complaining about things like kids eating lunch inside. I can only imagine how stressful it would be to send your kids back to school in the environment you describe. I’m so sorry you have to make that choice!
Can I love where you are?
LIVE. And love. But I’m asking to move in.
So, my area sounds covid-protocol-wise similar to Em’s. Our school board has a don’t-ask-don’t-tell citizenship/residency policy. Just saying.
OMG, Yes, please, please, please!!! Are you on a coast or in the middle?
I have a friend in Arlington VA, where the cost of living makes me weep, although the housing disparity between there and where I live is not as great as it was (we went up, ridiculously up). I am Boston adjacent, where we pretend to be progressive but really, really, secretly like the former dude better than the current one. aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.
I”m not here but that’s what it’s like here in Northern VA. And fairfax county took the steps today to REQUIRE the vax for anyone who wants to play high school sports so we are moving in the right direction I hope.
Oof. I am so sorry you are dealing with this. I am living in a place that is … keeping the barn doors closed? Staff must be vaccinated (I think but am not 100% sure this includes teachers), masks are required, kids eat outside, they have air cleaners and some amount of surveillance testing … and feel so relieved relative to what so many others are navigating. But still also nervous!
When I was undergoing infertility treatments I found asking myself the question, “If I try this and it doesn’t work, will I regret having tried it?” Here I feel like I might turn that into, “If [we] do this and it ends badly, will I regret having done it?” and … well … I think I know where I’d land, though of course I do not know E or your family.
I hope whatever happens and whatever decisions you make that all the Thistles stay safe and that no one gets sick.
Oh Swistle. This is so hard. Your school district and all those parents are awful.
Our district decided K-6 are required to wear masks four days before school started. For older students it’s optional, for teachers and staff it is required. This happened after publicizing weeks ahead of time that only teachers needed to wear masks, it was optional for all students.
Also, I am a family doctor and I have ordered lots of antibody titers on my patients.I haven’t ordered for a child yet but I would be happy to if someone wanted me to. I’m sorry you’re hitting a brick wall trying to get such a simple test done.
I’ve always wondered where you lived. Now I know…you are living in the land of idiots. I’m so sorry.
“as if “normal” were a valid and chooseable option that the rest of us were rejecting for no reason”
SO MUCH THIS.
First of all, this is horrible and I can’t believe anyone though those levels of “precautions” were a good idea. Are there any private or other public schools in your area that are a possibility? It might not be too late even during the first few weeks of school.
WHAT EVEN. What kind of a…what even. I am at a complete loss because what. How. Everything about this is terrible and I am so sorry, Swistle. This is just utter shit and your school system and the parents involved are failing the children horribly.
You are NOT alone and there are some interesting facts and options here. https://www.propublica.org/article/a-boy-with-an-autoimmune-disease-was-ready-to-learn-in-person-then-his-state-banned-mask-mandates
Between college kids and last remaining kid in HS, I am getting to see a lot complaints that boil down to “But why must my child & I be inconvenienced by a global pandemic?”
I have the eye-rolling muscles of a Titan, if they rolled their eyes.
This is a crazy idea, but do you have “take community college classes for the final two years of high school” options where you are? If so, there may be a community college in the system that has enough classes online [most community colleges had gobs of online classes before the pandemic, so odds are good]. This 1. looks good on a transcript if he gets good grades, and 2. has no pandemic problems.
Admittedly, online courses are, in most cases, not as good as in-person courses. But. No normal options right now, so…
(if the local CC is requiring vaccines/masks – fewer rabid parents – then maybe in-person classes would work, even! But I would not send an immunocompromised person out there right now in general, personally, unless vitally needed for sanity. So.)
Oh, Swistle. I am livid and sad for you and your family. The school has left you in an untenable position with just a few days left before the school year starts. These last 2 years have made me so, so glad we moved back home to a bluish state and out of a red south state.
Oh, Swistle. I’m so sorry you’re dealing with this. It’s seems so unfathomable to me that so many people are being so uncaring about the health and safety of everyone. A mask is such an easy thing, and the fact that it’s become so politicized is so saddening. And infuriating. I wonder how many of these schools saying they won’t require kids to wear masks have dress codes that require their administrators to measure the width of girls’ tank top straps and the length of their skirts. Do these people rally at the grocery store for being forced to wear their shoes and shirts for the safety and hygiene of their community? I can’t even.
I’ve had very little skin in the game with respect to school because I’ve homeschooled my kids since the beginning. But, my ninth grader decided to go to school this year and we’re grateful his school is taking things seriously. That said, if you’d like to discuss homeschooling at any time feel free to message me. I haven’t ever homeschooled a high school junior but I do have a lot of thoughts about curriculum and can probably point you in the direction of some resources that could help if that’s how you decide to go.
Good luck with all of this. I’m sorry you have to go through it.
oohhh, me!!! Me!!!!
Math. That’s what I”m stuck on and I’M CERTIFIED TO TEACH IT. But I don’t do well with choice and there seem to be limitless choices for math curricula. Saxon, Singapore, Fred, Abeka, text books the old fashioned way, Khan…..
Thoughts?
We used Beast Academy for my advanced 4th grader last year and it was great. My first grader used Singapore. We plan to use Beast Academy with both kids this year.
Muchas gracias (we’re doing duo lingo, can you tell?)
I love Beast Academy for math. I wouldn’t use it for kids who are struggling though, because it’s hard (and so fun!)
Khan Academy is reliable, but maybe not interesting. But free, so you can try it for a couple months and see what you think.
Saxon math is what I used when I was homeschooled as a kid. It was incredibly boring, but I was two years ahead in math by the time I started high school, so I’d say pretty effective.
Another option is just using Prodigy, which is a free online math game. I have a friend who’s been doing this, and her kindergartener is on second grade math now.
My two older kids were very independent with math in elementary grades so we had great success with Math Mammoth. We used the Light Blue series which is like a combination workbook and textbook. It was great. I was very smug. Until my younger children did very poorly with it.
My two little ones switched to Saxon, which I sit with them and teach. They get lots of practice with older material, which is great but decidedly a bit boring. We got a hand me down set of Life of Fred that is actually pretty fun to read and that helps.
For advanced math we have one kid doing Art of Problem Solving and another doing Saxon Algebra.
There are so many choices. It really depends on the kind of learner you have. Saxon is great if you’re going to sit and teach it because they give you very small, incremental lessons and tell you exactly what to say and when. If you have a very independent kid who likes to learn on their own you have lots of good options. I hope that helps!
It does, thank you. Fred seems very cool and non-traditional, which is great but maybe not so great if they do go back to school. I’m doubtful about that because the superintendent keeps sticking her foot in it and HOLY HELL. This is both covid and not covid related. She’s hitting all the bases in completely the wrong way.
So sorry you have to deal with this, it’s so disheartening.
I live in a state where the governor has mandated against masks in schools, mandated against requiring vaccines and is actively promoting regeneron but hasn’t said anything publicly encouraging vaccinations in months and refuses to do anything that may save lives.
Kids here have been in school for 3 weeks. Last week 2 local school teachers died of covid. Our hospitals have 0 ICU beds and our pediatric cases are astronomical. There is no way in hell I’d send a kid to school here and I’m so thankful my kids are grown adults.
I like Jaida’s suggestion too and if your PCP is brushing you off then you need to push back until you get what you want. You’re not asking for anything harmful or illegal so he’s not doing his job to serve his patient’s best interest.
Argh.
We’re in an area in which school has started with a mask mandate and stronger policies than yours. My kid is in elementary school and is therefore an unvaccinated person surrounded by unvaccinated people. I’m fearful that the policies that we have, while better, are not going to hold up against delta. I’m deeply worried about having her there and it’s a constant underlying stress when I’m awake. And, based on my nightmares, during sleep, too.
I wish the options you wanted were available to you. For that matter, I wish the same for myself. It sucks that people who want safety for their kids are being actively blocked. (If virtual was available as an opt-in, I would’ve opted in.)
Such a crappy position to be in. My 7year old has a compromised immune system because he is in cancer treatment for leukemia. There were no COVID protocols at all in our county schools until last Thursday the state school board made the decision to require masks in all public schools. Yay MD! (Our county had been one of the six that did not have this requirement in the entire state. ) But my kids will still not go back in person because there is literally nothing else in place and the masks are only happening because they are being forced to. (There were no masks in summer school in my county this summer). I am tired of making these grueling decisions and tired of so many people who are not protecting others with their stupid decisions. My kids are tired of living in a bubble. 😫 So we I’ll forge on with homeschooling again this year and our plan is to send them once they are vaxed. (As long as my son has antibodies which the oncologist said they can test for). You should push for that – there’s no reason it can’t happen!
Such a sucky situation we are all in. What’s even suckier is that I get excited when I read about other ppl and their sucky situations, because it makes me feel less alone in my sucky situation. What a sucky group project we are all working on together.
I am at a school in a southern state where we had masks, distancing, and plexiglass last year, but this year we are mask-optional, crammed in, and no plexiglass. We have opened the barn doors and chased the horses out. We had a staff outbreak before school started from unmasked meetings, and now entire classes of kids are being sent home. WHY. I am so angry and so tired.
I am so tired of so many people in this country making starkly clear that they don’t care about kids or people with any kind of health condition. I’m fed up with antivaxers, anti maskers, COVID deniers, all of it. I’m so sorry you are living with this garbage. I hate that people are being required to send their kids into the line of fire for political reasons, sheer insanity of school boards, or internet conspiracy craziness.
I live in California where masks are mandated indoors for all students & school staff, including teachers. BUT! Plot twist! Our governor, Gavin Newsom, is facing a recall election on Sept 14. It’s a weird system where something like 50 people are running to replace him and you only need a plurality to win. So if he gets recalled, the most likely person to replace him is a super Trumpy guy named Larry Elder who I think would undo everything.
Right here in California with you – I was going to write this same comment. With two unvaccinated elementary-aged kids and a school that has ONLY mandated masks, no other precautions, I feel like we’re screwed if Newsom loses the recall.
Thinking of you. And I hate that this is even an issue. Stuff is as a bad as it was last year! Schools were online last year! They should be online this year, tooooo!!!! AAAAAGGGGHHHH!!!
Both my husband (teacher) and my son (student) are attending classes in person at universities that are requiring both vaccines for everyone AND masks indoors for everyone. And I am so grateful.
That said, if they weren’t being required, I would be encouraging both my son and my husband to stay home this year.
We found out two days before school started that masks are now mandatory. Which meant my unvaccinated 10yo could go to school. I’m the immunocompromised person in the house. Instead of throwing him in school two days later because we’ve had enough whiplash thank you we waited until Friday to give him a few more days to get used to the idea of actually going back to school. I have already had my third shot I have no idea if it is working or not. At any time they can lift the mask mandate and then I will have to yank my 10-year-old back out of school unless of course it is after November which is when they think 5 through 11-year-olds Will be eligible to get vaccinated. My kids stayed at home from March 2020 until last week. I would like them to be able to go to school. I would also like to stay alive. For the people who are arguing that masks are attack on their freedom I would like them to bite my butt. Unless they have a medical reason they should wear a mask. Three people in my house have asthma. We all wear masks and we can still breathe. I’m going to stop ranting now. I hope your little immunocompromised guy can get an education this year. All of this is a mess I agree with you completely.
We are already back in school. Masks are mandatory at the high school level, but enforcement varies. Through August, we have 3 (reported) cases in 2000 students, at the high school level. We’ve been in school for a month. I’m sure there are kids with mild cases who aren’t being reported or even tested as Covid cases.
My inner armchair epidemiologist is exhausted. Our district started in “yellow” (masks recommended), then went to “red” (masks required) after like three days because I guess they wanted to give the virus a nice head start. I know they knew they would end up going to red (the principal said so), but I wonder if they started at yellow in part to avoid scaring away mask-hesitant parents. Sigh. As a side note, my kids’ favorite masks are the ones from Primary. Nice soft fabric and elastic.
Ugh! That is tough. I work at a Community College (no contact with students), and we do have a mask required rule for now. 90% of our faculty and staff are voluntarily vaccinated (and a very high percentage of our students.) Students are required to vaccinate if they live in the dorms. We are waiting to see what happens with our numbers to see what happens. Here in Colorado all school students are required to wear masks, and unvaccinated staff. Not perfect, but better than some.
Kalendi– for K-12 it’s not determined by the state. My county voted itself out of mandating masks in kids aged 2-11 last week in a 3-2 vote. Fortunately, my specific school district spans two counties and the other county’s board has not voted against masks. My district used that as a loophole to continue requiring masks.
It’s more than a little insane to me that anyone is anti-mask. Thank goodness for the other county and the district leadership.
I don’t know the exact mechanism of rules for public schools nation wide, but I do know that the big news in Pennsylvania today is that K-12 students are going to be required to wear masks in all public and private schools, as well as staff. Regardless of vaccination status at this point. Childcares\early learning centers too. My kids private school has had full masking for ages 2 and up for over a year now (we reopened last summer for early childhood\camp), and I just can’t get the resistance to it. It’s not perfect, you have to remind some of them, some of the masks don’t fit well, the little guys chew on them, but it’s worth it to be in person, and to keep our kids safe!
Swistle. WHAT. NO. WHAT. (I too apologize if cursing is not OK here) but FUCK THIS SHIT, WHAT THE FUCK.
I’m so frustrated and angry and sad for you. And Edward. And every other kid in your district in this situation, some of whom probably have idiots for parents, given the high % of idiots you appear to be surrounded by :(
Your school system is trying very hard not to say that there’s nothing they can realistically do to make things safer. Hence the useless “plan.” Masks might be worthwhile if everyone was committed to them, but with a large contingent of parents against them, you can bet that most kids wouldn’t take them seriously even if they were required. Basically odds are good that all the kids will be exposed to Covid no matter what, so if that’s not a thing you want, sorry, it’s homeschool time. (There is the option of making your kid wear a medical grade filtering mask at all times, but I can imagine how well that would go over.) The good news is that there’s more support out there than ever for homeschooling.
The thing is, for some parents and some kids, we’re to a point where unchecked Covid transmission is actually preferable to another school year like the last one. For the vast majority of vaccinated people (and kids), the danger is much mitigated. There are also a lot of problems attributable to last year’s restrictions that are very concerning, e.g. kids being clinically depressed, and kids not learning anything. Not to mention teachers being pulled in all directions trying to teach both online and in the classroom.
I agree that your choices suck, but what we really need are more choices. Instead of all the schools in one school system following the same model, I wish that different schools in the same area could choose different models, and then the parents could choose which school to send their kids to. One school could be fully committed to masks/distancing, and one could require 100% vaccination for everyone, and one could be fully open to everything, and one could be entirely online. I think that some private schools might go this route in the coming years, but I’m not sure it will happen for public schools.
Bottom line, this isn’t just a car ride or a lice outbreak, this is something that will likely be a factor in our lives for many years to come, and we need to figure out a sustainable way to deal with it.
THIS!!!! Exactly this!!!! There are so many ways the schools could have handled Covid —- particularly this year… we’re a year and a half into this. We’ve definitely had time to figure it out.
“Masks might be worthwhile if everyone was committed to them, but with a large contingent of parents against them, you can bet that most kids wouldn’t take them seriously even if they were required. ”
They would take it seriously if they got sent home for taking their masks off.
Schools could do a lot to improve ventilation. Our district, at least, has not done so.
Schools could require lunch outside. Elementary schools could have more recess.
Just letting them get infected and die off is not “sustainable,” unless by that you mean shrugging off death and disability. It seems strange to shrug that off and get all wound up about whether kindergartners are reading and seventh graders are taking algebra, which is the “learning loss” we’re hearing most about in my district.
It’s more comparable to a polio epidemic, where the solution is for everyone to get vaccinated. Since large quantities of the population are not yet able to be vaccinated (and others refuse), and since personal choices are not personal choices but instead affect communities from local all the way up to global, the school could ABSOLUTELY be keeping everyone safer with MANY AND VARIOUS methods. Parents/kids “taking it seriously” or “committing to it” doesn’t have to be a factor: the school has been fully capable of dealing with parents/students who don’t take polio vaccine requirements or protective athletic equipment requirements seriously, for two examples, and could apply those methods here.
“The thing is, some people would prefer unchecked spread” and “The only sustainable way to deal with this is to have everyone make their own choices, including choices that lead directly to other people’s deaths” attitudes can get punted directly into the sun, and you can tell all those parents/kids I said so. The sustainable way to deal with this is for everyone (that is, everyone who is able to do so, as with polio/diphtheria/mumps/measles/etc. vaccines) to get vaccinated, and if everyone who COULD get vaccinated DID get vaccinated, we would not have to be shrugging about how there’s simply no long-term realistic way to cope with this so I guess we just have to let the pandemic go ahead and spread unchecked.
+infinity to this.
Okay, I see that I was unclear. I’m not trying to be a troll! In no possible way did I mean to equate “spreading unchecked” with “children dying.” I do not and will not believe that there are parents who think that sending their kid to their death–or to cause anybody else’s death–is preferable to wearing a dang mask.
And yes, in my ideal world, everybody would choose to get vaccinated. I honestly can’t understand the reasoning for not doing it. A miracle happened! That is, some very smart people made a miracle happen, and gave us a chance to eradicate this virus. And some people just said eh, no thanks. That’s the price we’re paying for personal freedom, that here in Murica we (currently) cannot force every single person to get jabbed.
The problem is that there is so much information and misinformation out there that it’s nearly impossible to know the real deal. Is Covid comparable to polio (or worse)? Or is it more like the flu (especially if you’ve been vaccinated)? It’s possible to find reputable data for both points of view. Maybe the people calling for no restrictions are a little more understandable if you consider that they honestly believe that we’re all too worked up over kids getting the flu.
“But they’re wrong!” Probably, so are the people who believe Covid is a death sentence. As far as I can tell, the truth is somewhere in between. For what it’s worth, I believe that we should still take precautions “for now.” The problem is that we don’t know how long “for now” will last. I’d like it to last until all ages can be vaccinated, and hopefully a booster round for new variants will be available. I’d like to see the deaths and serious cases rates drop to close to zero. But I don’t think it’s going to absolutely be zero for a long time, and it’s unrealistic to wait for that. There are risks in life.
Anyway, sorry, I didn’t mean to stir up trouble. I’m not sure if there is a right answer. There have been and will be more ways to be a casualty of this pandemic than contracting the virus.
“There are risks in life” is not the statement of someone who understands how misguided their original post was.
The problem is not that you were “unclear.” The problem is your underlying assumptions: that there is a swarm of parents trying to reduce risk to “zero,” that people who want more precautions equate COVID-19 with “a death sentence,” that “There are risks in life” is information Swistle’s readers need.
You are not the voice of reason, and in your two posts, you have been the voice of dismissiveness.
It is a death sentence for people like me with asthma, and for lots of previously healthy children and adults, who up and fucking died.
Nope.
Avoiding Covid risk reduction is like drunk driving. Drunk drivers put everyone at risk, even those not drinking and driving- that’s why it’s illegal. Because what you do (drive drunk or refuse vaccination/masks) puts other people at risk providing more choices actually increases risk for everyone as opposed to allowing everyone to chose their own risk tolerance.
For unvaccinated kids to be safe we must all be vaccinated and wear masks until all kids can be vaccinated. Full stop. When you chose not to get vaccinated or wear a mask it’s not just a personal decision, it’s a choice that puts everyone you come in contact with at risk. You are essentially a drunk driver. You are hoping you make it home safe but you might crash into a bus full of kids too. Thinking that this is a personal decision is ignoring your impact on others.
Yes, more choices and flexibility.
Oh, man, what a tough choice. One thing that helps me cope is that my loved one was OSHA fit-tested for his N-95 mask (they spray a solution in the air around your face, and if you can smell it, then it’s not fitting properly). I wonder if that kind of training is available for patients in your son’s GI clinic? The whole family could wear fitted N-95s in situations that can’t be avoided.
Also, yes, why are we not all getting our antibody titers? In some ways, it’s much more helpful information than the virus PCR test.
Antibody titers are not correlated to immunity for covid, which is why we aren’t regularly checked for titers. A few items of note:
1. We saw vaccine protection well before day 21 (when you start to see antibodies) in both Pfizer and Moderna, which suggests the vaccines are stimulating another immune path (possibly T cells or cellular immunity) which is fighting off the infection and is not measurable with titer tests.
2. Vaccinated people have better protection than those that got sick – and both groups will have antibodies. This is further proof that a different immune path is responsible for protection. That immune path is being stimulated by the vaccine but not the virus.
3. Antibodies likely play some role, but we have no idea how variable antibody production is across the population or what the threshold is for protection. So if you get a result it’s pretty meaningless other than an indication you were vaccinated.
4. Antibody titers are useful for immunocompromised folks as a quick check to see if they responded to the vaccine at all – However no/low titers doesn’t mean they are not protected, it just means we don’t know if they responded well to the vaccine.
Sincerely, a person who works in vaccine research
Thank you! So helpful.
Joining the chorus to say…Ugh, this stinks!
A second your analogy of polio and public health. My baby boomer parents relayed the fear of catching polio as children when that was running rampant and how everyone was lining up to get the vaccine. Its hard to fathom a widespread movement in the vein of ‘I’m not afraid of polio! It goes against my liberties to participate in school if the polio vaccine required! ‘Etc.
On dark days I imagine staking out the anti-vaxxers and dart shooting them with it. So yea, that’s where my head is at.
I don’t have anything to add except that I’m sorry you’re dealing with this. It’s way beyond what most parents are dealing with right now, which is saying a lot. I don’t think any kid deserves to be left behind when it comes to something as basic as health and safety.
I’ve got nothing helpful to add, but ragey solidarity. We are in week 4. Started no masks no vax requirements no nothing (“we will continue to encourage handwashing!” OMG). Switched to masks required for preschool thru 6th grade. Now apparently getting ready to require masks all the way to high school. Turns out wishing away a pandemic is NOT a stellar mitigation plan.
but, but, whoever could have PREDICTED this??
aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
It’s so disappointing that there aren’t more choices for teachers and students. The administrations in many places don’t want to do the work it takes to create an array of reasonable choices to keep everyone safer.
My husband took a leave of absence this semester because he refused to teach in a windowless room with potentially unvaccinated college students. There’s no vaccine mandate at his college. He’s high risk with a doctor’s note and 1/2 the department (including his boss) are teaching remotely. The admin refuses to work with him to create a safe compromise. We are out a lot of money but his health is worth more. How heartless so many people are! It’s a disappointment I doubt I’ll ever get over.