Friday, December 04, 2020

NYC CONTACT TRACER SAYS OPENING SCHOOLS LED TO COVID-19 INCREASE

This NY Post article by an anonymous NYC contact tracer says a great deal about our situation.

An excerpt:

Over the summer, there were times when things were slow, days when I had no calls. Not anymore. 

Things really changed with the schools opening. Then we started talking to a lot of parents and teachers. Every once in a while I’d talk to a health care worker or someone in the Orthodox Jewish community. Sometime in early- to mid-November, it started to pick up and become more random. When people are irresponsible, it makes my job harder. After Thanksgiving weekend, there was a huge spike in cases — I got really busy. Now, the people I speak to come from everywhere. Some of them say they’ve hardly been out. 

COVID-19 is consistently worsening in NYC. Be not afraid to stay home on Monday if you are supposed to go into a school building but you don't believe it's safe. Ten days are on the DOE if you have COVID-19 symptoms. 

The DOE personnel memo on COVID-19 is linked here.


Some COVID-19 NYC Numbers:



19 comments:

Anonymous said...

Lol. Any comment from mulgrew? I guess not. Dues well spent.

Anonymous said...

I wonder what an anti union blog would say about the uft allowing staff to go in next week with cases skyrocketing.

Anonymous said...

https://nypost.com/2020/12/04/battle-brewing-over-nyc-school-covid-19-testing-requirements/
So now they try to get strict on the testing, including d75, which is wonderful if they actually do!BUT THE SELFISH PARENTS ARE OBJECTING TO THE TESTING!THEY SHOULD KEEP THEIR KIDS THE HELL HOME!UNBELIEVEABLE!the city tries to make it right, make them happy by opening and increasing class time and protecting us all and these folks will never be happy!so if they fight back, either diblasio will cave in again, or they will be forced to close.if he caves. I will go remote, as I definitely qualify.i enjoy my work and got hopeful that our fears were allayed, but now....I think people have lost their minds or lost any concern for others.society is collapsing.sorry to be all doom and gloom.the saga continues...probably extreme lefties. Thinking they have rights. But nobody else does.sickens me...stay tuned...

Unknown said...

Thank you, James, for being the lone voice of courage in this moral desert. Although I have an accommodation, I fear and pray for my dear elementary school colleagues. Please keep up your good work.

TeachNY said...

It’s just so sad to think kids will be almost 2 years behind in their education. I don’t care how good of a remote teacher you are. It’s happening. I see why the younger grades have to open (parents have to work AND the kids are losing out on basic fundamentals). Almost all of Long Island is open (5 days a week, full size classes) and Europe is open as well. It’s not right to have the Island while having city kids at home. I do think most remote teachers busting their asses remote teaching (don’t believe the hype about teachers sitting around in their sweats). I know I am. I go live for a FULL 35-40 minutes for each class each day. A bell schedule. The kids that do show up love it. I hate it, and praying middle schools open up right after the new year comes!

TeachNY said...

Another note-why is it that many teachers I know on medical accommodation who are “terrified” of getting sick are still sending their own children to public school on Long Island? It doesn’t make sense to me. Most schools out here do have a remote option.

Anonymous said...

Because they were learning so much with the building open. 50% attendance and cell phone in hand and music in ears. Lol.

TJL said...

The fearful and terrified also get in their cars every day, even though they're more lethal than the virus for anyone of school or working age.

See for yourself:

https://data.cdc.gov/NCHS/Provisional-COVID-19-Death-Counts-by-Sex-Age-and-S/9bhg-hcku

https://crashstats.nhtsa.dot.gov/
Api/Public/ViewPublication/810853

TJL said...

TeachNY what is this bell schedule you speak of? Our principal, Supe, and the Chancellor himself said "do not replicate the school day". The kids don't have access to tech, etc. They're told by admin you don't need to go on zoom and just to go on G Classroom when they can.

Maybe your school and James & Camille's schools are run normally and this is why remote is working ok for you. If they followed the DOE rules, forget it. You're lucky.

Anonymous said...

7:24: Two years behind is nothing! Have you ever taught in one of the big city high schools? Kids are usually 5-7 years behind. Remember, as long as they're breathing, they get promoted to the next level. The city still does nothing about it but blames the teachers for the failure of the students and then teachers are forced to pass them or face the consequences, so really nothing has changed. Instead of 7 years behind, they will be 9 years behind. When the city stops wasting money and puts its money where its needed instead of wasting it on a bloated bureaucracy, the atr pool, useless pds and inquiries and 5 principals in one building, you won't see a change.

Anonymous said...

Kids, like all people, can learn well under many different conditions if they want to learn and are willing to put in effort. Why do we continue to judge success of remote learning based on kids who put forth no effort. These same kids put forth no effort in a classroom so why would anyone expect them to suddenly become responsible students during remote learning. Concern for teachers’ lives and a possible uncontrollable spread of COVID throughout nyc and beyond are taking a backseat because some kids don’t care about learning how to read , write and perform basic math. It’s the same old nyc doe story.... focus on the lazy kids instead of the ones who care about their education and who can actually become successful and productive adult citizens. The kids who care are the biggest victims of the nyc doe incompetence.

Anonymous said...

I am a high school teacher in Brooklyn. Testing was conducted at my school on Monday, November 16. On Friday November 20 I received an email from the DOE indicating that I had been exposed to someone who tested positive and that I needed to quarantine for 14 days. For some reason they started counting the 14 days from the day they sent the email, not from the day I was exposed.

I went for a test at an H&H site on Saturday, November 21. I was told that since I am a DOE teacher my test would be expedited. An orange "STAT" sticker was placed on my sample. As instructed I set up an "epic my chart" account and checked for results daily. No results came. I was tested two weeks ago and still have not received results. I telephoned and was told my test was on file but no results. I've since gone to my own doctor and received a negative test result.

Clearly the testing infrastructure and bureaucracy are overwhelmed.

TeachNY said...

Maybe in your class.

TeachNY said...

Yes. We follow a bell schedule. Teachers present mini-lessons for 10-15 minutes and then send the kids off to work while staying live, or teach old school for 40 minutes. Some teachers post questions and chat via text in live time. It’s working well. Much better than teachers who just post work. That’s kinda unfair.

TeachNY said...

To me the first change should be removing disruptive students and sending them elsewhere. Lots of learning getting stolen by others.

TeachNY said...

Yes...some of the kids are just as lazy online as they are in class. However, I have seen stellar students go from 90s to 80s to 70s. I really think it all boils down to many of the students just being too emotionally immature to deal with the freedom and responsibility of online learning. I mean, they’re kids.

Anonymous said...

Anonymous 11:53...wow!that is frightening and unacceptable!they took so long to tell you that you were exposed?you could have potentially infected many!no results still?if this happens in school testing, the premise that testing will stop the spread is flawed.if they cany meet the demand, we should be closed.omg, cant believe!and that is for a stat test!

Anon2323 said...

MY high school in bronx follow bell schedule, even for pe I teach 10-15 min then have them do an edpuzzle or kahoot game. WE only have 350 students so much easier to manage then the larger high schools. Most core classes go the full 40-45 min and students follow their schedules as we take attendance by a period on kinvolved to track the students.

I just remove students who literally do nothing or just left the computer and not responding back.

TeachNY said...

It def works well that way-I wish more schools would follow suit. Letting teachers just do what they want when they want is really not best for students.