Sunday, September 12, 2021

DOCUMENT, DOCUMENT, DOCUMENT EVERYTHING AT SCHOOL

On Twitter today, Pix11 reporter Dan Mannarino summarized part of his interview with Chancellor Meisha Porter. This tweet Mannarino put out has me concerned, particularly as a parent of two NYC public school students.


Translation: social distancing isn't happening in many schools.

If you are expecting UFT support, a tweet from the Union today may give you some worry about the Union's position as school opens.


It appears the UFT does not know what the world build means. Last year, there was abundant testing, 6 feet of social distancing, and a remote option open to every family. This year it is less COVID testing, more useless diagnostic testing, almost nonexistent social distancing, 2019 class size limits, no mandated COVID-19 vaccines for eligible students (12 and older), and no zero tolerance for students who don't wear masks as there is no remote option to send them to open for all but a few families. The Union and DOE may say all is well but I am not convinced. 

We should at least follow sensible protocols like Los Angeles is doing where there is much more COVID testing than NYC, mandated vaccinations including for students at least 12 years old, and a real remote option.

Should we be partying almost like it's 2019? Yes, we have very safe and effective vaccines now (though they are not 100% effective) that most UFTers have taken but kids under 12 are not eligible.

This is how Doctor Leana Wenn put it on twitter from her CNN interview on mandatory masking:

"It is unconscionable that there are states putting kids' lives in danger and forcing them into a herd immunity experiment they didn't sign up for." 

She says, and I totally agree, that the federal government needs to tie federal funding to real COVID prevention policies.

Needless to say, I am worried tonight for my wife, my kids, my friends, former colleagues, and all of you going back tomorrow. I hope the folks are right who say Delta can be contained but experience in places like Scotland and the South in the US shows that opening the school doors wide leads to Delta variant outbreaks.

My advice: Please DOCUMENT, DOCUMENT, AND THEN DOCUMENT SOME MORE each and every COVID protocol violation you witness. Don't be afraid to reveal who you are. It's all of our safety, including the kids, that is on the line. Schools won't be safe as Dr. Michael Osterholm says, but they can be safer. 

I hoped and I prayed I would never have to repeat this excerpt from a March 16, 2020 piece on what you should do in the schools if the weak DOE protocols are not being followed. 

-If any insane administrator questions someone, I consulted the UFT Chapter Leader Handbook about self-help. Self-help is when an employee is insubordinate by defying an order from a supervisor. Normally, a teacher should obey an order that violates the Contract and then grieve.  However, the Handbook provides three justifications for an employee to be insubordinate. Two of them apply to our current situation:

First, the employee has a reasonable belief that carrying out the order will endanger the employee's health.

Second, carrying out the order will threaten the safety of others.

Document what you see and stay safe.

54 comments:

Anonymous said...

Lol. So they already changed the rule. So now students can refuse to wear the mask and then just stay home and pass the class. Wow. Why wouldn't students do that purposely. What if I refused to wear the mask?

Anonymous said...

96% triple vaxxed Israeli is the now the global hotspot. Israel’s version of Dr. Fauci says the hospitals are filled with vaxxed.

Anonymous said...

Thank you James. Problem is not all but many younger teacher's and administrators don't care much about the effects of the virus for themselves or students. I have seen it first hand, improper masking, non- enforcement of masking for students and poor hand washing routines. I fear for our kids.
Teacher's, ask for that PPE! Use it and ask for more as our only defense if you are vaccinated or not especially if you are assigned gym or cafeteria coverage. At least when kids are exposed to the virus you'll know you did your best to protect them, yourself and others.

Anonymous said...

Please double mask or wear an N95. The vaccine will not prevent you from catching, feeling the effects of covid or spreading it. Try to Be Safe!

Anonymous said...

James, have you considered keeping your kids home? Curious as to why you wouldn’t choose home schooling based on your post.

Anonymous said...

Two fake news comments here. The vaccine vastly reduces chances of infection.

Anonymous said...

The DOE isn’t the only one ignoring COVID rules. Anyone else notice that establishments are ignoring the vax check requirement? The bottom line is what businesses focus on. If they figured out they’d lose money by enforcing, they stopped enforcing. Look at Citifield. Their vaccinated only seating is in the worst sections of the stadium. They know their bread and butter is from the unvaxed.

Anonymous said...

@11:34 its the first day of school. Try not to sound as childish as the kids. Grow up.

Anonymous said...

806, what do you mean? Did they not change the rule? Did they not give students the ability to refuse mask waering and stay home and pass classes? No sure what "grow up" means.

Anonymous said...

I'm documenting. Nobody cares.

You guys fucking lied today was a shit show we had to leave our daughter at the fucking door not knowing who her teacher is no screening nothing. The security guard keep yelling parents need to leave parents need to leave like really wtf

James Eterno said...

My kids want to be back in school in-person. They have been remote since March 2020. I respect their wishes but I am concerned. I felt some guilt, some fear and worry but also a little excitement as they were enthusiastic when I dropped them off today.

Anonymous said...

If you are saying that we need to "protect the vaccinated" then you are saying the vaccine doesn't protect them

James Eterno said...

Haaretz

https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-israel-sees-modest-uptick-in-serious-covid-cases-rate-of-infection-1.10200876

The number of Israeli coronavirus patients in serious condition has risen slightly to 696, including 186 on ventilators, according to figures released by the Health Ministry on Saturday. In total, 9,725 new cases were diagnosed on Friday.

The number of people who have received a third dose of the coronavirus vaccine has now reached 2.81 million, with over six million people having received at least one dose.

The numbers suggest that the booster shot campaign is seeing effects, with the R number, representing the average number of people each coronavirus case will infect, having reached a three-month low of 0.95 last week.

Anonymous said...

I saw this on Twitter

Some of you guys do not know what you are sending your kids into today…kids unmasked outside in each other’s faces, school bus windows closed and half students unmasked on bus.. keep these kids isolated and wear masks at home, test them a lot #RestoreRemote

Anonymous said...

This is not good. We need to get these shots used whether people want them or not. When is it approved for ages 5-11?

Stat News: “Millions of unused Covid-19 vaccines are set to go to waste as demand dwindles across the United States and doses likely expire this summer, according to public health officials…”

“Currently, states have administered 52.36 million fewer doses than have been distributed to them, according to federal data.”

“A significant tranche of Pfizer doses is expected to expire in August… Given waning domestic vaccine demand, those doses are unlikely to be fully used before they must be tossed.”

“’We’re seeing demand [for the vaccine] falling off across all the states,’ said Marcus Plescia, chief medical officer at the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials.”

Anonymous said...

Tony Twomasks will say wear three... just give him time.

Anonymous said...

29 students plus 5 adults in my classroom

Anonymous said...

de blasio just said if you are vaccinated and you have close contact with a positive person you are still staying in school. So does the vaccine work or not? biden and de blasio should chat and figure out what the argument is.

Anonymous said...

Social distancing is theater. Vaccines, and ventilation are the only thing that will keep us safe.

Anonymous said...

mayor said 80% of adults have been vaxxed. What happened to vaxxed or masked?

Anonymous said...

Had teachers out today. Most of them Vaxxed and have Covid. No one cares. Cant social distance with even 1-2 feet. Not enough room. Kids refused to keep masks on, but we are asked to "give them time."

Anonymous said...

11:02 - LIES

Anonymous said...

Monday, September 13, 2021 11:31:00 AM

So your school is going to enter students into OORS if they refuse to wear a Mask? Putting something into OORS hurts the school's reputation. I have been a dean form more than 27 years. Sweep under the carpet. Ignore it that is basically what they said in my school in the Bronx.

Anonymous said...

10:37 brings up a good point. Wtf is going on? Fauci says the vaccinated can contract virus. Israel hospitalizations of vaccinated. But Deblasio says all is fine if you’re vaccinated….no need to worry about spreading COVID if vaccinated. Who’s right? And if it isn’t DeBlasio, wtf UFT? Nothing to say Mulgrew ? Nothing about science denier DeBlasio. Of course not. They play for the same team.

waitingforsupport said...

@1037 am..
Thump i mean Trunk oops Trump says to take the vaccine so there ya have it.

waitingforsupport said...

@1:30 pm...
And you complied? Even when it's illegal? When they come a looking don't be shook if admin and DOE say they had no clue you were doing that. Besides, don't you know right from wrong? Jeez Louise. I might be wrong but i don't think "Basically" will count if your behavior comes to light.

waitingforsupport said...

@955am...
If what you believe is accurate, you must be as annoyed or more by those "teachers" who provide the fake "passing" grades to these students under the guise of "self preservation". Grow up means behave like an adult.

James Eterno said...

Vaccines are not perfect. There are breakthrough infections.

This what we posted concerning Israel earlier:

Haaretz

https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-israel-sees-modest-uptick-in-serious-covid-cases-rate-of-infection-1.10200876

The number of Israeli coronavirus patients in serious condition has risen slightly to 696, including 186 on ventilators, according to figures released by the Health Ministry on Saturday. In total, 9,725 new cases were diagnosed on Friday.

The number of people who have received a third dose of the coronavirus vaccine has now reached 2.81 million, with over six million people having received at least one dose.

The numbers suggest that the booster shot campaign is seeing effects, with the R number, representing the average number of people each coronavirus case will infect, having reached a three-month low of 0.95 last week.

Anonymous said...

Don’t know about 10:37 but I’d take a Thump, Trunk or any Trump in the WH right now instead of that porridge brained, China owned, Taliban bitch Biden. Anyone who listens to any president for medical advice is a moron.

James Eterno said...

Anon2323,

Here is what media bias/fact check said about the source you sent.

Sources in the Conspiracy-Pseudoscience category may publish unverifiable information that is not always supported by evidence. These sources may be untrustworthy for credible/verifiable information; therefore, fact-checking and further investigation is recommended on a per article basis when obtaining information from these sources.

Overall, we rate this source a Tin-Foil Hat Conspiracy and Quackery level Pseudoscience website based on promoting false and misleading information regarding Covid-19.

Anon2323 said...

really?? You quote CNN and use Fauci who cannot even distinguish between getting a
vaccine vs having natural immunity.

If masks work so well than why does everyone need to wear them especially vaccinated?


Joy reid went crazy bc Nicky wont get vaxxed lol!

https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/salvadorhernandez/nicki-minaj-tweet-swollen-balls-memes
https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/nicki-minaj-not-vaxxed-met-gala-1225492/

Anonymous said...

The first day of school at my large, overcrowded (200% over capacity) high school was chaos: students and staff with masks below noses, ZERO social distancing anywhere, small classrooms packed with 34 students in most cases, nobody seriously checking health screenings at the entrance, etc. It was almost exactly like pre-Corona times but with masks. None of this is sustainable or safe. Lots of division among staff about how serious Covid/Delta is (or whether it's serious at all) and many staff still unvaxxed. Plus, still no remote option and the testing policy is downright ridiculous -- you can't track how many Covid cases we have if you don't really test anybody or test them that often. Why are we sending students in to unsafe schools that are now Covid factories??

Anonymous said...

Lol. You said the virus coming from a lab was tin foil hat too.

James Eterno said...

Find when I said that? I don't believe I ever did.

Anonymous said...

You and others said that. You also repeatedly censored when I wrote it.

James Eterno said...

Show when I said anything that said the lab leak theory was bs. I have a good friend who is well versed on this and back in April 2020 he told me it was very possible. I have taken no position on the origin as we do not know.

James Eterno said...

As new studies come out, the science is corrected. We are getting studies now on immunity from having had the virus vs vaccine induced immunity. Dr. Osterholm talks humility with COVID as we get new information that surprises us.

I respect that.

Anonymous said...

A point to consider, James. You routinely censored while you failed to censor those calling lab leak a tin foil hat conspiracy theory. It wasn’t a tin foil theory. It was and is a legit theory, as your well versed friend said. If your bias didn’t cloud your judgement, you would have called out or censored those labeling the theory as tin hat. But you didn’t. You allowed those comments, not once saying it could be possible while you censored or countered others. You’re not cnn or even a journalist so the standard is lower for you. But this censorship behavior on the part of major news organizations and media is why no one is ever going to convince the unvaxed to get vaxed. My sister is an unvaxed nurse. Her job told her she will be fired. The date has come and gone and she’s still working. There’s a nursing shortage and her employer will have to fire 1/3 of their nurses which is why they keep saying they’ll fire them but have yet to do so. In the meantime she lined up another job with a 10k signing bonus and no vaccine required. They’re desperate for nurses. Especially those with 10+ years of experience. No one gives a shit if we have no teachers. They’ll cram 109 kids in a room with one teacher. The parents will get their childcare and life goes on. But no nurses? No maternity units like in Lewis County hospital? Oh people are going to give a shit, and that’s why the threat of firing hasn’t been followed up on yet at my sister’s job. Threats of force may work on the weak or the desperate. But there are plenty of people who just won’t back down. My sister is one of them.

James Eterno said...

I have been agnostic on the lab leak theory from the start as I told you earlier. If anything didn't get through, it was because it didn't have anything to do with the post which sometimes bothers me to no end. I am okay with it when someone goes off the topic with a school question but some of you want to argue for causes that are way beyond the scope of what we cover and I don't have time to research every statement made here..

Since Dr Robert Redfield advocated for the lab leak theory in early 2021, it has been mainstream.

Anonymous said...

gotta love James, he's been a democrat so long he doesn't know any better
on a few occasions I wrote china virus, James said that was racists , so I had to write "the virus that came from china"
how can you guys believe this liberal fool.
but I do love reading the liberal nonsense on this blog, very entertaining
thanks James

waitingforsupport said...

Wonderful. And if our medical personnel drop like flies due to their workload, people will literally give and have a sh^t on themselves. Let's hope we never see the day that our freedom of choice causes our medical facilities to crash and burn. We must all do our part to ensure all systems function well.

James Eterno said...

I think you have me mixed up with someone else. I criticize corporate Democrats regularly.

waitingforsupport said...

@1259pm...
You sure do love reading and commenting on this blog allll the time. Have you finished your vaccinations better get to it

Anon2323 said...

This vaccine has way too many issues to be mandated. If it helps you, that's great, otherwise, I entrust my natural immunity which is 20 times more effective than the vaccine.

https://www.timesofisrael.com/health-ministry-chief-says-coronavirus-spread-reaching-record-heights/

Anonymous said...

@waitingforsupport thinks vaccines still stop the spread. Lmao. Chancellor spreading the same misinformation. Let the fact checkers know !

James Eterno said...

From Bloomberg:

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-09-07/israel-s-covid-surge-shows-the-world-what-s-coming-next

Since April, Israel has fallen from first to 33rd in Bloomberg’s vaccine tracker of populations considered fully vaccinated. The program plateaued amid hesitancy from some in the Orthodox Jewish and Arab communities. About 61% of Israelis have been given two doses, lower than in European laggards earlier in the year such as France and Spain.

James Eterno said...

Also from Israel:

https://www.timesofisrael.com/israeli-research-3rd-vaccine-dose-produces-10-times-more-antibodies-than-2nd/

A serological study conducted at an Israeli hospital has found that antibody levels in the body after the administration of a third COVID-19 vaccine dose were ten times higher than those detected after the second dose.

The preliminary results, seen among vaccinated staff at Sheba Medical Center in Ramat Gan, outside Tel Aviv, stoked optimism as to the amount of time the booster shot retains its protection, the Kan public broadcaster reported Tuesday.

James Eterno said...

More from Israel:


https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-israel-s-17-unvaccinated-now-account-for-65-of-all-serious-covid-19-cases-1.10208784
Despite breakthrough cases among the immunized with the rise of the delta variant, COVID-19 is increasingly becoming a pandemic of the unvaccinated in Israel. Those that have yet to receive even one shot of a COVID vaccine are only 17 percent of the eligible population in Israel, but they currently represent 65 percent of all serious cases in the country.

According to Health Ministry data, the ratio of unvaccinated people among the severely ill has continued to rise as more people are inoculated against the virus. As of September 13, out of the 664 severely ill patients, 437 were completely unvaccinated and 168 had received two doses. Only 59 had received the booster shot. The ratios are similar when analyzing new infections.

Anonymous said...

In the US there is no booster recommendations yet for those who received j&j. Not enough data for me to be comfortable with booster for original Moderna shot for myself.

Our hospitals are not overrun. They weren’t at the height of the pandemic and they aren’t now either. That’s why the media ran with the fake news story out of OK . If Gov Hochul is concerned about that here she should ask Biden to do what Trump did. Set up the Javitz Center and send that naval hospital ship back to a ny harbor where hopefully like last time it will remain empty. But she’s not asking so either she should be impeached for putting NY in danger by inaction or it’s all just more fear mongering bullshit spread by the likes of Don Lemon, Fredo Cuomo, Rachel Maddow and homophobic Joy Reid. Loved the Twitter war Niki Minaj unleashed on Joy btw. Niki is one funny tweeter.

The inventor of mRNA tech has concerns. I guess he’s just another tin hat scientist.

Some of us are just looking for truth. Hard to find when censorship causes mistrust.

waitingforsupport said...

@1106 pm
Never mind what i think. Your a^^ best get vaccinated says your boss.

Anonymous said...

Im taking my chances without the vaccine, waiting. Meisha can blow me. Money gets you in. Enough corrupt doctors in nyc, you know the workmans comp finaglers. They’ve found a new enterprise.

Anonymous said...

9:45 Nikki Minaj sounded like a complete idiot in her response. Totally ignorant and unhinged for no reason.

waitingforsupport said...

@1205 pm...good luck. Maybe there will be a reprieve of Deboso's mandate;maybe covid and delta will magically disappear;maybe and hopefully you won't get covid and if you do, you survive; a whole lot of maybes

Anonymous said...

Maybe the vaccine won’t give me blood clots or myocarditis.