Thursday, July 16, 2020

PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY, MARYLAND STAYING ALL REMOTE THROUGH JANUARY

From WTOP in DC:

Prince George’s County Public Schools students will continue distance learning at the start of the school year through January 2021.

Schools CEO Monica Goldson announced the reopening plan Wednesday afternoon, citing broad input from staff, families and other community members.

“I fully understand that the decision that has been made to continue distance learning from Aug. 31 until Jan. 29 is one that is not the perfect scenario,” Goldson said during a news conference.

“Unfortunately, we’re not at a time where I feel comfortable that we could move forward with excellent delivery of instruction and keeping our children safe and physically being in our buildings.”

Ms Goldson has some sense. 

Back here in NYC, we are planning for fantasyland in the schools with Mayor deBlasio at the helm. At his presser today, the mayor cited a survey showing 75% of families wanted schools reopened. He didn't mention that the survey was not scientific, as anyone could take it as many times as they wanted, or that it is outdated as it was done before the national surge in Covid-19.

I can't predict the future and I am not a scientist but I can say sending hundreds of thousands of NYC kids and tens of thousands of adults into what in many cases are poorly ventilated buildings might not be the best way to control the spread of coronavirus. I will leave the last word to the Prince George's County School administration:

“Prince George’s County has been the epicenter of the COVID-19 public health crisis in Maryland,” the school system said in a release. “In light of the health disparities in communities that house more than 136,500 students and 20,000 employees, there is a significant public health concern if schools were to reopen this fall for in-person instruction.”




13 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hey James, Michael Mulgrew was on 93.9 WNYC radio 10 AM this morning. He was on with Brian Lehrer. Maybe you take a listen.

Anonymous said...

Schools open, more get infected. Funny how that works.

NYC Homicides Soar 21 Percent in First 6 Months of 2020, Shootings Up 46 Percent.
Funny how that works.

DE BLASIO: “We now have fewer people in our jails than any time since WW2 and we are safer for it and better for it”

James Eterno said...

I let that one go 12:34 because this was about the mayor a little and you somewhat stayed on topic.If it is going to go off the rails, we will keep it on topic. Thanks.

Anonymous said...

Mulgrew said on the radio that the city did nothing from April until last week about the fall. Nothing about safety, cleaning, etc...

Also, he blames, but takes no responsibility for March.

Anonymous said...

Mulgrew said we wont open if we dont feel it is safe. He doesnt say what happens if city says it is open.

Anonymous said...

When asked about considering a strike, Mulgrew said..."I wouldnt say that."

Anonymous said...

Result of Baltimore City schools staff survey, mostly teachers. Stronger tilt toward full-remote than parent survey above.

72% want full remote. Probably also fear safety and gun issues.

Anonymous said...

The NEA & AFT think its possible. Our unions have failed us long enough. Time for radical change. Time for leaders who understand we have to take the gloves off and launch a NATIONAL STRIKE to get the world-class school system we desperately need.
https://t.co/FTpm5KD1bf

Anonymous said...

DNC on Kayleigh McEnany Saying ‘the Science Should not Stand in the Way’ of Schools Reopening


In response to Kayleigh McEnany saying that "the science should not stand in the way” of Trump’s plan to reopen schools “in full” without adequate safety measures, DNC War Room senior spokesperson and advisor Lily Adams released the following statement:


“The press secretary’s comments mirror the dangerous approach Trump has taken to this pandemic, which has yielded more than 137,000 deaths and the worst recession since the Great Depression. Now the Trump administration wants to further risk the lives of teachers, children, staff, and their families just to soothe the president’s ego. This president would rather accept conspiracy theories and reject science than listen to public health experts. He can't be trusted to make decisions about the lives of America's children and their families. We deserve a president who will listen to the experts, trust the science, and put American lives first. We deserve Joe Biden.”

Anonymous said...

Arizona

"I can tell you that after the abrupt goodbyes in the spring that our teachers in Arizona want to reenter their classrooms and they want to be with their students as soon as it is safely possible," Hoffman said. "However, it’s clear that right now it is not safe to do so and a reckless attempt to reopen without grounding those decisions in data will put the lives of our educators and our students at risk.”

jeff said...

So if people can get a note, they stay home. If i cant get a note, I must put my life on the line or get fired. How is that ok?

Anonymous said...

NYC Teachers Union Head Vows Schools Won't Reopen If They Deem It Unsafe

Anonymous said...

Susan Edelman
National class-action lawsuit filed in NYC charges remote instruction has failed kids with special needs who require one on one assistance.
@selimalgar
https://nypost.com/2020/07/16/lawsuit-rips-schools-for-abandoning-special-needs-kids-amid-covid-19/?utm_source=twitter_sitebuttons&utm_medium=site%20buttons&utm_campaign=site%20buttons via
@nypmetro