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All right, education fam. My @kcur story about @ChildrensMercy doctors saying it's safe to reopen schools is blowing up over on Facebook. So let's talk through some of their recommendations.
Story here: https://www.kcur.org/education/2020-06-29/childrens-mercy-doctors-say-its-safe-for-kansas-city-schools-to-open-this-fall-with-these-precautions-in-place 1/
Story here: https://www.kcur.org/education/2020-06-29/childrens-mercy-doctors-say-its-safe-for-kansas-city-schools-to-open-this-fall-with-these-precautions-in-place 1/
Most of the comments are asking if it's right to ask teachers to sacrifice their safety (and their family's safety) to reopen schools. And I get this, I really do. As you all know, I'm immunocompromised because of the medication that controls my Crohn's disease. 2/
Even when there isn't a pandemic, I get everything! Most notably, hand, foot and mouth disease when I was reporting on the pre-K sales tax last spring. Feels like a lifetime ago, doesn't it?
So until very recently, I thought schools would be an absolute no go this fall. 3/
So until very recently, I thought schools would be an absolute no go this fall. 3/
That said, I'm HUGELY concerned about kids being out of school right now. There are all kinds of reasons ... like that 40% of eligible Missouri kids are MISSING OUT on pandemic food aid, reports my pal @rpatrickdelaney: https://news.stlpublicradio.org/post/40-eligible-missouri-kids-missing-out-added-food-assistance#stream/0 4/
Calls to the child abuse hotlines in MO and KS are down ... because teachers and other mandated reporters haven't been in regular contact with families for months now. I assure you, there are families where abuse didn't feel possible in March that are in crisis now. 5/
And even if your family isn't low-income or otherwise struggling, I think being out of school for this long is really disruptive for kids, and not just educationally. Isolation is emotionally draining. We've all experienced that these past few months, right? 6/
So now let's get into the Australian study on reopening schools that says child-to-adult transmission is rare.
*I* found these numbers encouraging ... as an immunocompromised person. 7/
*I* found these numbers encouraging ... as an immunocompromised person. 7/
There are 128 teachers at this school, and 735 children.
Nine adults come back to school infected, and nine children.
But NO teachers catch #COVID19, and only two students do. That's a "secondary attack rate" of 0.3% for 863 people. 8/
Nine adults come back to school infected, and nine children.
But NO teachers catch #COVID19, and only two students do. That's a "secondary attack rate" of 0.3% for 863 people. 8/
So when doctors at Children's Mercy say that the risk of not going back to school this fall outweighs the risk of the coronavirus, that's what they mean. The transmission rate for schools is not zero, but there are all these other factors at play, too. 9/
Factors I've been extremely worried about since schools closed. So I took a look at the study, and it was honestly the most reassuring thing I read last week.
That said, I'm sure a lot of teachers read it with dread. 10/
That said, I'm sure a lot of teachers read it with dread. 10/
And I get that. I really, really do. We're actually dealing with it in our house right now. My partner has to go back into the office a week from tomorrow, even though her job actually can be done 100% remotely. It seems unfair and unsafe. 11/
In fact, I'd feel about 100 times better if she was going back to work with a bunch of kindergartners than her adult colleagues. Because I think that will be the real risk to teachers ... interacting with their colleagues, less so their kids. 12/
Do some of the social distancing protocols seem crazy if you spend all your time with small humans? Like keeping them six feet apart?
Yeah, I'm not sure how well that's gonna work, either. But I doubt kids maintained six feet of distance in that Australian school, either. 13/
Yeah, I'm not sure how well that's gonna work, either. But I doubt kids maintained six feet of distance in that Australian school, either. 13/
I'm also heartened that summer programs like Operation Breakthrough and the Boys and Girls Clubs have been operating without outbreaks. 14/
And there are also teachers who WANT to go back. I'm not gonna call them heroes because I think that feeds into the expectation that teachers be selfless, and we shouldn't expecting that. But they really, really don't want to (try to) teach kids to read on Zoom next year. 15/
Should schools reopen next year? Should you send your kids back to school next year? I don't have those answers. NO ONE has those answers right now. That's what makes this pandemic so scary.
But other questions I CAN find the answers to for you. 16/
But other questions I CAN find the answers to for you. 16/
Like, has school transmission at the middle and high school level been studied? Is there an age where kids/teens become less immune to the coronavirus? That's one of the questions I'm planning to follow up with @ChildrensMercy on. 17/
If you have questions about kids, schools and #COVID19 you think I can answer, reply to this thread, and I'll start tracking them down. I'm also opening my DMs in hope of having a real, honest conversation about this. Hit me up. 18/18
