Community spread appears to no longer be a factor in the schedule for opening schools in DeKalb. DeKalb schools administration is moving forward with getting teachers and students back into school.
Message From DeKalb Schools Administration
Although the number of COVID-19 cases is increasing, DCSD’s leadership, with guidance from the COVID-19 Task Force, CDC, and DeKalb County Board of Health, agrees that we must be vigilant and focus on the mitigation strategies to reduce transmission and prepare for re-opening schools in January 2021. The District will proceed with high quality instruction in a concurrent learning environment. The concurrent learning environment will support students based on their families’ choice to either attend school in-person or continue with distance/remote learning.
Key Dates
Cohorts
Your school is organizing classes into two cohorts based on last name to adhere to social/physical distancing requirements and safety guidance. Your school will provide your child’s cohort assignment if you have chosen for your child to return for in person learning. If you did not complete the Intent to Return form, your child is being programmed as an in-person learner. However, parents may contact the local school by January 8, 2021 if you want to change your preference. School leaders will collaborate with families to align the schedules of siblings. In the hybrid learning model, Wednesdays will be reserved for small group instruction, tutoring, appointments for student conferencing, parent conferencing, services, professional learning, and instructional planning.
Re-Opening Schedule – January and February
“Extremism in defense of liberty is no vice. Moderation in pursuit of justice is no virtue.”
@DSW2Contributor
Thank you for providing a reasonable response. You seem to be one of the only sane regular posters on this thread.
I also believe we will only have a small percentage of teachers leave over this (early retirement). My mother was a 30+ year GA teacher (with a few advanced degrees, ESOL focused) and my SIL is a 10+ year vet (elementary special needs) in Forsyth so I’m relatively familiar with how their retirement works.
This morning Dr. Eric Feigl-Ding posted a twitter thread with data showing that the “new B117 variant is not only more infectious, it’s potentially more infectious in children 0-9 (+24%) and 10-19 (+14%).”
Dr. Ding also said:
“Given this evidence, I think we need to rethink school reopenings until we get this new B117 variant strain under control. We need every teacher and school worker (bus drivers, cafeteria staff, custodians) vaccinated before we got back to school. It pains me to say it though.”
https://twitter.com/DrEricDing/status/1345390983597481984
GA DPH data as of 1/02/2021, 2:50:10 PM:
Dekalb County, % Positive Last Two Weeks: 12.6%.
Dekalb County, % PCR Tests Positive: 12.6
Dekalb County, 7-Day Moving Average: 14.4
Statewide, % PCR Tests Positive: 18.9
Statewide, 7-Day Moving Average: 19.2
As of 12/20/20, there are 107 open Teacher positions posted on the PATS site. I suspect there are additional positions due to more resignations and retirements, that have not been posted yet. I don’t understand how schools can function with so many Teacher vacancies.
Positive tests are the least meaningful data point as it’s based on the number of people who get a test. Now, if everyone in the county had to get a test every week, then it would be meaningful. But since it’s not, it’s not data that should be used for making critical decisions. But it seems to be really good for scaring some people.
That’s why the CDC, Fauci, etc. all say that the ability to implement and maintain mitigation strategies is the most important factor for a safety standpoint. It’s interesting how some of you wanted to follow the science until it says you need to go back to the classroom.
Teaching is a job that requires in-person interaction to be successful, and anyone who thinks virtual teaching is equivalent of working well is only lying to themselves. So, just like first responders, grocery and food service workers, teachers need to be in person to do their jobs. As such, the teachers here should be focused on safely getting back into the classroom ASAP. If you are missing something the district is not providing, then you should be emailing, and posting (like on here) about it all the time until it’s fixed, instead of complaining about being asked to do your,job.
It’s amazing reading the comments from what fortunately are a small minority of teachers. Based on these comments they should probably find a different job. That’s fine, everyone has to make that choice everyday regardless of their job. But, if you don’t want to do the job, then you should leave now, as you shouldn’t be in a classroom anymore. And if you think you’re irreplaceable, there are always others ready to take your place, just like in any other job.
Fortunately the majority of teachers are really great and want to do their jobs. Those teachers I support fully and will do whatever I can to help them safely return to the classroom.
Greene County School System: “Due to the number of Greene County School System students and staff currently in quarantine at home due to COVID-19 exposures experienced during Holiday Break, as well as the local community spread of COVID-19 and high test positivity rate within Greene County, all Greene County schools will participate in distance learning for the first week of the new year, January 4-8th. All students will learn online using Canvas during this time. If you have any questions regarding distance learning during the upcoming week, please do not hesitate to contact your child’s teacher. District leadership will continue to assess conditions at the beginning of the week and hope to share a further update on Wednesday, January 6th.”
https://www.greene.k12.ga.us/
New video from Watson-Harris posted about an hour ago:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9969ED1y0Og&feature=youtu.be
Can someone confirm a source where the Superintendent stated that students would be expected to bring their DCSD device to school? Or ask for this to be made explicit to teachers/principals in the upcoming Meeting?
I remember distinctly hearing that in our town hall, but don’t know if there is a recording. Technology supply in the building may be slim and a disinfecting concern for in-person… once we get there.
It is Friday and I am still in the dark about how things will be on Monday. I am home and some of my students are going to be in school. Do I teach everyone from my house? How will those in school be monitored? Does anyone know anything that will be helpful? Thank you so much!!
“Stone Mountain, GA — In accordance with the previously announced re-opening plan, the DeKalb County School District will delay face to face learning for students until the positivity rate drops below 10%.
The information was disclosed during a Jan. 11 School Board meeting, which is ongoing.”
and
“Beginning January 19, classes will return to their normal bell schedules as listed on Infinite Campus. Classes will be conducted virtually on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays, using Wednesdays as instructional support days. Teachers will be on campus and teach virtually from classrooms.
Families will be notified two weeks before students return to the classroom.”
https://decaturish.com/2021/01/breaking-dekalb-county-schools-will-delay-reopening-due-to-high-covid-19-rates/
Good afternoon Mr. Jester.
I have been pretty darn careful about avoiding exposure to Covid since last March. I will continue to do so. I encourage everyone to do so – not just for yourself, but for the other person too.
School personnel are in a unique situation. While everyone who works with the public may be exposed, nearly universally, I communicate with health professionals/business personnel through a pre-positioned plexiglass shield, and in many locations, numbers of individuals in a location are limited, etc.
Schools might have a difficult time doing this – for example, class changes (even one-way halls might still be crowded or have present in them residual Covid – I know there will be an effort to mitigate this and other potential problems. ). I must also say that I believe in the goodness of people making these very difficult decisions. I understand the need to have F2F instruction (clearly a better presentation model!), but people have concerns/fears – legitimate concerns/fears.
So, it seems that to minimize these concerns wouldn’t it be a good idea to vaccinate school personnel first? This decision would seem to need to be taken by individuals “above and outside” the school system. Have a vaccinate day at each school. Bring school personnel to the head of the line. Fair? Nothing is ultimately fair, but for schools to open, it seems like the most vulnerable (in terms the likelihood of severity of infection) are the adults. I sort of resent hearing from people that schools need to open as they are limiting their own business hours, using electronic means of communication, talking to me from behind plexiglass shields, limiting the number of people in a structure, having one-way paths through their places of business, etc.].
To open schools (and, for the good of our children and the long term benefit of our society/economy schools must open), society must accept the following “Vaccinate School Personnel First” (not just teachers – of which I am one, but paraprofessionals, aides, therapists, bus drivers, administrators, maintenance staff, cafeteria workers, clerical staff, counselors, etc.), and we should do this in advance of a return to F2F school.
Just some thoughts….
mike pastirik – Lakeside High School
https://youtu.be/3sGeEgMtuCs
Stan, we will miss you. Thank You for everything, for keeping your blog site going, and for being a champion of free speech.
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/24/us/politics/student-suicides-nevada-coronavirus.html
As Registered Nurse who graduated from Emory and also worked for several years as a teacher, I believe that this is the worst time to open the schools. At least wait till everyone has gotten the vaccine. It makes no sense to send everyone in the building without vaccines. We are essential workers why are we being sent to the building without having received the vaccine?
This is not the flu virus (it is a form of SARs virus that attacks the lower respiratory system and many healthy people have long lasting effects from this virus).
Also all schools in Europe are closed and all schools in Turkey have been closed for the past 5 months.