Keeping children at home until September

[Witchcraftandhokum]

I work in a school and I'm seeing and hearing a lot of this both on here and in the contact I have with parents. I am worried about how we will manage social distancing and whether we will have PPE if the schools open soon, but I do appreciate the need for kids to be in school, particularly Year 6 and 10.

I also don't know how it will work if a lot of parents chose not send their kids back until September. I wonder just how many parents will do this?

So...
YABU - My kids won't be back until September.
YANBU - My kids will go back as soon as the schools open.

I personally think people in essential roles (who are continuing to be paid) should be given some options.

Shielding - stay home. Not shielding - A choice of opting not to work (and then not being paid) or working with PPE. Variety of PPE available to be used as per personal choice.

That’s pretty much, unofficially, where I’m at with my NHS job. Like teachers, I’m still working, but mainly from home, occasionally in.

When things change, if I’m not comfortable going into clinic, I will expect to be able to opt out but not be paid.

Or to have access to PPE and to make a personal choice about what to use. I honestly think some would be more comfortable with full biohazard suits, though I should point out that they don’t even wear those on covid wards.

Then why are shop workers and bus driver wearing it?

But who is paying for that? The government or the companies?

I would prefer PPE to be saved for those who are in constant daily contact with people who are confirmed to be riddled with Covid.

When people say ppe what do they mean or want? In the hospital were I work you only wear full ppe (gown, visor, respirator mask, apron and gloves) when looking after covid positive patients using aerosol generating procedures. If looking after positive patients not on aerosol generating procedures or those that have tested negative or the result is not know then the ppe to be worn was surgical mask, apron and gloves.

Ds is in special school at the moment. They don't wear PPE other than the usual stuff they wear for intimate care. Masks and visors would get pulled off.

@BenScalesisaGod. How often do you think a teacher gets the chance to wash their hands? Probably the same amount of time as a till operator in my local supermarket gets the chance to wash theirs. And they're wearing gloves.

Or they have a sanitiser which they use after each customer has been through. So if a school can provide that instead for each teacher or class that's fine. Plus a mask if they want it.

Like I've said, if it's good enough for Tesco and Boots in my area - and they're behind plastic screens now too - then it's good enough for my DS's teacher.

My mainstream primary dc will be going back as soon as the gate opens, my dd in an sen school will not. My high school aged dc I havent decided yet, they have to travel by bus and come into contact with a lot more people than the primary aged dc which obviously increases the risk

BenScales Sometimes I don't have time to nip to the loo in a day at school let alone wash my hands. Gloves would be the next best thing. I would want the N95 masks with the Central core to trap things on the way out and in.

i think the concern is if a second peak hits autumn (sept/oct) we will be back in lockdown..then what?!
it was suggested yesterday no more than 12 passengers should occupy a double decker bus, what does that mean for secondary age being transported to school?
young children certainly wont abide by social distancing and that will increase transmission amongst teachers, parents etc
Do children return part time? alternate days to halve class sizes? half days? outdoor classrooms?
who looks after the children the rest of the time if parents are returning to work?
its all rather challenging and i suspect currently no parent is a rush to have their child exposed to this virus even though practically managing home education etc is difficult and the children need social interaction with peers.
its a very difficult situation we are all going to have to live with indefinitely sadly.

That makes no sense. Who says that the parents wanting to keep their children at home aren’t ‘arsed’ about staff?

I will have to go to work as a teacher if schools open. I am vulnerable but not vulnerable enough to keep me off with a sick note. I have a child who is vulnerable and an aged parent who lives with me.

The bottom line needs to be if schools are opened, unless your child is shielding and has the NHS paperwork to prove that or there is someone in your home who is shielding and has the NHS paperwork to prove that, all children need to be in school or deregisted and home schooled. Otherwise, if you get to say 'but my child is asthmatic', what is stopping all the teachers saying 'but I am asthmatic'? It is one rule for all of us or we don't go back to school.

I am sick and tired of these forums telling me that I am not doing my bit (despite working to a full time table of online learning every day and all the marking and planning that goes along with it) and that there are nurses on the frontline and people in supermarkets working who are vulnerable. You can't have it all ways. Open the schools and we go back. Or leave them closed. It is not a pick and choose option.

Then that should be the same for teachers, if they want it, mumof1.

Though I’m NHS like you, and I’d argue that they are rather less likely to ‘meet’ covid.

I do agree with the teaching unions that a track/trace needs to be in place. That’s not exclusive to schools though. I’m not happy doing face to face again until we have that in place. I think it’s sensible.

@Witchcraftandhokum I can put a load of links up (again) or tell you that that's the opinion of the virology consultants in the microbiology lab that I work in as a specialist biomedical scientist.

I think we underestimate children. If a child got a serious illness they would cope with people in PPE plus all the other stuff like feeling ill, having injections/blood tests etc. I honestly think healthy children are going to cope with a teacher wearing a mask and gloves. A bit of role play at home would probably be a good idea with the little ones.

Apart from that wouldn't it be better for the children to be wearing face masks so they aren't spreading it?

True - if they are all wearing masks, that would help.

But it would possibly be hard for them to hear the teacher. I couldn’t hear the checkout operator in marks and Spencer yesterday

Magic Are you confirming then that it's impossible to catch twice?

gloves wont keep you safe, in fact gloves will increase your risk of contracting many illnesses- washing hands or using hand sanitiser regularly is far far better. clean hands wont transmit viruses or bacteria.... dirty gloves will.
as for high filtration respirator masks i think you will find even half an hour wearing one will leave you with a runny nose, dry mouth and itchy face... they are very hard to wear for 1 hour (trust me i wear them for 13 at a time). Removing gloves and masks is often where people contaminate themselves also if they havent been taught to do so safely nor experienced in doing so.

Mine won’t go back until there is either:

a) suitable vaccine
b) efficacious drug/medical treatment
c) R of very close to 0

With such a long incubation and some asymptomatic cases this is not a matter of “being alert” to people around you being unwell.

Humans are fallible. Social distancing in schools impossible.

We have no idea how this virus can affect us longer term. I have a duty of care to protect my children’s health and wellbeing and for now, that is best done by keeping them away from large groups of other people.

@Witchcraftandhokum no - just not straight after you've had it, when you still have antibodies to the disease (what do people think they're testing for with the antibody test?). Long term antibodies may still go down, so you may catch it again after a year or several years - they're still finding that out.

I'm in the Lucky position of having kids that aren't upset by home schooling and I'm a sahm. If the numbers of deaths decrease, or we get firm scientific information that tells us it's safe then I will but with a child with horrendous asthma and another with asthma it's something I'd fight (and I don't like fighting;)) if it wasn't safe. A big giant BS to the people who talk about very few kids getting sick from this. My son's ten and never had allergies before last year. Do you really want your child to get sick, them find out then that he had something else and everyone writes him off to make themselves feel better?

BenScales Sometimes I don't have time to nip to the loo in a day at school let alone wash my hands. Gloves would be the next best thing. I would want the N95 masks with the Central core to trap things on the way out and in.

But what is the point of gloves? Covid doesn't seep through your skin does it? If you wear the same pair of gloves all day then how is that different to bare hands? Or are you thinking you will change your gloves every time you have touched something someone else has touched? What age do you teach?

I'm in special needs. I get touched a lot on any given day. PPE would be pointless.

If you want to wear an n95 type mask you might find this tough to bring in consideting those working in hospitals with confirmed covid positive patents dont get to wear them. As mentioned advice is only to wear those if the patients is using a breathing aid such as artificial ventilation. With regards to gloves and aprons those are only worn when giving personal care and has must be washed after.

mamabears I'm not saying it's easy, I'm not saying it's what I want to do and I'm certainly not saying that it wipes out any risk. But if I'm going to stand in a room with a group of people for 7 hours a day where social distancing would be impossible I'm willing to be a little uncomfortable to minimise the rish to me, my family and my students.

If teachers feel they should wear PPE that would be up to them, but I would be very disappointed if my dc's teachers did so.

Disappointed??? What the actual fuck?!

What does everyone think will be different in September?

it won't be, but it will be interesting to see how things developed in other countries who are ahead of us.

Hmm. They need to have a choice.

You can't even trust parents not to send their kids at school when they have flu/ D&V or any unpleasantness.

Do you trust them to keep the children home when they show some of the symptoms? Of course not.