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.

OK for people who think I shouldn't be wearing PPE do they also think supermarket workers shouldn't be wearing them, or the members of the public I see out and about shopping, or the huss drivers?

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

Lol, no. Can you imagine? They would be touching it, taking it off etc. Totally pointless whilst also being potentially very distressing.

One of my kids is a teacher, they have no sanitizer in school, before they went to key workers kids only they ran out of soap as everyone washing their hands more. On the positive side apparently they have loads of toilet roll.

Gloves will make no difference. Wear them if you like but actually they could be harmful. You’re touching the same stuff with gloves as you are with your hands 🤷‍♀️ They only work if you repeatedly change them and wash hands.

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

But you’re talking as though those who want to keep their children at home (I’m not one of them by the way) are the same people who think teachers are lazy and should get back to school ASAP (I’m not one of those either).

If your refusing to work I wonder how long u will refuse when your not paid. 1 month.? Honestly these work shy teachers is ridiculous.

Workshy? Have you missed the fact that teachers ARE still working? They're not necessarily on -site everyday, but they're nonetheless working from home. As you are. And also wrestling with their own children's Home Learning.

Whilst many children can suffer very minor symptoms with Covid-19, some can die and most importantly they CAN spread the virus, which in a school situation, could mean passing it on to an older, more vulnerable person.
IMHO, all school staff should be provided with PPE and all schoolchildren should wear masks at all times.

patient.info/news-and-features/covid-19-can-children-become-seriously-ill-from-coronavirus

I'm not sure that schools are going to be able to open in the way a lot of parents would like. For a start, what about the staff who are in the vulnerable, but not shielding group? We were told to work from home etc. Which we have been. Are we going to return along with everyone else? In which case, frankly, we needn't have bothered staying home for the last however many weeks. What about those children who are brought to school by grandparents? We have a large number of those at my school. Those grandparents were also advised to stay home, away from their grandchildren etc. But, when schools open again, they will be mixing not only with their grandchildren, but with the other adults bringing and collecting children from school. What about the clinically vulnerable children - I'm sure ours isn't the only school with several children in this category. What will they do?

I know that many people don't believe children pass on the virus, but I don't know that this is certain. And just because children haven't seemed to be adversely affected until now, the sudden increase in numbers of the Kawasaki like illness and the seriousness of that certainly needs more investigation imo.
I wanted to get back to work, very much so, but I don't want to put myself, or any other clinically vulnerable colleagues or family members, at risk in order to do so.
And as for the person upthread who me tinned,'work-shy' teachers, all school staff I know, both colleagues and family members, are anything but. In fact, I would say most have worked harder than usual. And most didn't take any time off over Easter either.

1forsorrow Yeah we ran out of hand sanitiser the week before lockdown and couldn't order anymore.

Oh for heavens sake why is everything distressing for children? They really aren't all that precious, ask the little ones to play dress up and they will happily put on all sorts.

What about senior schools, are you telling me if they open for year 10 and 12 that they would be too distressed to wear a mask and unable to manage it safely? Bloody hell, my granddad was fighting in the trenches at that age.

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

See, this bit I do think is a bit more doable. You can certainly keep and eye on/check temperatures of children at the very least, notice if they have a cough. Most schools should have thermometers, and there were a lot of children sent home with a cough/temp in those days before the schools closed.

@Daffodil101
How would opting out work if everyone chooses to opt out? We need people to do clinics etc.

Mine will go back when it’s decided it’s time . I am happy to keep him home till September . I am a cminder looking after frontline children so he has risks if he stays at home or goes to school.

Witchcraftandhokum, terrible isn't it. I managed to buy a bottle and posted it but surely that is something that is a must for teachers and students.

@1forsorrow

I completely agree with you. Children are really resilient. They take a lot of things in their stride. It’s parents who somehow think their children are more important than the next t child and a different set of rules is required for them.

Oh for heavens sake why is everything distressing for children? They really aren't all that precious, ask the little ones to play dress up and they will happily put on all sorts.

The kind of PPE that actually keeps NHS workers safe, also leaves them with marks and sores all over their faces and ears from being worn and having to be tight enough to be effective for hours on end. I'm sure that parents would love for their kids to come home with them! Can you imagine the first book aid book and facial injury forms?!

The alternative is to waste money on pointless PPE that isn't going to actually work, but gives the illusion of being safer.

A lot of kids are SEN and no they categorically will not cope with their teachers in masks or not being able to go within 2 meters.

@Erictheavocado

Schools can’t just stay shut because some children are vulnerable. The ones in the shielding category will probably have to stay at home for some time yet and have their work sent to them (as is happening at the minute).

Staff shielding will have to stay off. The number of people advised to shield Is very small. Those in the vulnerable category will be trickier to manage.

@crustycrab

These claims about the very small number of younger adults without pre-existing conditions dying are backed up on the NHS web site

Link

www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/covid-19-daily-deaths/

These show as of today a total of 238 under 60 yr olds without pre-existing condition have died.

Only 31 under 40 year olds with no pre existing condition.

So it would appear your experience is unusual, not that the information is nonsense.

I don't think fines should be given to those who choose not to send their children back before September, but those parents shouldn't expect teachers who are working in school to provide work for the children at home, except children who are classed as extremely vulnerable. However, if they stayed at home after the summer holidays then I think they should have to de-register, or face fines.

Children would not be able to use face masks effectively. They would touch them, pull at them, take them off, pull it down to pick their nose, probably swap them when no one was looking, and yes, some would find them difficult to deal with. It would be pointless!

Regarding PPE. There is a growing body of research that has proven that even fabric home made masks can help lower rate of infection if everyone wears one. This is why plenty of other countries have started to enforce mask wearing when leaving the house.

I understand the fear as we have been repeatedly told by the media to stay home, distance etc this has now been drummed into us. It is scary being forced into riskier situations such as working in a school. However children are low risk and need educating, parents need to work. The government will decide when it is beneficial for schools to open and I doubt there will be an option for staff to ‘refuse’ to work.

I can't see the advantage in waiting until September, unless people are assuming there'll definitely be some kind of vaccine or treatment until then. I get not sending your kids in while there's still a risk, and I get sending them back in as soon as the schools open. Waiting for a bit so they miss more school but still going in while the risk remains present, and just in time for flu season, that I don't understand. What's the rationale?

Other countries seem to manage with masks, or is that just in photos.