"UsforThem" Get Schools Back to Normal campaign

[twomonkeys2]

Just found this online and I think it's brilliant. Importantly, I think, it's not about a scientific debate - it is about a moral argument that we should not expose all schoolchildren to further harm by keeping them home without planning their return. AIBU to think this needs more attention??

There is a petition and Facebook page.

My fault for skim reading the thread as reading back your post was perfectly clear!

@Bumpitybumper

One of my concerns is that there seems to be a reluctance by some to accept that the virus doesn't affect everyone equally and therefore it is ridiculous to expect that restrictions should only be lifted or loosened when it is equally safe for everyone and those at most risk aren't disadvantaged.

It may feel discriminatory in some ways but this isn't a man-made problem and unfortunately sometimes it isn't possible to completely insulate people from the disadvantages of having underlying conditions during a global pandemic. It would be lovely if we could uphold ideals of equality and fairness but nature sadly doesn't follow such ideals.

Lots of families don't have vulnerable members and are relatively very low risk. It makes sense that they will be keen for schools to return if homeschooling is severely detrimenting them and causing all sorts of issues. They may find that returning to school will mean that they have to be more careful with their interactions with people in their extended family or wider society that are vulnerable and therefore higher risk. The fact that another family has vulnerable or shielding family members doesn't mean that the non-vulnerable family is wrong to want schools to return. They aren't compelling the second family to send their children into school. What seems to be happening though is those in the position of the vulnerable family are trying to prevent the non-vulnerable family from being able to return to school because the vulnerable's family's children will miss out unless the risk level is further reduced to an acceptable level for them. This seems totally selfish and unfair.

I agree completely.

@Drivingdownthe101

And are under appreciating the emotional harms of socially distancing in the classroom

Mine (6 and 4) are loving the new classroom arrangements. They say it’s better than ‘normal’ school as there are fewer people messing around, and DD1 says no one is copying her work or asking her for the answers all the time.
I guess small groups, more teacher attention and more space per child in the classroom isn’t exactly the negative that some are making out.

But unfortunately the smaller classes and benefits to those children who are at school is because other children are at the disadvantage of being forced to stay home. I would definitely agree smaller classes and more teacher attention is a good thing for children but at this time all children need to have the benefit of a proper education.

But unfortunately the smaller classes and benefits to those children who are at school is because other children are at the disadvantage of being forced to stay home
I would definitely agree smaller classes and more teacher attention is a good thing for children but at this time all children need to have the benefit of a proper education

Oh I agree entirely. I was just responding to the PP who said children would be more negatively affected by classrooms with social distancing than by not being at school at all. I completely agree all children need to be getting a proper education.

@Drivingdownthe101
Oops sorry I hadn't realised that - I hadn't linked far enough back in the thread

I have 3 kids homeschooling right now ( 11 - 15) and they are fine. It's hard to take a point seriously when such ridiculous ( and inaccurate) generalisations are made.

It's not a generalisation though. It's great your kids are fine, but many are not. If you take a look through some of the SAGE meeting minutes, which they have now been legally forced to disclose, you'll see that the government already knew from the Department for Education in mid-April that polling showed that 67% of children were suffering with their mental health and a 26% had suffered physical health problems. The same report told them that 94% of vulnerable children are not in school, and that the risk of harm and abuse to those children is much higher due to them not being at school. It also refers to statistics from other countries affected earlier, such as Italy and China, that shows such domestic violence is 3 times higher than normal.

That's why it's so important that "blended" part-time school is rejected and schools are back to normal in September.

The Welsh government is planning to continue the current 1-day-a-week part-time "blended" learning in schools in September.

Please sign this government petition to open schools normally and scrap "blended" learning: petitions.senedd.wales/petitions/200136

Good for the Welsh government then, sounds sensible to me.

I’d like to meet this 67% with mental health issues.

My dd is fine. And it appears that so are all her friends