Not closing schools

[SkaLaLand]

Why does no-one seem to understand the reasons for this?

1. Children are super spreaders and need to be kept safely away from the vulnetable.
2. They are affected very mildly by the virus.
3. It discourages idiotic parents jollying off with them on holiday.
4. It keeps parents in work and the economy moving.
5. Some vulnerable children only get to eat and be in safety for they time they are at school. Think how weeks of closure would affect them.
6. Children keep learning.

I feel that people are losing all perspective on this situation. Very few children and healthy adults are at risk.

Surely protecting the vulnerable with the current guidelines and maintaining the status quo for the rest of us is the best way forward?

Knowing that my children are safe and maintaining relative normality means I can concentrate on the members of my family that really need me, my very elderly grandparents and disabled mother.

Today 160-170 different children had lessons with me in my classroom (5 classes and a form group). I also had break duty.
My busiest day of the week.

On Wednesday I will have around 85 different children, on Thursday around 110 and Friday around 85 more.

All different children, all different classes. I am surrounded by them and they too are surrounded by teachers and peers. Constantly.

Thanks OP for reminding me that children pass on viruses like nobody else. (I think I knew that) Schools are really one of the worst places to be!
The government doesn't seem to care and neither do a lot of hard done by parents it seems.

It would be great to just have those kids in but let's not pretend front line staff work Monday-Friday 9-3

No, but they might have partners who work 9-3 or they might have wraparound care. My sister is a nurse. She cannot go to work if her four kids aren't in school because her unpaid childminder aka my mum works 11-1 and also can't have her kids all day, every day because she is a carer to my dad.

Her overnight childminder aka my teenager plus me cannot have her kids if they're not in breakfast club because I start work at 8am and DD can't cope with them for extended periods of time alone because she has severe anxiety. She would have a breakdown if she was asked to spend more than a cursory hour supervising them after I've gotten them up, dressed and breakfasted.

Her ex cannot have her kids five days a week because he works 12 hour shifts (but does help with school pick ups and drop offs when his shifts allow).

Her childcare is based around the fact that her kids are in school from 8am until 3pm.

Im also a teacher. I greet 60 sets of parents in the morning, many who do not understand personal body space. They come and tell me details, quietly and close up. I tried not to breathe whilst listening to them. Children who are beautiful individuals, but pick their nose or itch their bum, then happily grab my hand, talk at me into my face, with spit hitting my tongue. One sneezed in my face on Friday as I was talking. This happens constantly, not just once a day. One becomes unwell - nobody answers repeated calls so I have the ill child crying on my knee for 3 hours. One child poos themself. We change them. All of these children and their parents potentially have Covid. Yes this human contact happens in all professions, but I'm not comparing with others - I'm complaining about this immediate situation now - my situation - I stay with a crowd of humans close up right in front of me for over 6 hours a day, with all of their bodily fluids over me. And guess what, because I am human, I am also in 2 at risk categories and have 2 very vulnerable children. I feel very ill at ease at the moment.

Couldnt disagree more

I have an underlying health condition. Am a single mum with no family at all. Kids with asthma and special needs.

If anything happens to me they go into the care system. Their school has just had a ski trip returned with no checks or self isolation.

Close the damn schools and stop the bloody selfishness.

I volunteer in a school - all parent helpers have been asked to stay away.

cat I agree entirely. I am secondary but my job (practical subject) requires lots of passing back and forward work, hands on help with work and the (admittedly younger) children stand too close. They sneeze & cough without covering their face and my God. The state of some of their hands/nails... Check your children's nails parents please!
The dirt is days old FGS.

BTW... I'm not blaming the children.
I blame their parents. It's YOUR job to make sure your child gets showered/washed/ cuts their nails/has tissues.

(I also know that many parents do this... this virus has unsettled me).

My Y12 has just had all lessons cancelled until further notice

Does no one else's school have a significant proportions of grandparents/over 70s doing school drop offs and picks and providing after school childcare?

As far as I can see, schools increase contact between some children and their grandparents.

Teachers have children too, why should they put someone else's child before their own?

It's our responsibility to look after our children, my family come before my job and the economy.

Are teachers allowed to ‘socially-distance’ if they are in one of the at risk categories?

A close relative works in a deprived area, they don't want to close too soon as often the meal the school provide is the child's main food for the day. Weeks of no proper meals is what some kids face, like in the holidays. They are obvs worried about CV, but eating tops that.
Just thought I'd put that in, not something I'd thought about before tbh.

We're pulling the dc from school tomorrow. I'm in the vulnerable group. We're lucky enough to be able to work at home. It's going to be hard but it's the only thing we can think of.

Oh and please don't have a go at me - I'm upset about doing it already.

The logic for social distancing is to slow the spread, allow some sections of society to build up immunity and ensure the health services have capacity to deal with the serious cases. Countries that have closed schools have lists of essential workers and allow the children of those occupations to still attend. Seems sensible and measured to me.

Are teachers allowed to ‘socially-distance’ if they are in one of the at risk categories?

Those socially distancing are advised to work from home if they can. Teaching can't be done from home if the kids are in school, so no - I don't think teachers legally can. Worth speaking to your union though.

PerfectParrot

Social distancing is different to social isolation. It is maintaining a 1.5-2m gap between people e.g. people removing seats in canteens so people must sit spaced out. This is impossible in schools.

We all have to lockdown for the greater good.