Is it really safe to return to school?

[MrsHookey]

Child is in school. 4 year groups have been sent home to self isolate. Is this a widespread thing? Is it relatively safe to have the child back at school?

@Mamascoven

Healthy children are not at risk, what Im more worried about is the amount of grandparents (some in their 70's) that I see everyday picking their grandkids up. I really worry for them but parents have to work etc so what is the alternative.

We're in local.lockdown so grandparents can't mix anyway and if children are sent home to SI grandparents aren't supposed to mix. In theory....

Blended learning might work for many on MN.

It does not work for many in the Real World.

Agree with Sun and Belle

I'm not sure they're 100% safe but I don't really know what the alternative is?

I don't know what's right either. I do want them to be happy and educated. It just seems to be spiralling locally.

And I've learned that I'm a rubbish home educator. Hopeless.

@Timeforanotherusername yep. The MN view is quite skewed. On here everyone has the capacity to educate their children at home, a job where they can WFH and a buffer of savings to tide them over. I don't know anyone with that in real life. I couldn't do blended learning, I can't WFH and I need to work to pay for bills and food.

I’m in the US and the schools in our area are still doing distance learning. My children definitely aren’t learning as much as they would in a classroom setting and they’re both affected by the lack of interaction with their peers.☹️
One school recently sent out a survey asking whether parents wanted to send their child back. We don’t have a date yet, but we could choose in-person or continuing distance learning. I chose in- person for DS ( haven’t heard from DD’s school yet). We can’t see grandparents atm due to distance and we’re not especially vulnerable health-wise. I feel it’s the right choice for DS for his mental health (although I’ve no idea when the school will actually open, could be weeks).

[quote Waxonwaxoff0]@Timeforanotherusername yep. The MN view is quite skewed. On here everyone has the capacity to educate their children at home, a job where they can WFH and a buffer of savings to tide them over. I don't know anyone with that in real life. I couldn't do blended learning, I can't WFH and I need to work to pay for bills and food.[/quote]
So that's why we need choice. So people who desperately need to do things one way or the other, can.

@herecomesthsun yes, I agree parents should be given the choice but I wouldn't want blanket blended learning enforced for all. But absolutely if parents don't want their children at school they should have the option to home ed without facing consequences.

If staff catch it/isolate then schools will close anyway. It will just be chaos.

I think they should have planned for blended learning at secondary as this appears to be more dangerous. And find some way somehow of helping parents work from home.

We are just going to end up with closed schools anyway. Better to head for damage limitation to mitigate any further issues.

"So that's why we need choice. So people who desperately need to do things one way or the other, can."

Is that not kind of like saying oh well all the working class/people who work outside the home will just have to risk it whilst those that can afford it/can wfh can stay safe at home? There will be lots of vulnerable people who have to work outside home. I'm not sure it's as easy or clear cut as saying there needs to be a choice

Kids at my sons school are catching colds and nits, so much for bubbles and social distancing, but what can you do ? Like PP said , are we keeping them home forever ? The schools went back 2 weeks ago anyway so covid is already circulating, what's the point in closing the door after the horse has bolted ?

Schools can no more be Covid secure than they can be common cold, flu, chickenpox or anything else secure.

Children still need their education and to mix with their peers, plus many of us would have been crap home educators (I include myself there). The government's "Covid Secure" message about this issue over the summer was a massive heap of bollocks.

Actually, I'm just glad that my youngest actually left school earlier this year. Just uni to get through now, and that will have its own challenges if things like local lockdowns keep happening.

Yes it's safe. It's safe like driving a car or going swimming or skiing is safe. Except unlike the last two, It is vital to your DC's lives.

[quote Waxonwaxoff0]@herecomesthsun yes, I agree parents should be given the choice but I wouldn't want blanket blended learning enforced for all. But absolutely if parents don't want their children at school they should have the option to home ed without facing consequences.[/quote]
Oh I would desperately want my children at school if I wasnt extremely clinically vulnerable and we weren't in the middle of an pandemic.

I just want them to get through this without having a parent either severely ill or worse.

And the way things are set up.we are very likely to get it. So I would like temporary home schooling.

It’s safe?

I’m a teacher. It is NOT safe.

@TheEmojiFormerlyKnownAsPrince stop being dramatic and explain your reasoning ffs

And we all desperately want our kids in school, as do teachers. It’s where they should be.

But the writing’s on the wall imo

Dramatic?🤔🤔🤔Realistic is the word

It's not "safe", but that's way it is. But children need to be in school.

[quote pjmask]@TheEmojiFormerlyKnownAsPrince stop being dramatic and explain your reasoning ffs [/quote]
I'm not sure she really needs to explain her reasoning. Surely we all know her reasoning.

@notevenat20

Yes it's safe. It's safe like driving a car or going swimming or skiing is safe. Except unlike the last two, It is vital to your DC's lives.

Ah. Bollocks. It is very unsafe for some people, who would normally be getting on peaceably with their lives, in a way that driving and swimming are not.

And of course some people aren't safe to drive, e.g. some people who have epilepsy or heart conditions. So we exercise discrimination in these cases and treat people differently depending on their medical conditions.

And for parents who are very well able to educate at home especially, it may be more vital to their children's lives to have living parents.

2200 people in one building.
All bubbles mix at home time
All bubbles mix on heaving corridors
Small classrooms with 30 or so adult size people ( and l mean small)
1/2 the school travel on public transport
5 secondary bubbles shut near me already due to student Covid cases
Freezing glare from students if anyone coughs
Scared kids
Shielding kids and adults forced into this

Yep it’s safe. Absolutely😒

[quote Waxonwaxoff0]@Timeforanotherusername yep. The MN view is quite skewed. On here everyone has the capacity to educate their children at home, a job where they can WFH and a buffer of savings to tide them over. I don't know anyone with that in real life. I couldn't do blended learning, I can't WFH and I need to work to pay for bills and food.[/quote]
It’s horribly crap. Not saying it’s not without a million issues. I want schools to be open as normal for as many people that need them but what they’ve done isn’t sustainable. With more buildings and staff it might have been.
I can completely see that people don’t have the option of home Ed.
There needs to be more support and more funding.
The lower the list of case numbers, the longer the list of children with full time places could have been (for a sustainable education).
I could of course be completely wrong. It just feels to me like it’s crumbling and I believe forewarned is forearmed.