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Original poster

Chicago have had schools closed for 18months due to covid.

98 replies

Iwanttobeapaperbackwriter · 30/08/2021 15:06

Watching American news on YouTube as wanted to hear about Ida when this came on.

Closed to all children, for 18 months. Yet America is always shown by the UK media to be getting back to normal.

OP posts:
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TheKeatingFive · 30/08/2021 15:14

There’s a lot of variation state by state. I think most are aware of this.

18 months with no F2F school is very extreme though. They’ll have a hell of a job dealing with the long term implications.

Waxonwaxoff0 · 30/08/2021 15:18

That's dreadful IMO.

Original poster
Iwanttobeapaperbackwriter · 30/08/2021 15:32

I knew it varied, but just shocked that this hasn't been reported in the UK, especially when our schools closed to the majority, which in comparison was a very short period of time.

OP posts:
Original poster
Iwanttobeapaperbackwriter · 30/08/2021 15:33

Also can not begin to imagine the issues this has created.

OP posts:
TakeYourFinalPosition · 30/08/2021 15:36

I’ve known about this - it’s not been ignored, but equally, not much state news from the US is reported in the mainstream news here.

There are some states that have been homeschooling only, some have gone back on weird schedules, some are now year-round, some are half and half, some let the parents choose if their kids attend or learn virtually and some are all back normally.

To be fair, it’d be difficult to report on all of the variations without either covering all the states to be fair, or being accused of picking states which support whatever point people think you’re trying to make.

MattyGroves · 30/08/2021 15:38

I have a lot of family in the US and from what I can tell, things have never been as locked down as here (e.g. my family have all seen each other whenever they wanted and even parties at home) but weirdly schools have been really restricted and they are all super into masks even in public areas outside like playgrounds

ChaBishkoot · 30/08/2021 15:39

Same in large parts of California. Massachusetts has been hybrid for most of the school year.

BaconAvocado · 30/08/2021 15:39

That's awful. Are they going to make everyone repeat a year?

longerevenings · 30/08/2021 15:52

Chicago's public schools have been virtual.
The private schools and catholic schools have been back for months though.

The public schools have organized laptops and internet for low income families. It has had a significant impact on drop out rates however.

State schools in Chicago are not as universally used as they would be in a UK city.

longerevenings · 30/08/2021 16:08

Covid has mostly been dealt with at a State level, with both countries and cities also making individual decisions in Illinois.

This means there has been considerable variation in things like schooling.

woodfort · 30/08/2021 16:12

@MattyGroves

I have a lot of family in the US and from what I can tell, things have never been as locked down as here (e.g. my family have all seen each other whenever they wanted and even parties at home) but weirdly schools have been really restricted and they are all super into masks even in public areas outside like playgrounds
Yes, pretty much the opposite to here really. I know my American friends seem to think it’s normal to wear a mask outside (and worn v frequently around babies and toddlers too which I think is quite sad) but yet have met up with family including the elderly throughout.
woodfort · 30/08/2021 16:14

@longerevenings

Chicago's public schools have been virtual. The private schools and catholic schools have been back for months though.

The public schools have organized laptops and internet for low income families. It has had a significant impact on drop out rates however.

State schools in Chicago are not as universally used as they would be in a UK city.

What does that mean, not universally used as in the U.K.? Just a higher rate of children at private school?
Original poster
Iwanttobeapaperbackwriter · 30/08/2021 16:17

State schools in Chicago are not as universally used as they would be in a UK city

That's even sadder then if I read that right.

No I guess they can't report on states separately but I was just so shocked.

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longerevenings · 30/08/2021 16:25

When we moved to Chicago it was assumed that we wouldn't use the public schools, we were given catholic schools and private schools as our options.
It was explained if we wanted to use public schools we needed to live in the suburbs.

The company who moved us has a like for like policy with schooling in international moves. They moved our dc from state schools UK to private schools Chicago, with the opportunity to live in the suburbs and use public schooling.

Obviously there are plenty of people who use public schools but moving to the suburbs for state schooling is something we have seen a fair bit.

The racial and economic stats on Chicago in general and the public schools is interesting.

Chicago have had schools closed for 18months due to covid.
Chicago have had schools closed for 18months due to covid.
Chicago have had schools closed for 18months due to covid.
longerevenings · 30/08/2021 16:30

Overall 18.4% of Chicago residents are identified as living in poverty but 63.8 % of public school pupils are.

BiddyPop · 30/08/2021 16:30

Washington DC only went back in late spring to classroom teaching (remote up to then).

cabingirl · 30/08/2021 16:40

It's not even a State level issue - it can go by local authority / county rules set by the school board for that location. In our county in Virginia, we had no in-school option from March 2020 to about February 2021 and then there was a small hybrid option 2 days in school a week for those who wanted it until the end of the school year in June 2021. We decided not to risk going back in for the last few weeks so DD had virtual school for about 18 months.

However - apart from a short period of a few months right at the beginining of the pandemic March 2020 - May 2020 - there was absolutely no lockdown imposed at all. And even in those first few months it was only gyms and hairdressers and indoor dining that was closed - if you wanted to everything else went on as usual.

cabingirl · 30/08/2021 16:43

@BaconAvocado

That's awful. Are they going to make everyone repeat a year?
There was still school where we were it was all distance learning - it actually worked really well for us academically - grades and exam results just as good as when doing in-person school.

Socially it was awful for the kids. My DD who went back in person for the first time in 18 months last week was ecstatic and giddy when she got back from her first day back in school. I only hope the Delta varient doesn't shut everything down for us again.

Frazzled2207 · 30/08/2021 16:50

My cousin is in Illinois so I knew about it.

Horrendous for the children but wtf are working parents of young children supposed to do?

PeonyTime · 30/08/2021 17:00

It's not the only place.
School reopened last week in Saudi - for double vaccinated over 12s.
So primary are still at home, and have been since March 2020.
There will be other countries too - I believe several places in SE Asia, and several countries in Africa.

MattyGroves · 30/08/2021 17:07

@Frazzled2207

My cousin is in Illinois so I knew about it.

Horrendous for the children but wtf are working parents of young children supposed to do?

Something I find interesting is that it's not even really talked about as an issue. I guess there are more SAHMs there but even so.

My relatives have muddled through with family help

Makhiaman · 30/08/2021 17:08

How awful, and it makes no sense at all on a risk v benefit scale.

Driftingblue · 30/08/2021 17:11

I’m in the us and my dd didn’t attend school physically from March 2020 until just a couple of weeks ago. However she had live online school on school provided laptops all day every day after the first couple of weeks while they got things set up. Her grades and academic progress never suffered.
Her standardized test scores remain high. If they tell us we need to go remote again, it won’t worry me at all. She is a pro at it now.

cabingirl · 30/08/2021 17:15

@Makhiaman

How awful, and it makes no sense at all on a risk v benefit scale.
Well as I mentioned there was barely any type of lockdown in most areas. So before the vaccinations were released there was a much higher risk of community spread through the kids and staff to parents and grandparents.

Especially when you could see the parents of kids in your child's class going to Florida, Mexico, across the country on vacation. Having parties, big family gatherings. None of that stopped over here unlike in the UK. Loads of people refusing to wear masks etc. Refusing to consider social distancing.

longerevenings · 30/08/2021 17:21

Chicago had very high compliance with mask wearing in public.
It did struggle with vaccination distribution in the beginning.

One of dc thrived during the virtual learning which was live and a full schedule and another struggled hugely.
They were both impacted by the lack of peer interaction.

The dc I work with in public schools struggled more with friendship/social contact than accessing academics.