Scottish schools opening

[chocciechocface]

I was ready for schools opening, but this new research has given me pause for thought. I think this came out after Sturgeon's decision. What do you all think?

www.washingtonpost.com/health/2020/07/31/georgia-children-covid-outbreak/#click=t.co/Y9gSG9zENz

Quote from the article:

"A new report suggests that children of all ages are susceptible to coronavirus infection and may also spread it to others — a finding likely to intensify an already fraught discussion about the risks of sending children back to school this fall.

The analysis, released Friday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, details an outbreak at a sleep-away camp in Georgia last month in which 260 children and staffers — more than three-quarters of the 344 tested — contracted the virus less than a week after spending time together in close quarters. The children had a median age of 12. The camp had required all 597 campers and staff members to provide documentation that they had tested negative for the virus before coming. Staff were required to wear masks, but children were not."

@chocciechocface what would you suggest as a solution given the challenges?

Part time schooling needs some big changes to society to happen for it to work - there are plenty of 11-13 year olds who would not be mature enough to be left at home to get on with work, most childcare "solutions" will spread the risk further across different schools as might leaving kids to do what they want.

I'm not convinced that masks in schools are than much of a panacea as cynically the children that will use them responsibly are least likely to have acquired an infection as they'd be the most likely to obey social distancing. Doesn't take much imagination to work out how an elasticated piece of potentially contaminated cloth could be used for "unpleasant" purposes by those so inclined.

They are also uncomfortable, especially for glasses wearers and those with smaller faces might struggle to get enough that fit well on a limited budget.

I'm in Scotland so there's a lot less school travel, catchments are more rigid and you could expect your place back assuming you're at your catchment school. More of an issue in England where you might move to an area, find the only available places are several miles away and you have to pass several schools on the way to your own meaning much more general mixing of groups outside schools.

@Timefor45

Presuming your own school informs you, why do you need to hear via the media of other schools? Schools remaining open should be (and will be) the priority and the current media narrative doesn’t support that by naming the schools. To know there are people still bleach rinsing their shopping and fearful of walking the streets is more concerning as a mental health issue than a few mild, manageable covid cases in schools.

Home educate and self isolate through to next spring, at the earliest, if you want to completely protect your family and you’re fortunate enough to be in a position to do that🤷‍♀️

This sounds remarkably as if you're advocating censorship

This sounds remarkably as if you're advocating censorship
YY. I'm struck by the irony of the 'haud yer wheest and dae whit ye're telt' approach from posters who undoubtedly were complaining loudly about how the govt didn't have children's best interests at heart when they used an algorithm for the exam results.

Ah well OP, we do agree on one thing, everyone is entitled to an education. The state has a duty to provide that education. So when a SEN support service was completely shutdown and withheld for months from my friend’s son in order to ‘protect the NHS’, the majority of us complied and understood why we were doing it, despite the withdrawal of crucial services for those who needed it most.
So now we’re back protecting the right to education for all children, whatever form that has to take, but without closing the schools or their essential support services that families depend on.

P.S. No point quoting the FM at me, I avoid the daily fear update, which has long since served any purpose other than stoking the aforementioned fear, as shown in your quote and also now serves as an unofficial campaign platform

Yes I'm happy the school ate staying in touch, keeping us informed and doing the best they can.
It was indeed a classmate of infected child that's isolating but his family carrying on as normal. Sons classmates results back today negative thankfully.

@Scotslassie1

That was in response to Dugheed's message which seems to have disappeared.

My post is still there

Random - I can't answer that. Thank god I don't have to. I'm a parent, so my objective is to care for my children and family. Which is what I will do, irrespective of policy.

I am not a policy maker. I don't have to balance the needs of everyone.

I assume we're all in Scotland.

I'm in a rural area where the school bus serves primary schools AND a high school. No social distancing on the bus, no masks, and DD tells me her friend hates the bus because all the kids do is shout and scream on it.

DC are in their 'class bubbles' in school. But on the way to school their friends from all classes are rattling around in a confined bus - with high school pupils who do get the virus and do transmit it - on a par with adults. Then they walk into their class bubbles. 🤷‍♀️

So yes, I am following updates carefully and trying to keep informed so I can make a decision in good time.

I'm not very rural, but somewhere that placing requests (once gained) would be very unlikely to come up again - so probably some pressures similar to England.

I think that there are no "good" answers on a whole society level - if nothing else because the irresponsible few will always be irresponsible pretty well regardless of the rules,and the only way to protect yourself from them is to avoid public places at busy times (or full stop if your children are still in a licky stage of life).

Watching stv news they were showing pictures of schools where pupils aren’t social distancing. Like it was surprising in some way but of course that would be the case. They have been told pupils don’t have to social distance. And the numbers of pupils going in are the exact same as before so it will be just as crowded as it always was. It does sound like changes may be a afoot to try and improve safety measures now.

Our school buses are enforcing masks. Possibly because it's an external company and I guess their risk assessment is the same for all buses and doesn't stretch to thinking the virus behaves differently when the DCs are going to school.

police were at DDs school cause high street shops and cafes were complaining about kids not wearing masks.

Utterly ridiculous. They have to wear them everywhere but in school. It sends mixed messages and gets the kids all confused. No wonder.

What can the school do? They can't control external lunch breaks or follow each individual pupil.

the school can reiterate that if they go into a shop then a mask is required.

Parents need to do that too

They can also send a letter to parents about the problem.

The school should cascade the info out to the parents - that if they go to shops at lunch/end of school then they need a face covering

If anyone in Scotland doesn't know by now that every non-exempt person over the age of 5 needs a face covering in a shop, I doubt one more email from school will make the difference.
No harm in sending one but really, where is our common sense and personal responsibility.

@BritInScotland I wonder if that's my son's school too. Does it start with D?

Apparently things escalated when one girl told someone to F off when she was asked where her mask was. In Tesco.

My DD has a mask with her and I tell her to wear it in shops etc but obviously a lot of kids aren't.

No, @LizzieMacQueen that's not the school and there's no Tesco in our council area.

I know some schools have told pupils and parents that if they are any complaints from local shops then pupils will need to stay in school at lunch.

Our local high schools have all tweeted that if pupils choose to go out for lunch then they must wear a face covering in shops.

a primary school in our local authority has a positive case in a child.

I think they will just tell children or single classes to self isolate but keep the schools open. Its a pain but its either that or return to home learning.

I think its increasingly likely that the SG will make children and teachers wear masks, and also masks in other workplaces. Nicola Sturgeon is over cautious at times.

I have a question for you guys.

My kids are home today with sore throats, and I've found out that all of my friends in the town also have kids off with the same.

I called the Coronavirus helpline to ask if they can/should be tested but was told no, sore throat isn't a symptom.

So, given that there are at least a dozen kids with sore throats - which is a symptom just not one of the main three, what happens in schools? It can spread through kids but the alarm will only sound once an adult becomes unwell with one of the main symptoms? Given that we know kids are often asymptomatic or have mild symptoms, I would have hoped for more proactivity really.

What do you think? Am I being daft?

My DD had a sore throat this morning but wanted to go to school. We checked her temperature (fine), gave her water to take with her, and gave her some medicine. It might be her tonsils. Who knows. But she's texted me to say some other kids are off with sore throats and her friend had it last week. I'm sure lots of parents at the school will be worried. I'm leaning more towards the tonsilitis although that doesn't explain why everyone at the school seems to have it.

Both mine are really really mild so I don't think tonsillitis, but the fact that so many of them have the same thing is a real reminder of how quickly bugs spread between them isn't if?

Just realised we both have Hamilton usernames