Gucci Mane

March 12th, 2020 at 5:51 PM ^

Great. Shut down every school in the country. This stuff won’t eliminate the spread, but it sure sounds like it will help. 

Special Agent Utah

March 12th, 2020 at 7:12 PM ^

Yeah they’re saying avoid groups of over 100, but keeping schools open where 500-600 kids are in a cafeteria at a time. 
 

Also they’re cancelling after school events, but still keeping school open. Like the virus is dormant during school hours. 

Special Agent Utah

March 12th, 2020 at 7:06 PM ^

Whitmer needs to step up now and close all schools. Some districts are shutting down while others are just sitting around with their thumbs in their asses saying “wash your hands” and acting like it’s business as usual tomorrow. 
Ohio, Indiana, and Ontario have all shut down while Michigan just sits there and looks stupid. 

Blue_by_U

March 14th, 2020 at 2:53 PM ^

Stupid is a mean word. Do you ever just shut the fuck up for a second, stop, listen to the radical bullshit you spew...and just realize maybe your extreme approach to everything is as bad as the crisis you are freaking out over? My question was rhetorical. Get a damn grip negative Nancy

enlightenedbum

March 12th, 2020 at 6:01 PM ^

If you look at the SE Michigan closing list, it's the places that have fewer kids with free/reduced lunch that are closing first.  Saline, Dexter, Ann Arbor, Gross Pointe, Bloomfield Hills, etc.

Gucci Mane

March 12th, 2020 at 6:06 PM ^

If we are too assume closing schools is bad for poor kids, then can’t we assume closing schools is good for them for the exact same reason ? If their family gets it and needs medical attention it may be more difficult since they don’t have insurance. 
Although, the girls I know who are very poor in Detroit somehow have pretty food medical care. Not sure how but they get it free somehow. 

enlightenedbum

March 12th, 2020 at 6:08 PM ^

The problem is the food inequality.  Like, the only food lots of kids get is at school.  Or the vast majority of their calories at least.  NYC feels like they can't close because of the 114k homeless kids in the system.  Wealthier districts don't have to deal with that issue.

TrueBlue2003

March 12th, 2020 at 6:43 PM ^

That would require more money though.  They probably don't have it in their budgets.  They'll still have to pay all staff while schools are closed so it's not like closing the schools frees up any money. It would have to come from elsewhere.

WeimyWoodson

March 12th, 2020 at 6:04 PM ^

The governor of Ohio has shut down all schools for 3 weeks starting Monday.  I'm a teacher in Ohio, talk about crazy.  I imagine Michigan and others will follow soon.

Special Agent Utah

March 12th, 2020 at 7:09 PM ^

So far it’s the keystone cops up here. 
Some districts have shut down for several weeks, while others are saying it’s business as usual tomorrow because they don’t have any reported cases. Like waiting until people actually catch to close it is a great plan.

Whitmer hasn’t said anything today. She needs to stop this nonsense and close them all. 

evenyoubrutus

March 12th, 2020 at 6:11 PM ^

Yep. Got the call an hour ago. School resumes April 7th as of now, although they are still holding school tomorrow, which was already going to be a half day ?. They told us they will create more solid plans and inform us on March 17th.

Giff4484

March 12th, 2020 at 6:40 PM ^

I live on the West side of Houston in Katy and our school district just closed at least until the 22nd. I think we are one of the largest in the country.

nerv

March 12th, 2020 at 6:58 PM ^

Now instead they will all go to Costco with their parents.

All schools in Ontario are also closed for the next month.

M Go Cue

March 12th, 2020 at 7:01 PM ^

Once the day care establishments close up too there are going to be a whole lot of workforce issues in this country.  Boy, dominos falling indeed.

Njia

March 12th, 2020 at 7:21 PM ^

I understand the inclination to do this, but it creates the mother of all Catch-22 situations: 38% of all nurses have school-aged children. By sending home their kids, if the nurses can't arrange daycare, then they need to stay home from work at a time when the nation's healthcare system desperately needs them to be available to treat patients.

ItsGreatToBe

March 12th, 2020 at 9:14 PM ^

This is why we all need to be looking out for our families, friends, and neighbors at this time.

 

If you're fortunate to have a company that allows you to work from home, and you have older children, offer to watch a neighbor's kids who has to work. Offer to get your elderly neighbors' groceries from the store, run errands for people who can't do so. Try to refer those who rely upon group gatherings like AA/NA or psychotherapy to remote access resources. Any little thing to make someone's life seem a bit less chaotic.

 

This isn't a left or right, Christian or Jewish, Michigan or Online State University issue. This is a health issue and all of us should want to be healthy.

stephenrjking

March 12th, 2020 at 7:23 PM ^

Every school district in the country is already having serious conversations about this. I was talking with a manager of a school bus company that affiliates with branches all over Minnesota. At least one district in the Twin Cities is having serious closure discussions that is waiting on word on some stuff from the state government. There's talk about whether to pay prorogued employees, how to lengthen or not lengthen school years, all of that. 

There has been no audible "talk" of school closures anywhere in Minnesota that has reached the media... but there's a good chance that no schools are open on Monday. With how fast things are moving, I wouldn't be shocked if every school in the country was closed by then. 

Michigan Arrogance

March 12th, 2020 at 8:00 PM ^

NYS public school teacher (upstate). 3/3 we had a staff meeting that outlined some steps to take in order to hold online learning in the even schools closed for an extended period. Stone cold lock that Over the previous 2 weeks, State Ed, and State board of Health were contacting all district superintendents telling them to prep for extended school closings. These discussions have been going on for almost a month at this point.

Teachers in local districts have been doing light prep for this for over a week. At the district level 2-3 weeks min. In NYS anyway

carolina blue

March 12th, 2020 at 9:20 PM ^

there are two main issues. The lesser concern is that not all kids have internet access.  If grade schools try to go online for the time being the poor kids get hurt the most. The bigger issue...food. There are more grade school kids that you realize who’s only meal is served to them at school. It’s legitimately possible a large number of kids that will go hungry if schools close long term

bronxblue

March 12th, 2020 at 9:22 PM ^

I think that limiting gatherings is important, but it also seems like a lot of schools were already going to be closed for spring break and are extending it now so as to minimize disruption in terms of child care.

At least where I live, there are a lot of people who perform important jobs that can't do so remotely/virtually; they are nurses, doctors, city officials, etc.  And so if the schools are closed they are left to scramble for child care, and more often that not it falls on family, including grandparents.  Which is exactly the type of person you don't want around small children possibly carrying this virus.  So I do wonder how this ultimately plays out.  It's an impossible situation for school districts, but it also highlights a lot of issues the American workforce faces in terms of any large-scale disruption.