OT-ish: LA schools to start year fully online [LOCKED]

I belong to a teacher union. I think it has to do with Betsy D being on the trump administration, who is a big time school choice advocate. She supports using state funds in charter schools, who aren't always transparent with how they use per-pupil funding.

That and they think they might die, which is mostly valid if they are older or have comorbidities.

Also, it's pretty easy to sit at home and do a fraction of the work and zoom in plcs a few times a month.

Boom, Why does every post you share sound like Alex Jones conspiracy theories? 

Just curious, where do you get your disjointed, connect 5 unrelated issues misinformation?

Your logic is always A = B + C = D = MarXiSt ComMuNist PLoT DeSTroY AmERiCa!!!

"As a public health leader and grandfather, I believe that having schools closed due to #COVID19 is a greater public health threat to children than having the schools reopen. I am confident we can open schools safely in partnership with local jurisdictions."

Robert Redfield, CDC director.

23% of the population of CA is people under 17, that is roughly 10 million people. Number of Covid deaths under 17? Zero. But these decisions are being guided "by the science."

Agree. California is closing down again

Can we furlough our politicians pay?  If we are all in this together, please, as a politician, reduce your pay the same as your representative body.  

I generally agree with you. 

We're entering a world were Las Vegas (not in the same state as Los Angeles, of course, but it may as well be a suburb of LA) is open, but schools are not.

That says something, I suppose.  One could argue that BOTH should be in the same state (be it open or closed).  But Vegas open and schools closed sounds like the plot of a dystopic science-fiction novel.

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Another thing to consider: why do we even have public schools in the first place?

The answer, of course, is that public education provides, as much as is theoretically possible, everyone an equal opportunity to become educated and reach their potential.  Its aim is to reduce inequality.

Unfortunately, an online education increases inequality.  In many cities, up to a third of children don't have reliable access to a computer or the internet.  They'll be falling behind.  And those are the ones who are in most need of something that attempts to balance the playing field.

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I don't know if I'd go ALL the way in this argument - but I could theoretically argue that if everyone doesn't get an equal education opportunity, nobody should.  E.g., no online schools at all - no public school at all until the buildings themselves reopen.

The "experience in Europe" would be more valuable if our situations were more similar. Sadly, they are not.

Gottlieb also recognized that US students face a higher risk from COVID-19 infections compared to other countries due to higher levels of underlying conditions (such as asthma) and the fact those other countries have significantly fewer new cases than the US.  

Few people will argue that home/virtual schooling is better for children than in-person schooling.  It isn't, and teachers would be the the first to say so.  But right now most states and districts have inconsistent guidelines for what opening school means, and even plans that seem reasonable on their face (staggered start times, alternating in-person and at-home schooling, etc.) are logistical nightmares for a lot of reasons.

And there are real dangers for teachers.  If Boston is like elsewhere, a lot of substitute teachers tend to be older, semi-retired teachers.  Well, those people aren't inclined to walk into a school they haven't been in much and be exposed to a bunch of new vectors.  So a lot of them are just not going to work this fall.  And since most schools have rules about teachers and students having to stay home for some number of days in the event they are positive, and with few external substitutes available, that puts a lot of additional pressure on teachers in the system.  And that's just one issue that arises from reopening schools.  

As a father of two small children, I 100% recognize that we need schools both for child development as well as any sustained economic recovery.  But "differing conditions" is doing a TON of heavy lifting in your statement, and those details aren't remotely clear enough to lots of parents, districts, and teachers.  And that's the big difference between being medically "safe" and being viable for a lot of areas.

Science being being negged here, which is only the result of the mgoechochamber. 

It bears repeating, "The data showing kids aren't typically spreading it is against it. Scott Gottlieb, the American and Canadian pediatric associations, psychologists,The CDC, all agree that distance learning is substandard, harms kids, and in particular, harms poor children. They all agree schools should open, just with differing conditions. This decision is triumph of fear over facts, over the current science, over the experience in Europe, and rational thought." 

I don't really keep up-to-date on LA gangs, but do they still have those awesome multi-ethnic, multi-racial gangs like they did in the 1980s classic "Colors"? Dude, they even had a freaking redhead in the gang!!!!! 

So what happens if there isn't an effective vaccine coming?

Unfortunately, this is not strong enough evidence to base policy on by itself (though it *may* get better support later on).  

Hopefully it's true! 

Berner said the study was representative for the state of Saxony, which has a relatively low rate of infection compared to other parts of Germany.

For other states with low infection rates, the study suggests schools could be re-opened without causing widespread outbreaks of the virus, he said.

The quote makes it clear this does not apply to at least 50% of the US