So my kid's school is closed now

gold21

Sun, Sep 27 2020, 2:33 pm

NotInNJMommy wrote:

I don't believe pods are an accepted format for NYSED. They were only acceptable for DOH childcare facilities and given various other requirements. (ie. the teachers for the pod are dedicated solely for that pod and do not work in other rooms)

I know that the pod format is allowable under DOH guidelines. Many schools who opted for this format split their classroom in half with barriers.

NotInNJMommy

Sun, Sep 27 2020, 2:37 pm

gold21 wrote:

I know that the pod format is allowable under DOH guidelines. Many schools who opted for this format split their classroom in half with barriers.

I don't believe they are under NYSED. So, pods could be ok for solely DOH programs (daycare, day camps, etc.), but not for schools which are under NYSED requirements as well.

gold21

Sun, Sep 27 2020, 2:39 pm

NotInNJMommy wrote:

I don't believe they are under NYSED. So, pods could be ok for solely DOH programs (daycare, day camps, etc.), but not for schools which are under NYSED requirements as well.

I am very familiar with the guidelines from the school administration angle. Pods are allowed. Social distancing is not required within the pod when the desks have plexi on them.

amother

Oak

Sun, Sep 27 2020, 2:40 pm

So the simchas are at fault
Ok
Not the traveling, not the schools, not the shopping, not public transportation ( plenty of teenagers more nonjewish than jewish had no masks and were talking and eating being teens),not sitting in a park next sneezing coughing people, not the camps, not the doctors office, Or dentist, or hospital waiting rooms,( I sat in one, chairs were not cleaned constantly, surfaces were not wiped and people pulled masks down to talk on phone or drink) nope only simchos.
Got it.

gold21

Sun, Sep 27 2020, 2:41 pm

amother [ Oak ] wrote:

Facts don't care about being friendly or fair. They're just facts. The majority of outbreaks in these communities stem from simchos. Ask around.

NotInNJMommy

Sun, Sep 27 2020, 2:47 pm

gold21 wrote:

I am very familiar with the guidelines from the school administration angle. Pods are allowed. Social distancing is not required within the pod when the desks have plexi on them.

https://www.governor.ny.gov/si.....e.pdf

Cohorts are listed as a measure in addition to, not in lieu of, SD (6ft min) between all staff and students.

Plexiglass dividers are not described as an alternative to masks/SD.

gold21

Sun, Sep 27 2020, 2:51 pm

NotInNJMommy wrote:

https://www.governor.ny.gov/sites/governor.ny.gov/files/atoms/files/Pre-K_to_Grade_12_Schools_MasterGuidance.pdf

Cohorts are listed as a measure in addition to, not in lieu of, SD (6ft min) between all staff and students.

Plexiglass dividers are not described as an alternative to masks/SD.

Ask a school admin.

Last edited by gold21 on Sun, Sep 27 2020, 3:09 pm; edited 1 time in total

cnc

Sun, Sep 27 2020, 2:54 pm

NotInNJMommy wrote:

Gold21 is correct.
You won’t find all the information online as each school submitted their own plan which was either approved or not .

amother

Teal

Sun, Sep 27 2020, 3:03 pm

wiki wrote:

They go to a school in a zip code with an uptick now, and can only remain open if they can actually space the kids 6 feet apart.

Yom Kippur is coming. If anyone who hosted an unmasked simcha in the past month wants to ask for me for mechila....go ahead.

Have you and your family been wearing masks or SD since March? Have you and your family not gone to crowded indoor spaces since March? Have you been perfectly following all guidelines?
Maybe you need to ask yourselves mechila as well.
We need to remember that HASHEM is in charge and nothing can happen if it's not decreed by hashem. It was decreed by hashem that schools close. You can blame and point fingers, but this is a gezeira from shamayim and teshuva, teffila, tzeddaka maavirin es roah hagezeira.

NotInNJMommy

Sun, Sep 27 2020, 3:08 pm

gold21 wrote:

K fine, I lied. I'm not gonna argue further. Ask a school admin.

I totally encourage and have encouraged folks to talk to their school administration, ask them to produce the written reopening plan submitted to and approved by NYSED and to hold the school accountable for having and following that plan. The governor has made it very clear in this entire reopening effort that schools reopening are a community effort--and includes that parents need to be comfortable with what is in place and that it is 1)acceptable to the law and 2)acceptable to them.

BH our school was eventually very transparent on the reopening plan and requirements before school started including publishing the reopening plan as required and holding themselves and parents accountable. I did not write tuition checks until that plan was communicated and I validated that it is in compliance. They also made a lay committee of parents, teachers, medical professionals, etc. to create the plan and standards and ensure they would comply with the NYSED requirements.

The distancing is very tough. Our public schools (OOT in NYS) are also struggling. They have and will only be having in person for PreK-6, and only for those who wanted it (over half requested fully virtual). All 7th-12th graders are fully virtual--first due to COVID and then ultimately due to budget cuts.

It's very hard. But I think the idea is that by doing these things they prevent further transmission (or at least drastically mitigate it) so positive cases are less likely to shut the entire thing down.

NotInNJMommy

Sun, Sep 27 2020, 3:09 pm

cnc wrote:

Gold21 is correct.
You won’t find all the information online as each school submitted their own plan which was either approved or not .

schools were required to post their approved plan on their website or in some other conspicuous and mass communicated method prior to school opening. Parents and teachers are the ones to hold the school accountable on that. NYSED required it.

gold21

Sun, Sep 27 2020, 3:11 pm

NotInNJMommy wrote:

By the way I just edited that post of mine (the one you quoted in your reply) cuz it was kind of obnoxious. Sorry about that.

I do trust my schools B"H. Anyway, OK, stay safe, stay healthy, and have a great year ahead. Gut yur.

Last edited by gold21 on Sun, Sep 27 2020, 3:14 pm; edited 1 time in total

gold21

Sun, Sep 27 2020, 3:12 pm

NotInNJMommy wrote:

Mamy schools did communicate their reopening plans to parents, and did stick to them. B"H.

NotInNJMommy

Sun, Sep 27 2020, 3:16 pm

gold21 wrote:

Mamy schools did communicate their reopening plans to parents, and did stick to them. B"H.

Were the reopening plans in accordance with the law? (ie compared to the standards linked above) Did anyone ask if NYSED had approved it? (I've been an auditor (not financial) and questions/accountability are our friends.)

And yes, there will still be cases. Those schools who were 100% by the book and still had to close down have done so to prevent the school being a further source of cases (vs. a symptom of cases), and they will be able to iyh reopening more and sooner.

Of course , this depends a lot on what the communities are doing outside of school.
We should all have a healthy year, this year and all years, without illness or even a worry of illness. g'mar chasima tova!

gold21

Sun, Sep 27 2020, 3:17 pm

NotInNJMommy wrote:

Ditto to your last paragraph! Amen!!

cnc

Sun, Sep 27 2020, 3:38 pm

NotInNJMommy wrote:

Each school communicated or distributed their plan to their own parent body. You will not find information for all schools online.

I’ve seen a number of plans and they did not include SD with 6 feet within classrooms(cohorts / pods). These were all approved plans .

NotInNJMommy

Sun, Sep 27 2020, 3:56 pm

cnc wrote:

How do you know they were approved? has NYSED confirmed that they approved them?

I am dubious that they were approved since allowing for <6ft is clearly in violation of their own requirements.

And if NYSED approved them against their own requirements, then it does need to be corrected and they are partially to blame.

amother

Pink

Sun, Sep 27 2020, 4:02 pm

NotInNJMommy wrote:

Practically a family couldn’t hold the school accountable unless the family wanted to do homeschool. Schools aren’t accepting kids right now.