Schools closed until February? (part 3)

khalessi

jrosen wrote: »

So the government have actually said schools are covid safe zones?

I must have missed that memo.

https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=3255718891162517

Hey he evens mentions cars, must be a friend of yours.

jrosen

hesaidshesaid wrote: »

Do you honestly believe that schools are the 'safe places' Norma Foley and Micheál Martin keep repeating they are?

They may not be saying the words 'covid free zones' but they are very clearly pushing the message that schools are safe. Many school cases are classed as community transmission to perpetuate this myth.

Surely you can understand that this relentless, disingenuous messaging is beyond frustrating to those working in education? No one is claiming that other crowded buildings such as meat plants are 'safe places'.

I believe any setting where there are other people carries a risk. My job being one. The gym I go too, my sons sports / school.
But we do what we can.

Out of almost 2000 pupils between both our kids schools there has been to date less than 10 cases. I can’t speak for other schools but we feel comfortable currently with our schools. If that changes we would keep them home.

If someone wants to believe schools are covid free more fool them.

wirelessdude01

khalessi wrote: »

https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=3255718891162517

Hey he evens mentions cars, must be a friend of yours.

Whoever have the okay to bringing trampolines into it should have been fired on the spot.

jrosen

khalessi wrote: »

https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=3255718891162517

Hey he evens mentions cars, must be a friend of yours.

Your like a child!

khalessi

jrosen wrote: »

I believe any setting where there are other people carries a risk. My job being one. The gym I go too, my sons sports / school.
But we do what we can.

Out of almost 2000 pupils between both our kids schools there has been to date less than 10 cases. I can’t speak for other schools but we feel comfortable currently with our schools. If that changes we would keep them home.

If someone wants to believe schools are covid free more fool them.[/QUOTE

You are lucky I have personally had 5 students with Covid since September.

I do love the if there is only a small amount I know about, it obviously isnt that bad attitude of people. SUre why bother with lockdowns at all open it all up feic it, sure we have under 300 ICU beds, be grand.

You do know the strain about to hit us from UK is 50% more infectious in children and especially under 9 apparently. I provided links earlier. Also our budget for cleaning has been chopped to coincide with the return?

moonstruck

Agree schools should close for everyones health and safety. The government seem to be pushing this , saying there are few cases traceable to schools. Its very dangerous for teaching staff as well as students right now.
wonder what will be said when the figures are released eventually or god forbid a lot of teachers/students get sick. it could be a costly experiment !

jrosen

khalessi wrote: »

jrosen wrote: »

I believe any setting where there are other people carries a risk. My job being one. The gym I go too, my sons sports / school.
But we do what we can.

Out of almost 2000 pupils between both our kids schools there has been to date less than 10 cases. I can’t speak for other schools but we feel comfortable currently with our schools. If that changes we would keep them home.

If someone wants to believe schools are covid free more fool them.[/QUOTE

You are lucky I have personally had 5 students with Covid since September.

I do love the if there is only a small amount I know about, it obviously isnt that bad attitude of people. SUre why bother with lockdowns at all open it all up feic it, sure we have under 300 ICU beds, be grand.

You do know the strain about to hit us from UK is 50% more infectious in children and especially under 9 apparently. I provided links earlier. Also our budget for cleaning has been chopped to coincide with the return?

The strain has already been detected. Of the top of my head not sure what day I heard that on the updates.

khalessi

jrosen wrote: »

khalessi wrote: »

The strain has already been detected. Of the top of my head not sure what day I heard that on the updates.

Oh yeah I am aware it is here along with the other strain from South Africa I am sure. I just mean wait till it hits the schools, it will not be pleasant. Testing needs to be ramped up and transparency and close contact identification along with applying the same parameters to schools as other sectors

Mrsmum

I think the teachers unions should suggest to the government that a week should be taken from the Easter hols and the Summer hols delayed by a week and take those two weeks now. It's now that teachers/staff and some parents/students are worried about. Vaccines will be sorting out the problem as time goes on.

niamh247

hesaidshesaid wrote: »

Do you honestly believe that schools are the 'safe places' Norma Foley and Micheál Martin keep repeating they are?

They may not be saying the words 'covid free zones' but they are very clearly pushing the message that schools are safe. Many school cases are classed as community transmission to perpetuate this myth.

Surely you can understand that this relentless, disingenuous messaging is beyond frustrating to those working in education? No one is claiming that other crowded buildings such as meat plants are 'safe places'.

It is not just a blind belief, it is irresponsible, irrational and idiotic to push this "schools are safe" message. There is absolutely no data or truth to support it. The reason why govt takes such baseless and dangerous stance, quite convoluted and rooted in ballot box politics.

The sensible thing to do was running schools online. But the authorities are stubborn and wouldn't hesitate to spend funds on PPE kits and force schools to be open just for the sake of it. There is hardly any learning happening in the classrooms. Masks are very uncomfortable for the kids and the worst part is whole bunch of kids keep moving from room to room for every class, as if to ensure the infection happens.

It just astounding how much damaging the ballot box politics can become. They can make you believe that they are taking all pains to keep things running, while actually destroying the society. They are supposed to do the right thing, not just to follow perceptional goals, but they don't.

Stateofyou

khalessi wrote: »

Oh yeah I am aware it is here along with the other strain from South Africa I am sure. I just mean wait till it hits the schools, it will not be pleasant. Testing needs to be ramped up and transparency and close contact identification along with applying the same parameters to schools as other sectors

Unless cases get really bad within the next few days causing ICU numbers to shoot up, I don't think delaying school reopening is going to happen.

I also don't think they're going to change a thing as regards to testing and transparency in the schools. It's going to be the same inadequate bs until either the health system clearly begins to become overwhelmed like in the UK and/or there are so many quarantines/illnesses that schools can no longer function due to lack of teachers & subs & clusters. But they'll continue with the lack of properly identifying close contacts in the school so as to hold the illusion and the childminding service as long as possible.

We have the technology and the expertise here to rollout a national remote learning plan and put that to good use for the short term. But no, they don't want to put in the hard work and funding it takes to do that. They'd rather we just plod on until we have no choice to react and we're all disadvantaged by our health service going tits up and people needlessly becoming sick or dying.

With the new, more virulent strain possibly affecting children even more, school staff also have the right to be safer in the work place. Yet cleaning funding has been cut 40%, ppe measures have not been expanded, no word of testing & tracing system to be strengthened in the schools. All the unions should be screaming and parents should be supporting them.

bren2002

Personally I can see some school closures, but I think this needs something more subtle than a national extension.
Some LEAs have very low rates, others very high.
Something based in the LEA rates I think makes more sense.

The Wordress

I was just saying to my husband yesterday that there will be a huge amount of school staff in Quarantine after the Christmas break and leading into the days of the schools reopening. I know of a few super spreading events that have affected colleagues of mine- siblings/children going out partying and bringing it home etc. New Years hasn't even taken place yet.

The children barely got 2 weeks off this Christmas and I would like a pattern in the numbers as they stand, before schools reopen.

khalessi

The Wordress wrote: »

I was just saying to my husband yesterday that there will be a huge amount of school staff in Quarantine after the Christmas break and leading into the days of the schools reopening. I know of a few super spreading events that have affected colleagues of mine- siblings/children going out partying and bringing it home etc. New Years hasn't even taken place yet.

The children barely got 2 weeks off this Christmas and I would like a pattern in the numbers as they stand, before schools reopen.

Well aren't your colleagues silly to be going out partying during a pandemic, not everyone that foolish.

The Wordress

khalessi wrote: »

Well aren't your colleagues silly to be going out partying during a pandemic, not everyone that foolish.

Read my post. It was children of my colleagues or either younger siblings who brought the virus home!

khalessi

The Wordress wrote: »

Read my post. It was children of my colleagues or either younger siblings who brought the virus home!

Yeah and still silly. Why are the children out at parties during a pandemic?

oldtimeyfella

khalessi wrote: »

Yeah and still silly. Why are the children out at parties during a pandemic?

"Ah shure, yeh have to let the childers have the Christmas."

combat14

Meanwhile, the European Centre for Disease Control (ECDC) has said stringent measures are needed to control the virus.

The report suggests that the viral load of the new variant infections may be four times higher resulting in increased viral shedding and increased transmissbility of the disease


https://www.rte.ie/news/2020/1230/1186918-covid-ireland/



important we keep the child minding facilites open they are the only safe place left in the country now

speckle

Some one asked earlier re new uk variant...it is here been sequenced from a small number of cases in dublin and kilkenny.
https://mobile.twitter.com/firefoxx66/status/1343859956626370560

It is not more virulent/ nasty but is probably more transmissible... however that will only be known for definite and how much with some more research.
If it is eg 50% more this would mean ..
if you had a *10% previously chance of getting it from a household member... that would rise to 15%.
Maths not my strong point I am sure somebody is here
(note* it is slightly higher in real life but using simplistic numbers

jrosen

speckle wrote: »

Some one asked earlier re new uk variant...it is here been sequenced from a small number of cases in dublin and kilkenny.
https://mobile.twitter.com/firefoxx66/status/1343859956626370560

It is not more virulent/ nasty but is probably more transmissible... however that will only be known for definite and how much with some more research.
If it is eg 50% more this would mean ..
if you had a *10% previously chance of getting it from a household member... that would rise to 15%.
Maths not my strong point I am sure somebody is here
(note* it is slightly higher in real life but using simplistic numbers

Luke O’Neill had a virus model of the new variant. It was interesting. Think it was on Claire Byrne

MerlinSouthDub

With a young primary school child, I think it's important to keep schools open where possible.

But it would be irresponsible to reopen schools on the 6th. We won't know by then if virus numbers are under control. At a minimum, we need to wait until the 11th. If case numbers are still rising at that stage, then other options need to be looked at (phased reopening etc). It is absolutely right that keeping schools open is a priority but absolutely wrong to have them fully open if the level 5 measures are shown not to be enough to keep the new virus variant under control.

lulublue22

bren2002 wrote: »

Personally I can see some school closures, but I think this needs something more subtle than a national extension.
Some LEAs have very low rates, others very high.
Something based in the LEA rates I think makes more sense.

I think you will find a lot of school staff will agree with that. The problem is that the gov in their infinite wisdom have jumped on the bandwagon of all schools open. This has resulted in no contingency plans from the dep - none nada. The entire period of March to August wasted. So if the schools close it will be back to each school trying to do their best with the resultant ****storm ala March to June when incidentally schools were given 3 hours notice for a 2 week closure. A closing of certain schools based on LEA area will certainly highlight this lack of planning - not sure the gov would be willing to let themselves in for that flack - though to be fair every issue in schools are due to lazy money grabbing teachers and their unions.
Contingency plans should have been drawn up for a number of scenarios - communicated to schools in August - Schools organised and ready to go but no that would require too much forward planning. On top of that the ppe/ cleaning budget was cut by 40% on the day of the hols ( quelle surprise) I’ve yet to hear any comment in the media/ public domain about that. Even posters on here are very quiet re same though it has been mentioned several times.

jrosen

Last time we had a real level 5 the roads were empty. Not a car could be seen on the motorway.

Once panic subsided even supermarket car parks were quiet. I’ve had to spend almost 20 mins waiting to park all of December doing my food shop no matter what time I went at.

What we have had in December is a lack of effort; the avoiding busy places, limit contacts, mask wearing has all been forgotten. People lived their December like they always did. Yes there are people ourselves included who didn’t but in our own wider groups of family and friends we were in the minority.

People socialized and shopped, had dinners and gathered. We now have the fall out that anyone with an ounce of sense saw coming as soon as government made their reopening plans. It’s hit sooner than perhaps we thought but we all knew numbers would grow and we would lock down again . Which is why I think so many people didn’t care

Blondini

MerlinSouthDub wrote: »

With a young primary school child, I think it's important to keep schools open where possible.

But it would be irresponsible to reopen schools on the 6th. We won't know by then if virus numbers are under control. At a minimum, we need to wait until the 11th. If case numbers are still rising at that stage, then other options need to be looked at (phased reopening etc). It is absolutely right that keeping schools open is a priority but absolutely wrong to have them fully open if the level 5 measures are shown not to be enough to keep the new virus variant under control.

Interesting. If I recall, you and a few others have spent months childishly sneering at posters who were concerned about schools.

Biggest U-turn I've seen since I accidentally drove into Rathkeale one evening.

Deeec

It makes sense for the schools to remain closed at least until the 11th January but the government need to announce this now ( not on the 5th January at 5 o'clock) to allow parents to plan for this.

I think most parents would be supportive of the schools remaining closed for January if there was a remote learning policy put in place that each school has to work to. It has to be workable for students, teachers and parents. Ive said it before on this forum that this policy does not need to be the 'always online school hours' approach that most people seem to think it should be. Every home situation could be worked around - video tutorials that can be viewed at any time, schools open at certain times for worksheets pick up ( for kids who have no online/ printing facilities), teachers available by phone/email for queries for a selected time for week, max 3 hours school for primary school kids per day etc.

Its disgraceful that we are now 9 months into this with no remote learning policy in place. I think my kids would be safer at home during January but it fills me with dread having to go back to having to teach my kids ( the list of topics their teachers sent through with no guidance ) while also having to do my job fulltime.

lulublue22

Deeec wrote: »

It makes sense for the schools to remain closed at least until the 11th January but the government need to announce this now ( not on the 5th January at 5 o'clock) to allow parents to plan for this.

I think most parents would be supportive of the schools remaining closed for January if there was a remote learning policy put in place that each school has to work to. It has to be workable for students, teachers and parents. Ive said it before on this forum that this policy does not need to be the 'always online school hours' approach that most people seem to think it should be. Every home situation could be worked around - video tutorials that can be viewed at any time, schools open at certain times for worksheets pick up ( for kids who have no online/ printing facilities), teachers available by phone/email for queries for a selected time for week, max 3 hours school for primary school kids per day etc.

Its disgraceful that we are now 9 months into this with no remote learning policy in place. I think my kids would be safer at home during January but it fills me with dread having to go back to having to teach my kids ( the list of topics their teachers sent through with no guidance ) while also having to do my job fulltime.

TBH I think the ship has sailed on a remote learning plan. Unless the dep play a blinder and pull one out of their hat on the 5th of Jan at 5pm.

MerlinSouthDub

Blondini wrote: »

Interesting. If I recall, you and a few others have spent months childishly sneering at posters who were concerned about schools.

Biggest U-turn I've seen since I accidentally drove into Rathkeale one evening.

I change my opinions based on the data. Infection rates here are now worse than at any other time, and different measures are needed. I'll keep basing my opinions on the data, if that's ok with you.

khalessi

Deeec wrote: »

Its disgraceful that we are now 9 months into this with no remote learning policy in place. I think my kids would be safer at home during January but it fills me with dread having to go back to having to teach my kids ( the list of topics their teachers sent through with no guidance ) while also having to do my job fulltime.

Abosolute disgrace, we were told back during the holidays that this was being worked on but nothing appeared. I think they felt if they had put such a policy in place, people would expect them to use it when things got bad and also they would be responsiible if it went tits up. Easier to release a policy telling teachers to get online learning sorted and blame schools.

SusanC10

I am absolutely dreading the thoughts of sending the Kids back to school next week. We live in an area with a high number of cases currently.
We are seriously considering keeping them both at home initially as if they were to go back, it would mean that they would be the only ones in our household having any outside contacts except for deliveries to our house.

Has anyone (Parent) here just kept their kids at home for more than 20 days this Academic Year and just told Tusla that they didn't feel schools were safe ?

We don't want to formally apply to Homeschool as this is purely relating to the Pandemic.

Deeec

lulublue22 wrote: »

TBH I think the ship has sailed on a remote learning plan. Unless the dep play a blinder and pull one out of their hat on the 5th of Jan at 5pm.

Im afraid you are right. Its too late to plan now. If schools do close we will be back to the mess it was from Mar - Jun with parents blaming teachers and teachers blaming parents, Norma staying silent and saying all is grand and most parents/teachers working their asses off trying to keep kids educated.