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What would a parent do if their kids were sick with a cold, or chickenpox, or strep or the flu that goes around each year, or pinkeye, or anything else that goes around and kids pick up throughout the school year?
Honestly, we're not talking months here.
They just stay home, but that usually just lasts a day or two and involves just a few people (employees) at a time. This type of quarantine might last for weeks and involve every employee with kids. It would have a much larger economic impact on business and individuals because of the number of people involved and the longer time frame.
Schools are in a tough position here. Damned if they do; damned if they don't.
One thing that is known is that NO ONE knows the SEVERITY at THIS TIME about this BRAND NEW STRAND in which the human body has no immunity.
Thus, they are responding on the side of overcaution.
Many times, schools do indeed close if a certain % of the school population has come down with lice; pink eye; or a contagious disease.
The schools that have closed have confirmed cases or suspected cases. Again, just overcaution.
If parents do not have a contingency plan, that is not the schools fault nor repsonsibilty.
In the military, parents are required, by military law, to have a contingency plan. It needs to be approved by their commanding officer. So, I guess since I was part of the military & saw first hand how Family Readiness Plans work & why they are needed...I see no reason why a schoo doesn't have this requirement either.
A school's job is to protect your child, not teach them how to wash their hands or blow their nose. Closing the school with a confirmed case is the school's way of protecting children, at this time, of this brand new strain.
Come fall, all hell is probably going to break lose b/c not only will this new strand be around, but so will the regular strains that the human body has shows to fight off to an extent.
So, again, schools have a big problem on their hand.
The Fort Worth Schools in TX have 3 cases on 3 different campuses. The school year will be extended in June. Really, I highly doubt this was an easy or wanted call.
This is a big wakeup call to parents & the traditional school system in this country.
All of you who are pissed schools are closing & think schools are overreacting...do you go in & regularly volunteer to clean desks; toys; community items to keep the spread of germs down throughout the year or do you just ***** & complain?
But again, this is a country where we want everything handed to us & we want to do nothing to get it. Complain that the government is overreacting. Complain that the government is underreacting. School is overreacthing. School is underreacting.
Get a plan in place if you have children. Employers need to get their head out of their a## & do the same thing. The unexpected happens & it is no one elses but your own if you are not prepared.
This is not the seasonal flu. It is a new strand. Just keep that in mind. Listen to WHO (who overreacts on everything anyway) & CDC & overall, what they are saying. Common sense & preparedness.
Would you send your kid to summer camp if there was an oubreak of rotovirus or pink eye?
They just stay home, but that usually just lasts a day or two and involves just a few people (employees) at a time. This type of quarantine might last for weeks and involve every employee with kids. It would have a much larger economic impact on business and individuals because of the number of people involved and the longer time frame.
Ok, say the schools don't close and a huge number of kids get sick as a result, and yours was one of them? If a couple hundred kids from one school gets sick, you would have the same problem.
Having worked in schools and daycares I do know how they clean and I along with teachers I know would do other cleaning in the classrooms over what the school does. I know that sanitizer is used and washing hands but as parebts we know kids are kids. THey chew on pencils and share food when teachers don't even see. I know schools are in a hard place right now. I know parents are too. I homeschool two of my kids and have one in public school. I guess I 'm not sure if schools like Texas who are closed until May 11 will be in a position to open even then. Flu passes around wherever you are. Church, stores and concerts all that. So even if the kids don't come to school they may be going out to other places and in two weeks the flu might still be here. At some point if the flu bug still is going strong just ending the school year makes more sense. I like that the schools are acting responsible but although i 'm not in a panic place I would probaly not go to anything that has huge amount of people attending. LIke a big concert or like a place for kids like Chucke Cheese not because I don't like it but because they have nonstop kids touching everything and I 'm sure they clean but most likley at the end of the day when they close or open. I do agree with someone who said the schools close but then there still is baseball, dance and all that although the number of kids are not the same as the whole school. I guess what we need to do is to reach out and help each other. If you are in a state where schools are closing and your child isn't sick then MOm's like me who are at home could step forward and help the Mom's who work. Helping each other can get anyone through anything.
I agree. But I also look at it as parents are also damned if they do and damned if they don't.
If parents do not have a contingency plan, that is not the schools fault nor repsonsibilty.
Our contingency plan involved hoping that RICH business owners and coorps would realize that we little people cannot afford a godda** thing on what they pay us!!! My husband works two jobs at 70 hours a week and goes to school (or else he'd work more) and we STILL can hardly pay the bills. We save then an emergency hits. We do however have $500 saved and he hasn't used any sick days and HAD to use vacation a couple of weeks ago or else he'd had lost it. This is the real world and many people just CAN'T afford to do or worry about anything else but working their a** off.
I do understand people need to be prepared. We always have extra water that we rotate and buy new every couple of months. We have bleach and a radio and batteries and extra charcoal and "survival food." But some people just don't know any better or can't afford it. If those of you know so much more then by all means, please go out and seek someone who's ignorant or poor and provide some financial means and some education. I'd be happy if you'd help me
A school's job is to protect your child, not teach them how to wash their hands or blow their nose. Closing the school with a confirmed case is the school's way of protecting children, at this time, of this brand new strain.
A schools job IS to protect and educate. A schools job is to ENFORCE common sense or taught practices the children got from home. Which includes handwashing.
Come fall, all hell is probably going to break lose b/c not only will this new strand be around, but so will the regular strains that the human body has shows to fight off to an extent.
Flu is worse in the fall and winter because that is when vitamin d levels are at their lowest. Most people and especially children should be on supplements.
This is a big wakeup call to parents & the traditional school system in this country.
All of you who are pissed schools are closing & think schools are overreacting...do you go in & regularly volunteer to clean desks; toys; community items to keep the spread of germs down throughout the year or do you just ***** & complain?
Though my family cannot afford for my husband to not go to work and my parents cannot afford to take off work to care for my youngest siblings, I do see that it is an important step. And no, I don't think that people "volunteer" to clean and what not. But I also don't see people like you claiming we all SHOULD have a PLAN going out and educating those that have no clue how to go about it
But again, this is a country where we want everything handed to us & we want to do nothing to get it. Complain that the government is overreacting. Complain that the government is underreacting. School is overreacthing. School is underreacting.
Agree
rotovirus or pinkeye?
Yes. If I had to. Those are not that serious. You don't die from pink eye (I've also cured my daughter's with breastmilk) and only 37 children die from rotAvirus every year in the US.
But THIS flu might be a different story. I'm not going to bit** and moan about my husband possibly having to NOT get paid for empolyees having to stay home. Especially if it's a life or death issue.
Ok, say the schools don't close and a huge number of kids get sick as a result, and yours was one of them? If a couple hundred kids from one school gets sick, you would have the same problem.
Suck it up and do the best you can.
Did I ever complain?
Ever?
Even once?
The school district where I live has about a quarter million students in it. If the school district decided to close all the schools in my county it would be a big deal to employers and families. It would have a crippling effect on the community. This is not a matter of sucking it up. That's what you do when your kids are sick. If hundreds of kids are sent home, with no place for them to go when their parents are at work it is a really big deal to a region.
I think that individual families deal with the occasional illness of their kids all the time. The school districts have a very difficult job to do when deciding whether to close schools for a long time. They have to balance many different factors.
The school district where I live has about a quarter million students in it. If the school district decided to close all the schools in my county it would be a big deal to employers and families. It would have a crippling effect on the community. This is not a matter of sucking it up. That's what you do when your kids are sick. If hundreds of kids are sent home, with no place for them to go when their parents are at work it is a really big deal to a region.
I think that individual families deal with the occasional illness of their kids all the time. The school districts have a very difficult job to do when deciding whether to close schools for a long time. They have to balance many different factors.
When dealing with something like a pandemic, I doubt one of their priorities is their presumed job as babysitters.
When dealing with something like a pandemic, I doubt one of their priorities is their presumed job as babysitters.
I think school officials in urban areas are very well aware of the problems that they create when there is an unexpected change in school schedules. The issues created when school is closed for a long time (like after the hurricanes) go beyond simple childcare issues.
I think school officials in urban areas are very well aware of the problems that they create when there is an unexpected change in school schedules. The issues created when school is closed for a long time (like after the hurricanes) go beyond simple childcare issues.
Then the only alternative is to keep the kids in school and let sickness take it's course. Even if it wipes out 3/4 of the school, the others would still be in.
Our schools here have closed when the normal run of flu has taken out a number of kids in the winter.
There are typically camps and activities for kids during school breaks. If the schools are closed to prevent kids from spreading the flu many camps and the like probably will not happen.
I know the paper from the dept of health that came home yesterday from school stated that if the schools close, DO NOT put your children in group care situations.
Its one thing to close down for a few days to sanitize and to educate parents to not let kids back to school with anything on the laundry list of symptoms, but to close school for 3-6 wks and to tell parents that the kids need to stay at home and not go to alternative care like family day cares or camps, or any non-relative care situation where they are around other children (which is what our dept of health has instructed) is a logistical issue.
I am a stay-at-home parent and I could swing it - I could even take care of my neighbor's son while she works her part-time job that she has during the school day (but shh...don't tell the dept of health), but I am sure the afterschool programs would get closed if the schools closed and it would be interesting to see how everything gets sorted out.
The kids in our state are supposed to be getting educated (reminded) today in their classrooms about handwashing, covering their sneezes and coughs, etc...I know they had started this earlier this week too, since when I reminded my kindergartener to sing the ABCs while he washed his hands, he told me his principal had told them to sing "twinkle twinkle" while washing their hands.
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