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They said they will not meet their projected start date of 9/8 for special education classes (ECS) and pre K. These are two groups that will be the most difficult to serve through remote learning so I understand why the made them the first priority to return. I am not sure why they set a goal of bringing everyone else in by the end of October that is definitely a pipe dream. TBH there are so many obstacles to this plan that I do not see it happening. To implement in person they need 2x the staff they have. For each class they need a remote teacher and an in-person teacher. Plus consider the cost of PPE. This district is on a shoe string budget to begin with, this is all a fantasy. We did not register for the VA but at this point I wish they would just devote all their energy and resources to getting remote learning off to a good start.
What do they think is going to change in the coming weeks/months? Nothing.
Quote:
The target date of Sept. 8 for Special Education Regional Program and Pre-K students to return to school buildings was predicated on our ability to ensure sufficient staff, sufficient transportation service and sufficient personal protective equipment (PPE) by that date. After assessing these three factors and soliciting feedback from staff members, we have determined we need more time to make sure all three of those dependencies can be met.
Don't be fooled - this has nothing to do with sufficient transportation service or PPE. This is 100% about teachers running the show.
Just days ago WCPSS was on Twitter bragging about their bus cleaning and PPE deliveries.
I also have no idea about the 40,000 chromebooks. That's 25% of the entire school system, and as far as I know anyone who got one last year was able to keep it. Probably a lot of people who don't really need them.
Not one of the teachers my sister works with wants to do the remote schooling. When Plan B was on the table they were fighting over who was going to have to do it. The teachers marching through the streets with coffins, making their wills and writing their obituaries seem to be a very vocal minority.
Not one of the teachers my sister works with wants to do the remote schooling. When Plan B was on the table they were fighting over who was going to have to do it. The teachers marching through the streets with coffins, making their wills and writing their obituaries seem to be a very vocal minority.
What do you think this is about then? You don't need a lot of transportation for special ed (isn't it 3rd party anyway?), and you certainly don't need a lot of PPE. So what is it? Is there a more important group of students to get back into schools than special ed?
What do you think this is about then? You don't need a lot of transportation for special ed (isn't it 3rd party anyway?), and you certainly don't need a lot of PPE. So what is it? Is there a more important group of students to get back into schools than special ed?
With special ed you need more PPE and training then any other group returning to school. There are students in these classes that need hands on assistance to walk down the hall. There will be no social distancing between the staff and students in these classes. This occurs on a daily basis in healthcare facilities but school staff need training for all to remain safe.
With special ed you need more PPE and training then any other group returning to school. There are students in these classes that need hands on assistance to walk down the hall. There will be no social distancing between the staff and students in these classes. This occurs on a daily basis in healthcare facilities but school staff need training for all to remain safe.
Understood, but this is a very small number of students. I think a typical special ed classroom has around 5 kids in it.
Teachers are essential workers. I can't imagine what all the hospital workers think of teachers right now.
Understood, but this is a very small number of students. I think a typical special ed classroom has around 5 kids in it.
Teachers are essential workers. I can't imagine what all the hospital workers think of teachers right now.
You are making alot of assumptions. FWIW, this popluation is going to be the least likely to tolerate a mask and most likely to need close physical assistance. For all sides to be safe, this will require extra training. In my opinion this is training that the district needs reach out to healthcare agenices or the local public health department to conduct. The transportation used for some of these kids is often smaller transport vehicles, not school buses. One child per vehicle.
You are making alot of assumptions. FWIW, this popluation is going to be the least likely to tolerate a mask and most likely to need close physical assistance. For all sides to be safe, this will require extra training. In my opinion this is training that the district needs reach out to healthcare agenices or the local public health department to conduct. The transportation used for some of these kids is often smaller transport vehicles, not school buses. One child per vehicle.
They didn't think about any of this until a week before school starts?
Give the special ed teachers N95 masks and shields. Problem solved.
This is all getting so ridiculous. Kids are never going to go back to school if people don't start looking at the reality of this virus versus the fear that's being pushed, and started thinking realistically versus fearfully.
With special ed you need more PPE and training then any other group returning to school. There are students in these classes that need hands on assistance to walk down the hall. There will be no social distancing between the staff and students in these classes. This occurs on a daily basis in healthcare facilities but school staff need training for all to remain safe.
My son has been in special education classrooms, and I don't see why special education teachers and staff would need any extensive training, and certainly nothing that couldn't be completed in the next month. They're already trained to manage students behavior and physical needs. Now they'd just need to do that with PPE, and planning for a September 8 start date was already allowing time to prepare.
Now if teachers don't feel comfortable with returning, then training isn't going to change that. This is the big reason why I think the district scraped the plan to start regional program students and pre-K students next month. They indicated they made the decisions after getting feedback from staff.
After his announcment yesterday to open schools in NY, I'm keeping an eye on what Cuomo can get done now that their situtaiton is more under control. If he can actually get schools going up there with the teachers union, then there may be hope here if we can ever get a better handle on things too. I'm not holding my breath on any of that though.
has anyone seen the profoundly autistic kids who are in self contained classrooms move about a school? How about kids who are in ID-severe classes?
Profoundly autistic kids are NOT going to be able to wear a mask and they need to be attended to one-on-one or at most two-on-one while they move about the building and probably within the class as well. There goes social distancing. Do you understand some of these kids need to be physically restrained to keep them from running and ONLY the person at the school who has been trained to do that can lay hands on the child?
The ID severe kids are using feeding tubes and catheters. They can't wear masks either. Usually in wheelchairs and need to be fed if not on a tube. There goes your social distancing. If you had a medically fragile child who couldn't social distance, or wear a mask, would you put them on a transport with a driver who has been doing god knows what all summer? Would you want them out of the house interacting with people when they can't wear a mask and can't social distance? Did anyone consider the hard choice these parents are faced with and maybe - just maybe - it's a meeting with the parents voicing these concerns that led to the postponement? SPED isn't always little Johnny who is a terror without his Adderall, people. I get the sense some of y'all are thinking only in terms of kids who have a basic IEP or a 504 plan, not in terms of the most vulnerable population of SPED kids.
has anyone seen the profoundly autistic kids who are in self contained classrooms move about a school? How about kids who are in ID-severe classes?
Profoundly autistic kids are NOT going to be able to wear a mask and they need to be attended to one-on-one or at most two-on-one while they move about the building and probably within the class as well. There goes social distancing. Do you understand some of these kids need to be physically restrained to keep them from running and ONLY the person at the school who has been trained to do that can lay hands on the child?
The ID severe kids are using feeding tubes and catheters. They can't wear masks either. Usually in wheelchairs and need to be fed if not on a tube. There goes your social distancing. If you had a medically fragile child who couldn't social distance, or wear a mask, would you put them on a transport with a driver who has been doing god knows what all summer? Would you want them out of the house interacting with people when they can't wear a mask and can't social distance? Did anyone consider the hard choice these parents are faced with and maybe - just maybe - it's a meeting with the parents voicing these concerns that led to the postponement? SPED isn't always little Johnny who is a terror without his Adderall, people. I get the sense some of y'all are thinking only in terms of kids who have a basic IEP or a 504 plan, not in terms of the most vulnerable population of SPED kids.
The district did not say they made this decision after consulting parents though, just staff. Parents were free NOT to send their children. And yes, I am intimately familiar with having a child with special needs and how that plays out in school.
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