The “Water Cooler” is a feature on Claycord.com where we ask you a question or provide a topic, and you talk about it.
The “Water Cooler” will be up Monday-Friday at noon.
Today’s question:
QUESTION: Do you think the state of California should cancel public school until the fall of 2020?
Talk about it.
There would be a lot of things to consider and resolve… (I’m sure people will chime-in; I expect mostly Naysayers) But if it is found to be necessary… I hope not….
Absolutely yes- while kids are less likely to develop serious symptoms, they can just as easily be a carrier. Letting hundreds of kids, who are not as diligent in washing their hands, co-mingle all day is a recipe for disaster. Sorry to all the seniors out there, but this thing is just getting started.
Not all seniors have compromised immune systems. I see many on my walks and store trips who are strong and doing just fine.
not all compromised immune issues are visible; ignorant statement Captain.
Let the kids back in school soon, and let their parents go back to work.
Pay attention to the data coming out of the CDC. 99% of all deaths are people over 50, median age around 80. Just keep us old folks sequestered until we are confident our hospitals can cope.
We do need to continue emphasizing social distancing at work and at leisure, and distribute masks to the general public for use in public transit.
I agree with this. Get people back to work and have the older and vulnerable people sheltered as they are doing now.
NO WAY!!!!! this will suck because there seniors in high school will be graduating. They are nowbeing ripped off!! How are students suppose to hace a graduation ceremony!!!??? This, is just insane!!!
@Concordejet, as hard as it might be to come to terms with it, High School Seniors won’t have a ceremony this year. Assuming this goes until the Fall, thats the truth. Colleges are not doing their AA, BA, MD ceremonies if they stay online until, or through, the Fall. High Schoolers get their Degrees in the mail, and higher education will do the same thing.
The hard truth is that they wont get a ceremony. It is what it is. Everyone is coming to term with the fact that this is a time to prioritize the health and well being of communities over our personal yearns and wants.
Sorry for the bad news.
There’s a bright side. Based on your well written response I doubt you’ll have the grades to graduate anyways. O’Doyle rules!
Concorde,
If a graduation party is the biggest sacrifice/troubles you have, consider yourself VERY LUCKY.
While chances of a kid getting the virus are slim they can be excellent carriers of the virus. Been reported Coronavirus can live up to three days on plastic and 24 hours on cardboard.
https://www.cnbc.com/2020/03/18/coronavirus-lives-for-hours-in-air-particles-and-days-on-surfaces-new-us-study-shows.html
Grandparents who routinely babysit would be at higher risk of getting virus. At least as things are if they are babysitting kids are less likely to infect Grandparents.
Start school in September, at least then we’ll be closer to a vaccine.
Too early to say. Not enough information to make a wise and informed decision.
As someone over 50 and with health issues, lets just find another way to finish the year and give the graduates a ceremony later (I asked about this while picking up equipment at MDHS yesterday).
Unfortunately, the reality is this school year is probably done.
Too soon to say for now. We are not out of the woods yet. Let’s give it a bit longer, then that question can be answered.
It’s too early to tell, currently school doesn’t go back for 5 more weeks. A lot can change in that time. If it deemed safe to go back to school in May then they absolutely should, but that decision shouldn’t be made until then.
Yes.
I would say yes to all elementary and junior high schools, not high school. Resume school in the fall with combination grades ( 1-2, 2-3 and so on) based on testing scores. Extend the school year, possible year round, so they will all be able to graduate on schedule.. When my kids were seniors, with the exception of finals, they were pretty much done with school in March. Maybe not their day to day studies, but they had mentally checked out.
Nope!….why take the risk? sure not easy but is a prom or graduation worth the loss of their family members
Y’all do realize that if school remains closed into fall, it’s because the governor extended the “shelter in place” order for that length of time. That’s five months. How will you pay your bills if you can’t work from home?
If “shelter in place” is lifted and everything returns to normal, there is no point in keeping schools closed. It will be deemed that the crisis is over and therefore kids would just be bringing the “regular” cooties home.
Lol at “regular cooties”. It’s funny because it’s true. Most of the time I get sick is because people at work are sick from their kids and they bring it into the office.
From what I understand- SCHOOLS DO NOT not normally make the kids wash their hands before snack and lunch!!! I’ve always packed individual wet wipes in my sons lunch. It’s gross!! It took a pandemic for them to announce they will start washing hands before lunch!!
from what I understand is that school bathrooms routinely don’t have soap…
At my school the bathrooms are usually out of toilet paper, soap, and paper towels because the custodians are lazy and don’t do their jobs and the unions protect them.
Too soon.
At this time there is no indication that going back say May 1st would be dangerous.
If cases continue to spike we are likely looking at tighter lock down, ie, no more trips out for “fresh air”.
If cases drop then we would probably look at gradual easing of restrictions, more testing, etc. No reason we couldn’t be back to business by 5/1.
Yes. A friend’s 20-year old daughter just died from this virus in Oregon right before Spring Break. Another friends 26-year old daughter is currently on day 12 fighting this virus, and my 26-year old cousin was hospitalized with fever and trouble breathing and yer they can’t give her a test. An 11 year old just died in Los Angeles. None of the girls had pre-existing conditions and were in excellent health. My son has asthma, I will not be sending him back.
Scary… A friend’s son has tested positive. No existing issues, fingers crossed he will be ok…
Premature to make such a huge decision with far-reaching implications like this. MIght be necessary, seeming increasingly likely, but give it a few more weeks
Nope.
Once this virus is over Kids and teachers should work into the summer to make up for the lost time in class.
Just because school facilities are closed does not mean education cannot continue. I have continued to teach my US and World History classes online during the past week and my district is readying policies and training for distance learning after Spring Break. This will allow seniors to graduate and all students to stay on track toward necessary credit accumulation toward not only eventual graduation but classes necessary for at least the UC system if not Community College and grant eligibility. Say what you will about the current health crisis but one of the positive things is it’s making districts get serious about implementing remote learning and 21st century skills so no child gets left behind.
“…my district…” Which district is your district? Looks like most districts are doing the same. Heck, I was looking at a tv station in Nevada. They ran a story on Distance Learning at Washoe County Schools. Looks like the whole country is headed in that direction. So many pros… So many cons…
Can’t be Mt. Diablo – they are still handing out paper packets to grade schoolers. How, pray tell, are they supposed to complete these if the accompanying lesson was not taught? Also, once MDUSD is finally ready to teach remotely, how will they help students who do not have internet access? What about all the students with special needs?
When the governor says we will return in the fall, I took that to mean that we won’t go back by the end of this school year. The school year now ends late May/early June, so that isn’t that far off. I am expecting the Shelter in Place to be in force until Mid-late May, maybe even Mid-June. Most districts are teaching remotely using video-conferencing software, online lessons, and Google Classroom. If your kids aren’t doing this, get online and set them up with Khan Academy for many subjects. Many websites are offering free instruction for students right now. There are resources for free internet. Many schools are offering free rentals of Chrome Books.
Yes, it should be the school’s responsibility to provide these materials. But, if they’re not, it’s the parent’s job to seek it out for their children’s benefit. I understand and have empathy for parents that are trying but find the whole thing overwhelming. I also have empathy for those that have to work and can’t help their children. I am losing empathy quickly for those that say, “I’m just letting my kid surf the internet all day or watch TV because the school isn’t sending anything. It’s not my job to find resources; it’s the school’s!” Next year, these will be the same parents expecting their kids to be at grade-level and surprised when they aren’t.
S. Not MDUSD
yeah, I know. when ur bored, the internet can be a good thing or bad… I googled ur name….
🙂
I’m happy to see you posting, BGR. I was a fan of Halfway to Concord, back in the day.