The more schools I see delaying in person attendance, and the more I think about it, the more frustrated I get. And angry.

I've been very understanding of worldwide decisions throughout this pandemic. It's a weird situation and we didn't have perfect information from the get go, around the world governments acted with caution in light of the unknown. I get that - be safe, father data, proceed with caution. Sure, in hindsight that can be picked apart now or ten years from now. But knowing what we knew, or didn't know, at the beginning it was all understandable to me.

We are now 6 months from initial breakout, four months since things got serious in the US. We have a lot of data on case counts, hospitalization rates, and fatalities. We know who is at risk and who has a risk equal to the flu or less than the flu (kids under 20). Overall, and to adults 50-65, it does appear the risk could be 3 times the flu. Since we tend to worry close to 0 about influenza in the workplace and schools, lets use 3*near zero for what we should be feeling - yet there seems to be fear of certain death of at least one teacher in a school.

I'm already digressing. We have had data for a while now, a lot of data at this point. I see people in essential business back at work and using precautions. Health care workers, police, fire, grocery stores, restaurants - you name it. Most businesses are open and operating with caution. Masks are required and people encouraged to social distance.

I see teens working in grocery stores, working in fast food. These are high school age and out working in buildings with coworkers and the public. I see kids in daycare. I see kids in summer camps. Kids are playing youth sports. All using precautions, but functioning in many non essential settings.

My wife is in health care and works directly with the elderly. She visits personal homes but also large skilled nursing or assisted living facilities. End of March, April - her work near zero. Places shut down to protect elderly, we got it. After 4, 5 weeks - patients regressing physically. Patients very depressed, even suicidal. These patients need treatments, or they have no quality of life. As a result, facilities and families opened the homes to allow the elderly to be treated. They are at some level
Of risk when health care employees visit, my wife and coworkers are also at risk when working hands on with patients in these facilities. However, it is deemed necessary and for the greater good of the patients.

These elderly patients are at MUCH MORE risk from the virus when compared to 18 and under youth. My wife and her coworkers are at equal risk as any group of educators, their ages run full gamut and they are working indoors and hands on with patients. It is deemed essential.

Yet, now we have kids not at risk of illness who are regressing. Not physically, but intellectually. Emotionally. Socially. And yet we can provide them the essential education - both found in books and among groups of peers - that they need?

The cluster **** of poor leadership, or lack of coordinated educational guidance, is ridiculous. They don't know what to do? They don't have PpE? They think teachers and kids are guaranteed to die? Have they not been living this with the rest of us? I could put together a reasonable plan, at least fit for review and critique, that's seems far advanced to these school districts just saying "there's and outbreak and we aren't ready so we'll keep
Watching". Watching to what end? What is their plan? If no plan now, how in 6 weeks?

This is unacceptable, do your job. Educate the kids. Like every other ****ing business allowed to operate, out procedures and plans in place and execute. Like other countries who seem to be able to pull off education of their youth even in current environment.

Sorry for the rant, I've not been this frustrated since this all started.

Thank you for capturing exactly how I feel. Agree 100% with everything you wrote.

Complete Idiot said:

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The more schools I see delaying in person attendance, and the more I think about it, the more frustrated I get. And angry.

I've been very understanding of worldwide decisions throughout this pandemic. It's a weird situation and we didn't have perfect information from the get go, around the world governments acted with caution in light of the unknown. I get that - be safe, father data, proceed with caution. Sure, in hindsight that can be picked apart now or ten years from now. But knowing what we knew, or didn't know, at the beginning it was all understandable to me.

We are now 6 months from initial breakout, four months since things got serious in the US. We have a lot of data on case counts, hospitalization rates, and fatalities. We know who is at risk and who has a risk equal to the flu or less than the flu (kids under 20). Overall, and to adults 50-65, it does appear the risk could be 3 times the flu. Since we tend to worry close to 0 about influenza in the workplace and schools, lets use 3*near zero for what we should be feeling - yet there seems to be fear of certain death of at least one teacher in a school.

I'm already digressing. We have had data for a while now, a lot of data at this point. I see people in essential business back at work and using precautions. Health care workers, police, fire, grocery stores, restaurants - you name it. Most businesses are open and operating with caution. Masks are required and people encouraged to social distance.

I see teens working in grocery stores, working in fast food. These are high school age and out working in buildings with coworkers and the public. I see kids in daycare. I see kids in summer camps. Kids are playing youth sports. All using precautions, but functioning in many non essential settings.

My wife is in health care and works directly with the elderly. She visits personal homes but also large skilled nursing or assisted living facilities. End of March, April - her work near zero. Places shut down to protect elderly, we got it. After 4, 5 weeks - patients regressing physically. Patients very depressed, even suicidal. These patients need treatments, or they have no quality of life. As a result, facilities and families opened the homes to allow the elderly to be treated. They are at some level
Of risk when health care employees visit, my wife and coworkers are also at risk when working hands on with patients in these facilities. However, it is deemed necessary and for the greater good of the patients.

These elderly patients are at MUCH MORE risk from the virus when compared to 18 and under youth. My wife and her coworkers are at equal risk as any group of educators, their ages run full gamut and they are working indoors and hands on with patients. It is deemed essential.

Yet, now we have kids not at risk of illness who are regressing. Not physically, but intellectually. Emotionally. Socially. And yet we can provide them the essential education - both found in books and among groups of peers - that they need?

The cluster **** of poor leadership, or lack of coordinated educational guidance, is ridiculous. They don't know what to do? They don't have PpE? They think teachers and kids are guaranteed to die? Have they not been living this with the rest of us? I could put together a reasonable plan, at least fit for review and critique, that's seems far advanced to these school districts just saying "there's and outbreak and we aren't ready so we'll keep
Watching". Watching to what end? What is their plan? If no plan now, how in 6 weeks?

This is unacceptable, do your job. Educate the kids. Like every other ****ing business allowed to operate, out procedures and plans in place and execute. Like other countries who seem to be able to pull off education of their youth even in current environment.

Sorry for the rant, I've not been this frustrated since this all started.

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Yes. Exactly. Education is essential and virtual class from home isn't education. Schools need to operate like every other essential business, take precautions, and open the doors. This ostrich approach they're all taking is absolute garbage.

Nailed it.

So question to all you non doctors who are experts in this whole thing..why aren't you with all your wisdom consulting with the Governor and TEA?

Charpie said:

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So question to all you non doctors who are experts in this whole thing..why aren't you with all your wisdom consulting with the Governor and TEA?

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This can't be a serious question can it? Who are you even talking to? Me? I have a job. I've been going in to do my job, my company makes process automation systems for companies like Moderna, Lonza, and all the companies that provide you energy and array of other consumer products we've all needed or not needed, just enjoyed, throughout the pandemic. My company since April has had a mask policy, marked stairwells as up or down traffic only, taped off pathways to walk, or places to stand, for moving around the building, the cafeteria, standing to wait for the elevator, in the elevator. Designated seating in. Conference rooms. Deployed sanitizer stands throughout the buildings. Limited people in break rooms and other common areas. Stepped up janitorial services for sanitization. On and on. Since April, so we can do our jobs and feel as protected as possible. Yet my kids can't go to school in august since they have no plans for ppe or any idea of how to pull this off in an acceptably safe manner. Why? Why are schools behind nearly any other workplace? Why are youth sports and camps allowed in person, but not an educational facility? Why can my kid get a job at whataburger but not be allowed on their schools's campus?

Do you have anything to add to the conversation other than a ridiculous question with an obvious answer?

No I wasn't talking to you.

I'm just really tired of people flat out complaining about everything everyone does. I mean, people posts graphs and charts and the like, and flat out complain about how things are being handled with no real solutions. And this is coming from someone who wants their kid in school, too. My daughter misses her friends, her coaches and teachers. She misses the rigor that is school. ON THE SAME THOUGHT, I understand that kids 15 and over can carry this crap more than the young ones.

YET, OUR LEADERS KEEP SAYING NO GO ONLINE ONLY. So if I'm looking at all that we know, and you STILL see leaders acting in the way that they are, it makes me sit back and wonder why?

Charpie said:

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So question to all you non doctors who are experts in this whole thing..why aren't you with all your wisdom consulting with the Governor and TEA?

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For the same reason I don't complain to the TABC about shutting down the breweries that make over 50% on food...I don't have that lobbyist money.

Government does the bidding of the highest bidder.

It isnt about safety or education or anything else other than money. It's always money.

I will tell you all what just chaps my ass infinite. To hear the "administrators" and others involved in education bemoan the fact that there will be hazards and risks associated with going back to school, like if multitudes of others were not and had not been facing these risks day in and day out since this whole fiasco started.

I run a manufacturing facility in Mexico and starting the last week in March we basically worked 22 days straight through making isolation gowns for the big ass CDC push that went on. All of us in our facility were working 14 to 18 hours days to rush fabric in and get these goods out as fast as they possibly could be gotten. Nobody was missing work, we were doing the best we could to distance and employ the precautions that we could.

Our workers make about, take home, $70-90 USD per week (48 hours), more with OT and bonuses during this run up. But they left kids at home, as Mexico cancelled school as well, as well as other family members. Sure, they did it and I did it to keep our jobs, but a major driving factor was that we knew that every gown we made was badly needed and if we didn't do what we had to do we might be making this grave situation last a little longer.

All across 3rd world countries people busted their asses for low wages so that the US could have PPE, as there was no production capability to speak of in the US and China had cut the US off from many finished goods and raw materials. The gowns we made were made out of re-finished bed sheets that were originally for hotels and were re-finished and liquid proofed.

We are still making PPE, in hard and somewhat dangerous conditions. The big difference in all of this is that educators have the luxury to get paid to stay at home and the school systems can just say "too dangerous" and they have relieved themselves of any exposure, both physical and moral (in their eyes).

I wonder how all the doc's and nurses and others would have felt if everyone making their stuff, and for the record most of what flooded in was made in places that typically didn't make these goods, would have just said "too dangerous and risky".

These education public servants, and that is what they are as they take public money, need to strap on a pair of balls like the rest of us and do what they can, and at least try, to make things as normal as possible.

This is a huge copout to me by the TEA and most school districts.

Charpie said:

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I can't even imagine how hard this is for parents of little kids. Or special needs kids. This **** sucks donkey balls no doubt. And as the parent of a senior who is also visually impaired, it's been hard to watch her hopes of having, what should have been, AMAZING year go down the drain. She should be starting summer band! Their band was going to Grand Nationals. She should be getting ready to lead her girls cross
cross country team as captain but that's on hold. So I get it. I get all of the frustration. I'm just as frustrated. My friends are all opting to keep their kids home and choosing online learning. And we are choosing to send her to school because SHE NEEDS TO HAVE SOME SEMBLANCE OF NORMALCY. But nothing is normal anymore. To hear her band director say, "If I were free to start summer band, I would do it in a heart beat..OUTSIDE...with a bullhorn," is freaking sobering. Because this isn't just about me, or what I want, or what my kid wants.

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Honest question, why does our wants not matter? Why don't we get a voice in this situation? The administration isn't going to sit around and sing Kumbaya with us. It is not selfish to want a better plan of action then "Well, let's revisit after Labor Day because we don't know what this should look like yet." If I ever told a boss that I hadn't started a major project a month before the deadline and that I needed three more weeks just to draft the guidelines, I would have been fired on the spot. Why are we accepting their inaction as part of the greater good?

jopatura said:

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Charpie said:

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So question to all you non doctors who are experts in this whole thing..why aren't you with all your wisdom consulting with the Governor and TEA?

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I mean they aren't even consulting with the Board of Trustees, who we actually vote for. I don't think any of the various hands of education are actually putting heads together from what I've seen.

The system has gotten way too bloated though and this has made it painfully obvious. Education reform is badly need in Texas. Districts and schools need to be slashed to better serve their local communities. No more 6,000 student high schools.

If someone knows how to start getting involved, please let me know. My kids are just starting their education, but I'm about to make it my life's mission to be at every PTO meeting, every town hall forum, and meet every administrator my daughters come across. They need me to sub to get back in the classroom, call me. I'm so angry.

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I am glad you want to take part. Its obvious that you care a lot and are frustrated. You have every right to be upset.

Start by attending school board meetings. That is how to get a good idea of what is going on. A warning, they are really boring. the last one I was at (in person) went from 630 pm to 1am. But its how to find out whats going on. Also get comfortable with speaking at the meetings. Every meeting will have a public comment section. Most boards wont respond but give you 3-5 minutes to talk about whatever you want. Start making inroads with board members. Call and email them when you are unhappy. In my experience, most people don't give a **** what teachers think. School boards and Principals really perk up when parents get involved though. There is so much that stakeholders never participate in. I've been on 5 different textbook adoption committees. Not once has a parent or member of the public come to review the books we choose.


So if you want to get involved, start contacting board members and attending board meetings. It also wouldnt hurt to email the TEA

Not sure if posted yet, but Port Neches Groves ISD is going full in-person and not offering virtual schooling.