Covid-19 report for our public school system

[SocialCircle 570]

We are releasing a report every Friday to the public with this information and here is the info on the report we released today:

# Students: 1822

# Employees: 250

# Positive Cases: 0

% Positive Cases: 0%

# In Quarantine: 32

% In Quarantine: 1.54%

Today completes our 2nd week of school. Those in quarantine were exposed to Covid-19 away from school and must stay quarantined a minimum of 14 days away from school and then be symptom free before they can return to the school building. The total students listed above consists of 1,421 electing in school education with the others online for this 9 weeks or semester.

 

[ToraGirl 5,498]

4 hours ago, SocialCircle said:

We are releasing a report every Friday to the public with this information and here is the info on the report we released today:

# Students: 1822

# Employees: 250

# Positive Cases: 0

% Positive Cases: 0%

# In Quarantine: 32

% In Quarantine: 1.54%

Today completes our 2nd week of school. Those in quarantine were exposed to Covid-19 away from school and must stay quarantined a minimum of 14 days away from school and then be symptom free before they can return to the school building. The total students listed above consists of 1,421 electing in school education with the others online for this 9 weeks or semester.

 

I have jumped from the regular elementary classroom in an affluent district to serving as an ESL teacher (K-8) in the huge Montgomery (AL) public school system.  As our Hispanic population now comprises 25% of the enrollment, the need is huge.  I hear reports from school to school on varying teacher health conditions (but good for the most part); our Superintendent took parent response into account when she/the Board made the decision to be completely virtual.  My four schools range from "in town" to WAYYYYYY out/bandwidth issues in the southernmost part of the county.  Our rural schools are struggling, but they are working so hard to troubleshoot and assure parents that all will be okay.  All this is to say, you have worked hard in your neck of the woods to make the best decisions for your area.  You have a right to be pleased with this data.  We all hope this will be over sooner than it's likely to be.  We're missing hugs, personal connection, and just so much of what brought us into education to begin with.  

[homersapien 11,366]

8 hours ago, ToraGirl said:

I have jumped from the regular elementary classroom in an affluent district to serving as an ESL teacher (K-8) in the huge Montgomery (AL) public school system.  As our Hispanic population now comprises 25% of the enrollment, the need is huge.  I hear reports from school to school on varying teacher health conditions (but good for the most part); our Superintendent took parent response into account when she/the Board made the decision to be completely virtual.  My four schools range from "in town" to WAYYYYYY out/bandwidth issues in the southernmost part of the county.  Our rural schools are struggling, but they are working so hard to troubleshoot and assure parents that all will be okay.  All this is to say, you have worked hard in your neck of the woods to make the best decisions for your area.  You have a right to be pleased with this data.  We all hope this will be over sooner than it's likely to be.  We're missing hugs, personal connection, and just so much of what brought us into education to begin with.  

This is a big problem. This pandemic has highlighted our problem with internet infrastructure, which is evolving into a national security issue IMO.

[jared52 4,354]

1 hour ago, homersapien said:

This is a big problem. This pandemic has highlighted our problem with internet infrastructure, which is evolving into a national security issue IMO.

Hopefully Starlink will be online for the US in 2021 (starting beta now) and then the rest of the world in 2022 and this issue is a thing of the past. Lots of political hurdles to it though. 

[ToraGirl 5,498]

4 hours ago, homersapien said:

This is a big problem. This pandemic has highlighted our problem with internet infrastructure, which is evolving into a national security issue IMO.

When I was making my rounds, I learned that even rural children have DEVICES thanks to school efforts...but the bandwidth in many areas is definitely a smaller stream. When another sibling logs on, one is easily "kicked off." We may each be at opposite ends of what has happened, why, and what now...and whom to blame...but one thing is sure...we're all affected,  and countless others, far worse. As for me, I am now steadfastly in the "Baby Shark" camp. 👀🤣🤣🤣🤣😡😷🦋🌎❤

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=10158742370213707&id=607718706&sfnsn=mo&extid=q6gFxWyMpc3SL45c

[bigbird 60,499]

The HS and JrHs have had a few positives. We've been in for 7 days. Not the start anyone wanted but many expected.

[SocialCircle 570]

On 8/22/2020 at 7:49 AM, homersapien said:

This is a big problem. This pandemic has highlighted our problem with internet infrastructure, which is evolving into a national security issue IMO.

We have taken care of this locally.  It helps, of course, to have a small school system that is a city system instead of a county system.  We have provided every student getting their schooling online chromebooks and we have set up hot spots from ATT and Verizon (depending on which has better signal in the given area) where internet connectivity issues previously existed. 

[AUDub 11,147]

My oldest had to test today, but not as a result of school. Rather, work. One of her co-workers, a fellow sophomore at the high-school, came up positive. Negative, thankfully. 

I've already been tested 3 times now. No positives yet. Worry about it. I work in dialysis, and a positive test will essentially shut down convenient water room support for the state of Alabama.

My cousin has caught it, post-grad Auburn, and is sick on about the level of a severe cold. Another cousin's daughter, also in Auburnis also now sick as a dog with it to. 103 degree fever, trouble breathing etc. She attended sorority rush week.

[SocialCircle 570]

Here is the update for August 28th for our school system which completes our 3rd week back to school:

1829 students

250 employees

10 total positive cases (0.48%) 

114 in precautionary quarantine (5.48%)  

[SocialCircle 570]

We had 4 test positive for Covid-19 this week. This sent 42 into quarantine for 14 days.  We have had no hospitalizations due to Covid-19.  Many of those previously quarantined will be back in school on Wednesday of next week should they be symptom free.  

As a side note, our wonderful staff performed home visits to all of those who allowed it for our students getting their schooling online. Also, some who started online have decided to return to school.  We are up to 85% back in the school building now.  

 

[ToraGirl 5,498]

On 9/4/2020 at 2:55 PM, SocialCircle said:

We had 4 test positive for Covid-19 this week. This sent 42 into quarantine for 14 days.  We have had no hospitalizations due to Covid-19.  Many of those previously quarantined will be back in school on Wednesday of next week should they be symptom free.  

As a side note, our wonderful staff performed home visits to all of those who allowed it for our students getting their schooling online. Also, some who started online have decided to return to school.  We are up to 85% back in the school building now.  

 

Wow! You have a great partnership going, SC. Considering all things, your data here has been consistently impressive. Montgomery is due to get parent input next week via a survey as to whether they want their kids to return in person for the 2nd quarter. We've been strictly virtual. A Vietnamese American I met last week said that he really wants his two back in person. Joyful and humble, he was effusive about recognizing his personal opportunity of life here, flawed as is US society (plus we as part of it). Tremendously schools-supportive. Was a joy to meet him. I look forward to "meeting" my new ESL students next week, too.

[wdefromtx 3,159]

We started back face to face this week. From the looks of things it’s nearly a 50/50 split with online and face to face learning. The kids that are online attend the same class just via video. The district provided Chromebooks and internet access to any student that didn’t have it themselves. 

[SocialCircle 570]

Here is our update for this week.  We had 1 positive test this week and this caused 9 to be quarantined.  Most of those previously quarantined are now back in school.  We have had ZERO hospitalizations. We continue to have several who had originally elected to get their schooling online now returning to the classroom for their schooling.  I can't put into words how proud I am of the plan we put in place and how proud I am of how it has been executed up to this point. Our staff and students are truly awesome!!  

[SLAG-91 1,483]

On 9/9/2020 at 8:36 AM, wdefromtx said:

We started back face to face this week. From the looks of things it’s nearly a 50/50 split with online and face to face learning. The kids that are online attend the same class just via video. The district provided Chromebooks and internet access to any student that didn’t have it themselves. 

Our parents selected their mode of instruction this past week...very interesting results.  Only 13 of my 177 AP Stats students chose F2F.

We're basically doing a hard reset with schedules once our first term is over, so I have no idea what my schedule is going to look like or how I'm delivering it come October 12. We're still virtual until October 5, when kids start coming back to campus. Juniors and seniors come back on October 9, the last day of our first grading period.

F2F for secondary is going full block, which we've never done district-wide before and I've never done in 23 prior years. 

Synchronous online schedule and F2F schedules will not be alike, so I don't think I'll be doing F2F and online simultaneously, anyway. Fingers crossed. 

[SocialCircle 570]

On 9/12/2020 at 6:56 AM, SLAG-91 said:

Our parents selected their mode of instruction this past week...very interesting results.  Only 13 of my 177 AP Stats students chose F2F.

We're basically doing a hard reset with schedules once our first term is over, so I have no idea what my schedule is going to look like or how I'm delivering it come October 12. We're still virtual until October 5, when kids start coming back to campus. Juniors and seniors come back on October 9, the last day of our first grading period.

F2F for secondary is going full block, which we've never done district-wide before and I've never done in 23 prior years. 

Synchronous online schedule and F2F schedules will not be alike, so I don't think I'll be doing F2F and online simultaneously, anyway. Fingers crossed. 

Best of luck to you and to your students. 

[SocialCircle 570]

Here is the update for September 18th. We had ZERO new positive cases this week. We had 9 more who were required to quarantine for 14 days as they were around people outside of school who tested positive. We have had no hospitalizations so far and most of those who tested positive and/or were required to quarantine are already back in school.