7.15.2020 RAC Orange County COVID Weekly Meeting Notes



Here is the dashboard link if you want to click through to COVID Resources in English or Spanish,need to download a flyer or want to take the free Contact Tracing Course.

Here is the link to the notes from tonight's 7.15.2020 Weekly Community COVID Meeting Report. Please respond with corrections or additions by replying to the email that has this message. THE FREE TEST CENTER INFORMATION IS IN THAT REPORT. They are also on the COVID tracking map.

ACTION ITEMS:

• Share next week's flyer with teachers and invite teachers to show up with their students. The call in information is on the dashboard.
• Follow the School Board Decision-Making process: Friday 9:00am the School Bd Decision will be made. The OCPS website will carry it. 
• The Children's March
• July 18th Children's March at 10am is an event to support children and youth to bring up those issues that concern them. We will pass out masks to those who do not have them and social distancing will be observed. Need assistance with livestreaming the march. Here is the flyer about How to Protect Yourself in Large Gatherings and Crowds

Information about the Orange County Schools Discussion on School Openings

There are 3 options being offered for students:

• A face to face option, where students attend their school
• Orange County Virtual School (students who plan to complete their studies virtually)
• Innovative ***@***.*** Model (Students plan to transition back to school, and are taught by a teacher streaming live from their classroom.)

There is no option for teachers. Teachers are required to report to class.

The county shut down summer programs due to COVID infected faculty and students. They are required to shut down 14 days after a positive case.

Issues

• Parents have to sign a waiver that says they can't sue the school district if their children are positive for COVID.
  • There is a discussion of testing at the school(s).
  • No plan for what they will do if either a student or faculty member is positive. It will be a 14 daay shutdown if it is handled like the Summer Schools.
  • Many parents are concerned abourt child safety but they don't have the technology to support their children learning at home. 
• 50-60% of bus drivers are retired elderly with pre-existing conditions.
• Special Needs Educator: Seminole County is telling teachers they must come in. Virtual was very difficult for parents of special needs students. Teachers became counselors for parents. Students did not grasp how to learn that way. Children can't keep glasses on, so how can we think they wil keep masks on? There is only a draft plan.
• There is no firm guidance about the physical flow of children in the schools. They don't know yet how they will set up the classrooms or the flow of students in the building. The recommendation being used is for 3 to 6 feet of social distancing. What about substitute teaching? If a student tests positive and was going from one room to another to another, then how many people will have been exposed?
• Science Educator: Parents and others don't necessarily understand what is occurring in the classroom. Teachers are very concerned for the welfare of their students. There is no way, even with 5 students in a classroom to do this safely. If there are no windows in the classroom, then those children are in an enclosed space.  With 6 groups of students in and out of the room during the day, children are likely to get infected.
• Parents will send students to school sick. They can't get children tested. The testing age is 18 and older, so how can children be screened? Students use tissues and then touch everything, and they will not social distance. If someone sneezes or coughs everyone is at risk. It's hard to get kids to sit still, to stop throwing things, goofing off with their friends, etc. The masks are an additional distraction.
• There is a misconception that opening schools only mean students have to go to a school. There are 3 options. NY already decided students will not go back until September.
• What can we do? We need to start preparing for virtual schools.

Questions

• Has the plan been adapted to each age group? Answer: No. Child care provider, ES, MS and HS need different plans.

Suggestions 

Train parents so they can support their children and check up to see if they are getting their work done. Parents need to learn how to monitor what the chilkdren are doing online. Physical classrooms are impossible. Education needs to take place at home to keep everyone safe. Special classes were held for parents when there was "new math." We need to be doing that now. 

Concerned Students

There was an education meeting this morining with officials. They are pushing for schools to open even if the time is pushed back. Students want to do a petition because they are concerned that we may lose a child if schools are opened. Putting a child at risk is no joke. We are closing down bars and gyms, but we can open school? There is a Zoom neeting tomorrow with 50 plus kids coming together to speak about possibilities. They need guidance about what they can do. What do the students actually want? We have to do our part to keep everybody safe. High schoolers want a 2 year action plan for the 3 types of schools: ES, MS and HS.. We need to get the kids involved in this conversation. Virtual learning and some hands on may make sense.

More Issues

• There is a digital divide that needs resources to fix. Laptops were provided for students 4th grade to HS but below that the parents were on their own.
• The Teacher Union contract bargaining begins soon. DCF numbers and domestic violence numbers over the past 4 months are being weighed against COVID risk.
• Special needs is a category that doesn't have enough support for parents. Parents don't have the expertise to teach their special needs children. Best results for autistic children are in the first 7 years and time can't be lost. People can't pay for the private tutors to continue the instruction. This is a crucial time for many students in their development. Our ES students just got paperwork sent home and science activities that parents couldn't do with their kids.Parents of special needs children are concerned that their children will regress. We could have the needs of our special needs students met, but no one can be sure that the student and teacher won't get sick.
• The Hispanic community is very hard hit because they have many multi-generational households and essential workers.
• The asymptomatic aspect of this virus is a complicating factor. Someone can be contagious and nobody knows and they can be infecting their friends and other people in the classroom.

The parents have the loudest voice and the most influence over school board decisions.

From the Chat:

"As for a vaccine, even a successful vaccine will not be available to the entire population. It takes time to manufacture enough for 300 million people. From what we've seen from this administration only the elites will get the shot -- assuming it's safe
The kids' opinion needs to carry weight in this discussion"

"The difficulty is so many of our parents don't have the time or background to help their children with school work"

 

 

 

Janice T. Booher

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