I will continue to update this post.
- How exactly is the "masks for the unvaccinated only" policy supposed to be implemented in secondary schools? Are you imagining an honor code system (which was such a failure when implemented nationally)? Are you under the impression that staff will have a record available to them of which students are vaccinated and which are not? Is the expectation that they then will individually tell students who are not vaccinated that they must wear masks, while not doing so for those who they have evidence are vaccinated? Will they have this list memorized for their over 100 students each? Who keeps track in the hallways? What is the consequence for a student who is unmasked who is unvaccinated in this scenario?
- As all students are now required to come back full time and thus no spacing is possible (or even noted all that heavily in the guidance), how is lunch working? What about elementary student snacktime?
- The guidance recommends continued student testing. Many districts have declined to participate due to how unmanageable the system is. What changes and additional supports has the state made to make the system more accessible to districts? Is the state dedicating funding to this for this school year?
- For districts that are doing testing, the guidance imagines that districts will do a 'test and stay' policy for students who we know have been exposed to COVID. As we also know that tests aren't positive immediately upon exposure, and that those in that stage can still spread it, how exactly is this cutting down or even stopping the spread of the illness?
- Obviously, students not attending school when they are sick is more important than ever. It is also clear that quarantine will still be necessary in some scenarios. How is the state adjusting a) remote learning options and b) attendance accountability status to reflect that students may well not attend school for appropriate health concerns?
- What further efforts is the state making to get those who are ages 12 and up vaccinated? When can we expect DPH to require such a vaccination for school attendance?
- What is the state doing to get staff vaccinated?
- Will there be further guidance coming regarding sports, particularly those held indoors or requiring close contact among participants?
What are the options for parents who do not feel comfortable sending their students to school with unmasked individuals?
ReplyDeleteThe guidance addresses students. What are the recommendations for vaccinated staff that interact with unvaccinated students?
Please try to operationalize this guidance in a middle school where the younger students will be required to wear masks and the older ones will not. How will this create a welcoming culture? I thought that I wear a mask so I do not spread to you. So, if I could spread and I will be in a building with any unvaccinated individual, why am I not wearing a mask?
What are the consequences of not wearing a mask when required?
Excellent questions! Glad you mentioned youth sports. I'd add:
ReplyDelete* School pooled COVID testing: for schools relying on parent volunteers to administer tests, who will be monitoring vaccination status of those volunteers? will COVID test administrators be informed when specific students/staff or specific classrooms are following "test and stay" protocol so volunteers can take additional precautions? with pooled testing, we expect few people to test positive and are putting ten swabs in each vial to save money. will the state pay for individual PCR tests on the day of the pooled test for all those who have been told they're a close contact? otherwise, we could frequently be informing ten people to quarantine until they can get the follow-up Rapid BinaxNOW test that is less reliable than PCR.
* Test and Stay: given greater transmission of Delta variant, what distance and time period will determine whether someone is a close contact? will non-close-contacts be told how many people in a given classroom are "testing and staying"? how about fellow school bus riders? What is plan for substitute teachers when an elementary classroom is filled with unvaccinated "testing and staying" kids? Is quarantining after exposure to positive case considered an excused absence?
* What does it look like to "support" families who choose to mask? Is the state rolling out PSAs to protect its Asian & Asian-American students from bullying? to inform families about the prevalence of childhood asthma, childhood cancers, etc. that might prompt families to wear masks and reminders that it's none of their business why other kids are wearing masks?
* Since the state told districts not to offer remote learning, what are admissions deadlines throughout the year/procedures for entering/exiting accredited Commonwealth of MA Virtual Schools? Is there currently a waiting list?
* Many of the communities with very high immunization rates for teens have lots of families who are traveling by plane to vacation in COVID hot spots, lots of kids in cross-district sports leagues and training programs. Some of those communities accept METCO students from Boston or Springfield, where immunization rates are not as high. Does the state have talking points for receiving districts for communicating about reasons for disparate immunization rates (beyond anti-vax sentiment or lack of knowledge and more about hourly wage workers, no sick time for recovering from vaccine esp since symptoms are worse if one had COVID during the year, etc). I worry about potential suburban hostility to kids whose families genuinely faced more barriers to getting immunized through no fault of their own and could be perceived as bringing more risk into the buildings.