AISD's (and other districts) Plans for Schools Starting August 18

[fattyflattie 4639]

35 minutes ago, J.R. Juniors Junior Jr. said:

AISD responded yesterday.  It's on!

Got something similar from Fort Bend this eve, but with a bit more guarded language on the contract tracing part. 

[cactusflinthead 27598]

43 minutes ago, smoky said:

@trauma babe, @cactusflinthead wants me to ask if you got a lot of kids in the hospital with covid?  Also check yes or no if you like him.

 

[ ] yes

[ ] no

Yeah.

Ok. 

You seem to think it's going great. Ask her how it's going.

[safe sex 11697]

2 hours ago, smoky said:

@trauma babe, @cactusflinthead wants me to ask if you got a lot of kids in the hospital with covid?  Also check yes or no if you like him.

 

[ ] yes

[ ] no

I don't work at Dell Children's so I can't say anything about how many kids they have admitted with COVID, but four is more than earlier in the pandemic.

We went from zero ICU COVID patients to 66% full of COVID pts in our medical ICU in about two weeks. Three or four were admitted just last night. No telling what it is tonight, but I promise it's more than the twenty that were there when I left on Saturday morning. Many of them under 40. Some in their 30s. A few in their 20s. There are fewer nurses right now in Austin than there were previously in the pandemic, and we seem to lose more every week. We can't hire new nurses and train them fast enough. There's a rumor going around that our "cost of living raise" that has long been promised is going to be about +$0.02/hr to our current hourly rates, which are already the worst in Texas when adjusted for CoL. I don't know if the hospital systems have the money to pay for the huge travel contracts ($100+/hr) that got us a lot of extra sub-par nurses to help out last summer.

We didn't have the vaccine last summer. We didn't have a safe, reliable, and effective tool to dramatically weaken the spread of the virus. But now we do. We have a way out. And so many of our fellow citizens spit in our faces with their attitudes towards public health and the collective good, all because their second cousin on Facebook heard from their co-worker's best friend that the vaccine caused someone to have a stroke. Meanwhile, we are treating patients for strokes that were caused by COVID. 

I try my very best to put myself in my patients' shoes when I'm caring for them, because that's the only way I know how to be a good nurse. But over the last three nights, I frittered away our available ICU beds for scooter accidents (corporate CEO in town for a conference), alcoholics who can't decide if they want to stay in rehab or check into a motel and drink 2L of vodka in six hours, psychotic-with-grief families who are torturing their loved ones against their loved one's legal wishes, or a middle-aged man who snorted a ton of meth six months after a CABG and ignored the increasingly painful symptoms of mesenteric ischemia for three days before coming into the hospital, et al. So many people think that there will always be a hospital bed available for them. They think this mostly because before COVID there always has been.

You can't count on that anymore. You can't count on there being nurses to care for you or your loved ones. Nurses now aren't just leaving to go somewhere else. They are leaving the profession altogether, because you can't escape COVID because at least a third of America believes we are trying to enslave and/or kill them. 

I'm really struggling to maintain my desire to serve. My heart is hardening. I can't wait until I start crying before my shifts again. I did not sign up for this when I became a nurse. None of us did. 

 

[Your Mom 4805]

6 hours ago, trauma babe said:

 I don't know if the hospital systems have the money to pay for the huge travel contracts ($100+/hr) that got us a lot of extra sub-par nurses to help out last summer.

Random side question… is it common for the travel nurses to be sub-par?  If so, why is that?  Lack of consistency with local standard procedures?  Just asking because one of my teenagers is interested in the nursing field and travel nursing is a big reason why. 
 

Thanks for your work. 

[Larry T. Spider 1746]

8 hours ago, trauma babe said:

I don't work at Dell Children's so I can't say anything about how many kids they have admitted with COVID, but four is more than earlier in the pandemic.

We went from zero ICU COVID patients to 66% full of COVID pts in our medical ICU in about two weeks. Three or four were admitted just last night. No telling what it is tonight, but I promise it's more than the twenty that were there when I left on Saturday morning. Many of them under 40. Some in their 30s. A few in their 20s. There are fewer nurses right now in Austin than there were previously in the pandemic, and we seem to lose more every week. We can't hire new nurses and train them fast enough. There's a rumor going around that our "cost of living raise" that has long been promised is going to be about +$0.02/hr to our current hourly rates, which are already the worst in Texas when adjusted for CoL. I don't know if the hospital systems have the money to pay for the huge travel contracts ($100+/hr) that got us a lot of extra sub-par nurses to help out last summer.

We didn't have the vaccine last summer. We didn't have a safe, reliable, and effective tool to dramatically weaken the spread of the virus. But now we do. We have a way out. And so many of our fellow citizens spit in our faces with their attitudes towards public health and the collective good, all because their second cousin on Facebook heard from their co-worker's best friend that the vaccine caused someone to have a stroke. Meanwhile, we are treating patients for strokes that were caused by COVID. 

I try my very best to put myself in my patients' shoes when I'm caring for them, because that's the only way I know how to be a good nurse. But over the last three nights, I frittered away our available ICU beds for scooter accidents (corporate CEO in town for a conference), alcoholics who can't decide if they want to stay in rehab or check into a motel and drink 2L of vodka in six hours, psychotic-with-grief families who are torturing their loved ones against their loved one's legal wishes, or a middle-aged man who snorted a ton of meth six months after a CABG and ignored the increasingly painful symptoms of mesenteric ischemia for three days before coming into the hospital, et al. So many people think that there will always be a hospital bed available for them. They think this mostly because before COVID there always has been.

You can't count on that anymore. You can't count on there being nurses to care for you or your loved ones. Nurses now aren't just leaving to go somewhere else. They are leaving the profession altogether, because you can't escape COVID because at least a third of America believes we are trying to enslave and/or kill them. 

I'm really struggling to maintain my desire to serve. My heart is hardening. I can't wait until I start crying before my shifts again. I did not sign up for this when I became a nurse. None of us did. 

 

Although less traumatic with life and death situations, we are seeing the same staff situation in education. Tons of teachers with enough years to retire walked away last year. Others, with options to do something else, left the field. We are now seeing desirable schools that typically have 100 applicants per job with open positions right now. Lots of classes starting with subs this year. Some of the tougher to staff schools are starting with 5+ vacancies. 

 

[TexArcher 37767]

9 hours ago, trauma babe said:

I don't work at Dell Children's so I can't say anything about how many kids they have admitted with COVID, but four is more than earlier in the pandemic.

We went from zero ICU COVID patients to 66% full of COVID pts in our medical ICU in about two weeks. Three or four were admitted just last night. No telling what it is tonight, but I promise it's more than the twenty that were there when I left on Saturday morning. Many of them under 40. Some in their 30s. A few in their 20s. There are fewer nurses right now in Austin than there were previously in the pandemic, and we seem to lose more every week. We can't hire new nurses and train them fast enough. There's a rumor going around that our "cost of living raise" that has long been promised is going to be about +$0.02/hr to our current hourly rates, which are already the worst in Texas when adjusted for CoL. I don't know if the hospital systems have the money to pay for the huge travel contracts ($100+/hr) that got us a lot of extra sub-par nurses to help out last summer.

We didn't have the vaccine last summer. We didn't have a safe, reliable, and effective tool to dramatically weaken the spread of the virus. But now we do. We have a way out. And so many of our fellow citizens spit in our faces with their attitudes towards public health and the collective good, all because their second cousin on Facebook heard from their co-worker's best friend that the vaccine caused someone to have a stroke. Meanwhile, we are treating patients for strokes that were caused by COVID. 

I try my very best to put myself in my patients' shoes when I'm caring for them, because that's the only way I know how to be a good nurse. But over the last three nights, I frittered away our available ICU beds for scooter accidents (corporate CEO in town for a conference), alcoholics who can't decide if they want to stay in rehab or check into a motel and drink 2L of vodka in six hours, psychotic-with-grief families who are torturing their loved ones against their loved one's legal wishes, or a middle-aged man who snorted a ton of meth six months after a CABG and ignored the increasingly painful symptoms of mesenteric ischemia for three days before coming into the hospital, et al. So many people think that there will always be a hospital bed available for them. They think this mostly because before COVID there always has been.

You can't count on that anymore. You can't count on there being nurses to care for you or your loved ones. Nurses now aren't just leaving to go somewhere else. They are leaving the profession altogether, because you can't escape COVID because at least a third of America believes we are trying to enslave and/or kill them. 

I'm really struggling to maintain my desire to serve. My heart is hardening. I can't wait until I start crying before my shifts again. I did not sign up for this when I became a nurse. None of us did. 

 

Heartbreaking to read.  Thank you for your service.  

[safe sex 11697]

13 hours ago, Your Mom said:

Random side question… is it common for the travel nurses to be sub-par?  If so, why is that?  Lack of consistency with local standard procedures?  Just asking because one of my teenagers is interested in the nursing field and travel nursing is a big reason why. 
 

Thanks for your work. 

Like you mentioned, travelers have a lack of familiarity with facility protocols, layout, physicians, supply locations, etc. This can be mitigated with time, but most travel nurses only stay in a place for 6-12 weeks. By the time they're somewhat fluent in the local language, they're gone. Some—certainly not all, but some—travel nurses use that small window of time and assumed lack of institutional knowledge to get away with working 50% as hard as the rest of us do. I think I've mentioned it before, but the staff nurses end up having to do a lot of hand holding for travel nurses: putting in orders, setting up equipment, finding the right physician to page, helping their logistical flow, etc. While we do these things for them, they make three times our hourly rate, and at the first peak of the pandemic last winter, it was occasionally up to five times.

Now that we are in a deeper and more desperate point in the pandemic, another issue has grown with travel nurses: many of them are extremely inexperienced. Staffing agencies need bodies, and since more and more nurses are leaving nursing entirely, they've had to relax their standards when it comes to new hires. Last summer, when FEMA was sending nurses to Austin, we had people who were less than a year out of nursing school making at least $200/hr who weren't comfortable with critical care patients. They didn't have experience titrating vasoactive drugs or assisting with intubations and other routine and essential ICU interventions. I saw one FEMA nurse give an IM injection with a blunt tip needle, which are generally designed to not puncture skin, much less muscle. Private staffing companies aren't exempt either. One private travel nurse told me that this was her first ever ICU assignment, as she had been a med/surg nurse prior to this contract. That is fucking insane and incredibly dangerous. 

Someone is paying for those nurses, but our administrators tell us over and over again that there just isn't any money to raise staff pay and retain experienced nurses who are dedicated to their community.  Meanwhile:

https://www.kxan.com/news/local/austin/3-ascension-texas-hospitals-to-pay-20-9-million-in-fines-for-alleged-kickbacks/

It's a mystery.

 

 

 

[Larry T. Spider 1746]

Terrible time to have a non-covid related medical emergency. The list of shit that could go wrong is never ending in this situation. 

People over 12 that aren’t vaxed and get covid should be diverted to the tent hospitals unless they have a damn good reason for not getting it.

[Nolacycling 893]

Teachers report tomorrow.  I have no doubt that the covid policies presented tomorrow will be different by Friday. Then it will be hold your breath to see who shows on Monday.

[Cap33 384]

11 hours ago, Nolacycling said:

Teachers report tomorrow.  I have no doubt that the covid policies presented tomorrow will be different by Friday. Then it will be hold your breath to see who shows on Monday.

And AISD board is having a special meeting tonight to discuss Covid safety protocols.

Edited August 9, 2021 by Cap33

[CooterBrown 18004]

At meet the teacher on Monday, I'm going to ask my kid's two teachers if they're vaccinated.  Should be interesting. 

[mdmost 42999]

DISD just sent out an email that they're temporarily requiring masks again starting 8/10 for all staff, students, and visitors. That's a relief for us given our 11 year old doesn't have the vaccine. 

[atomheartbevo 89628]

Dallas doing it.  Houston probably doing it.  Austin possibly doing it.

Here's hoping cooler heads prevail and don't fight school districts wanting to enforce masks, given how many kids aren't vaccinated.

[cactusflinthead 27598]

Yeah, I have been hoping cooler heads prevail for a while.

Ain't seeing it. Incoming litigation and threats of withholding funds are more likely.

[South Austin 52454]

Looks like Houston, Dallas, and Austin (maybe San Antonio, too) are daring Abbott/Paxton to sue them. 

[Nivek 16923]

On 8/7/2021 at 5:37 PM, hookemATL said:

I have meet the teacher Tuesday evening. It will go a long way to inform our decision on what the next move is for my oldest. I cannot fathom doing 1st grade virtually after doing all of kindergarten from home for 2020-2021, but here we are. Mostly I’m just worried about her missing out, and then also worried about the risk shall she go in person as has been our plan.

fuck this timeline. 

First Grade virtually is fairly easy.  It is engaging, and the work is simple enough that the only real aid I needed to provide was spelling test study habits.  3rd Grade was much more involved.  Kid had projects, homework, switching teachers, meeting rooms, and was expected to look up and manage it on his own,  most lack the maturity to do this.  Now it is on to the 4th grade.   

The big drawback is in handwriting for the 1st grade.   This fell through the crack.

[atomheartbevo 89628]

1 hour ago, cactusflinthead said:

Yeah, I have been hoping cooler heads prevail for a while.

Ain't seeing it. Incoming litigation and threats of withholding funds are more likely.

There's kids ending up in hospitals, and millions of kids under the age of 12 are not vaccinated.

It was easy by certain people to make certain decisions on mask mandates back before places like Houston were having to airlift an infant to fucking Temple because they were out of pediatric ICU beds.

Parents want their kids back in school.  Outbreaks at schools because a smaller group of parents don't think it's a big deal and that masks aren't needed is going to piss of the larger group of parents.  If we get another year of kids going to school, coming home for virtual for a few weeks (or month or two), going to school, coming home for virtual for a few weeks, is going to piss people off well into next year.  

Edited August 9, 2021 by atomheartbevo

[cactusflinthead 27598]

If all Abbott needs is a thousand and the ability to crow to his base then fine.

Let the locals take the heat and he gets to campaign on it?

Ok. It's fucked up, but ok.

[hookemATL 11702]

1 hour ago, Nivek said:

First Grade virtually is fairly easy.  It is engaging, and the work is simple enough that the only real aid I needed to provide was spelling test study habits.  3rd Grade was much more involved.  Kid had projects, homework, switching teachers, meeting rooms, and was expected to look up and manage it on his own,  most lack the maturity to do this.  Now it is on to the 4th grade.   

The big drawback is in handwriting for the 1st grade.   This fell through the crack.

Thanks for the insight. Mostly I’m just hoping for any kind of actual school experience for her sake.  She is a social butterfly and I know that she will really thrive academically (to her credit she did so well for virtual kinder). 
 

And not to mention that trying to work and be a teachers aide during her school day was really tough/mentally exhausting.

[miguelito 11254]

I bet we have $1000 in the wreath fund. Could Surly "sponsor" a school district?

[atomheartbevo 89628]

Just now, miguelito said:

I bet we have $1000 in the wreath fund. Could Surly "sponsor" a school district?

Maybe a $1,000 a day.  Which could be taken care of with a quick GoFundMe.  There's enough parents in AISD desperate  to keep the schools open and their kids in class.

[TexArcher 37767]

9 hours ago, South Austin said:

Looks like Houston, Dallas, and Austin (maybe San Antonio, too) are daring Abbott/Paxton to sue them. 

And there's no way Abbott can stand up to all of them.

[Deej 76755]

1 minute ago, TexArcher said:

And there's no way Abbott can stand up to all of them.

[Chewy's Hairy Horn 868]

10 hours ago, South Austin said:

Looks like Houston, Dallas, and Austin (maybe San Antonio, too) are daring Abbott/Paxton to sue them. 

 

4 hours ago, atomheartbevo said:

Maybe a $1,000 a day.  Which could be taken care of with a quick GoFundMe.  There's enough parents in AISD desperate  to keep the schools open and their kids in class.

I’d imagine these districts can find 180,000 without a problem.
 

Cheaper than buying iPads and remote education software licenses for students.  

[Larry T. Spider 1746]

Masks now officially required.

[Radical Larry 28561]

Eat a dick, Abbott. 

[wood 11225]

Anything official re: AISD requiring masks? All I can find is that they're requiring them on buses and that parents and teachers are all for a mask requirement.

[Radical Larry 28561]

 

[Captainant 27637]

18 minutes ago, wood said:

Anything official re: AISD requiring masks? All I can find is that they're requiring them on buses and that parents and teachers are all for a mask requirement.

Required in all campuses and district offices

[wood 11225]

21 minutes ago, Captainant said:

Required in all campuses and district offices

Thanks. Just got the email, too. My wife (no pics, 2nd grade teacher) will be happy.

[Texas Jeff 1945]

1 hour ago, Larry T. Spider said:

Masks now officially required.

I'm OK with masks being required indoors and outdoors if the numbers are bad.  Once the numbers drop, outdoor masks should not be required.  Once they drop more, indoor masks should not be required.  Maybe the rules should be different for schools with kids less than the vaccinated age.

However, if they can require masks in defiance of a state order, why can't they just require kids to be vaccinated unless they have a medical condition that prevents it?  Put all the unvaccinated middle and high school kids in one school.  Sounds harsh but I really want this thing to be over.  A school with 100% vaccinated faculty, staff and students would not have a COVID problem.

We have a fix for this problem sitting in the fridge at CVS.

Edited August 10, 2021 by Texas Jeff

[Your Mom 4805]

7 hours ago, Texas Jeff said:

However, if they can require masks in defiance of a state order, why can't they just require kids to be vaccinated unless they have a medical condition that prevents it?

That will be a lot lot easier to do when the vaccine gets full FDA approval. 

[ZB'Tejas 593]

8 hours ago, Texas Jeff said:

I'm OK with masks being required indoors and outdoors if the numbers are bad.  Once the numbers drop, outdoor masks should not be required.  Once they drop more, indoor masks should not be required.  Maybe the rules should be different for schools with kids less than the vaccinated age.

However, if they can require masks in defiance of a state order, why can't they just require kids to be vaccinated unless they have a medical condition that prevents it?  Put all the unvaccinated middle and high school kids in one school.  Sounds harsh but I really want this thing to be over.  A school with 100% vaccinated faculty, staff and students would not have a COVID problem.

We have a fix for this problem sitting in the fridge at CVS.

It's not just kids though... This would be mandating masks among teacher and staff which is one of the reasons Elementary school parents were on edge. Kids could not be vaccinated there however teachers could pass to the child which passes on to the parents and so on. I was planning on sending my little one to K with a mask regardless so I guess this is no skin off my back but the battle will end up being a distraction.

However I would hope this spikes and comes down quick so needing the mask is short lived so they can get back to proper interaction and learning.

[utee94 15807]

We're in LISD and I told my kids that they should wear masks.  They said, "Sure."  They're fine with it, it's no big deal to them at all.

They're not toddlers, they're 11 and 13 yo (and the 13 yo is vaccinated), so they get it and have no issues with it.

Currently LISD is suggesting masks but not requiring them.  But sometimes, once AISD and RRISD make a move, LISD will follow.  

[Kringelbert Fishtybuns 943]

The principal sent out an update email for masks, meet the teacher, etc. this afternoon.  The first comment, which was not anonymous, was the following
 

“Will our children be able to ignore or break school rules or policies they don’t agree with or feel like following?”

I assumed it was in jest and laughed heartily.  My wife believes it to be serious which causes my brain to hurt.

[Bevo Num1 1011]

Next response should've been "Fuck around and find out."

[Samson's Wig 3191]

26 minutes ago, Kringelbert Fishtybuns said:

The principal sent out an update email for masks, meet the teacher, etc. this afternoon.  The first comment, which was not anonymous, was the following
 

“Will our children be able to ignore or break school rules or policies they don’t agree with or feel like following?”

I assumed it was in jest and laughed heartily.  My wife believes it to be serious which causes my brain to hurt.

Why do people suck so fucking much?  Holy shit.

[JesusSweatDuck 17781]

48 minutes ago, utee94 said:

We're in LISD and I told my kids that they should wear masks.  They said, "Sure."  They're fine with it, it's no big deal to them at all.

They're not toddlers, they're 11 and 13 yo (and the 13 yo is vaccinated), so they get it and have no issues with it.

Currently LISD is suggesting masks but not requiring them.  But sometimes, once AISD and RRISD make a move, LISD will follow.  

Also in LISD with kids the same ages.  Their reaction is the same.  The oldest is doing it to show support for the younger one who can't be vaccinated.

[GTX Horn 1708]

35 minutes ago, Kringelbert Fishtybuns said:

The principal sent out an update email for masks, meet the teacher, etc. this afternoon.  The first comment, which was not anonymous, was the following
 

“Will our children be able to ignore or break school rules or policies they don’t agree with or feel like following?”

I assumed it was in jest and laughed heartily.  My wife believes it to be serious which causes my brain to hurt.

Ugh. Rules are rules for a reason and breaking the rules has consequences. You can’t just opt-out of rules in life. These kids with parents like that are being raised to fail.

[Muy Frio 182]

On 8/7/2021 at 5:37 PM, hookemATL said:

I have meet the teacher Tuesday evening. It will go a long way to inform our decision on what the next move is for my oldest. I cannot fathom doing 1st grade virtually after doing all of kindergarten from home for 2020-2021, but here we are. Mostly I’m just worried about her missing out, and then also worried about the risk shall she go in person as has been our plan.

fuck this timeline. 

Unless your first grader has some comorbidities, then it’s highly unlikely that they’ll get very sick even if they contract it. 

[Kel Varnsen 8458]

Glad you're willing to chance the health of your child.

[hookemATL 11702]

1 minute ago, Muy Frio said:

Unless your first grader has some comorbidities, then it’s highly unlikely that they’ll get very sick even if they contract it. 

WELL ALLS WELL THEN COOL THXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

[StruggleBus 3922]

15 minutes ago, Kel Varnsen said:

Glad you're willing to chance the health of your child.

Oh fuck off

[Kel Varnsen 8458]

Same to you!

[Wulaw Horn 19068]

41 minutes ago, Kel Varnsen said:

Glad you're willing to chance the health of your child.

You do realize anytime they leave their room they are risking their own health on some level, right?  Everything in this world is a risk including wrapping your kids in bubble rap and keeping them shut up in their room (I learned that from watching Tangled with my daughters).  The question should be, "is it an acceptable level of risk?" I have 3 under 10. There's nothing I wouldn't do for them. We live our entire lives with- is this good for their long term physical, mental, emotional and spiritual development.  That doesn't mean that we can (or even try to) remove all risks from their lives.   

Edited August 10, 2021 by Wulaw Horn

[Kel Varnsen 8458]

NVM... not sure why I even posted in this forum. I must have been out of my mind. Carry on.

Edited August 10, 2021 by Kel Varnsen

[Kel Varnsen 8458]

2 minutes ago, Kel Varnsen said:

dbl

 

Edited August 10, 2021 by Kel Varnsen

[Nivek 16923]

On 8/9/2021 at 1:18 PM, hookemATL said:

Thanks for the insight. Mostly I’m just hoping for any kind of actual school experience for her sake.  She is a social butterfly and I know that she will really thrive academically (to her credit she did so well for virtual kinder). 
 

And not to mention that trying to work and be a teachers aide during her school day was really tough/mentally exhausting.

Kids are pretty tough and much tougher than we give them credit for.   My daughter is also very social and one of her favorite things was to see her friend's homes pre-pandemic.   My kids enjoyed the last 6 weeks of school (in person) compared to the first 5 weeks of virtual last time.  Our littlest loved daycare and our oldest enjoyed school as well once he got into the groove.  If anything,  I am hoping this fosters an appreciation for school for kids.

I am also appreciative that our LDs are relatively mild in our house (behind on reading, advanced on math),  I cannot imagine how difficult it would be for parents with more severe LDs. 

[Hanrahan 1306]

8 minutes ago, Kel Varnsen said:

NVM... not sure why I even posted in this forum. I must have been out of my mind. Carry on.

Thank you for leaving.

[Wulaw Horn 19068]

10 minutes ago, Kel Varnsen said:

NVM... not sure why I even posted in this forum. I must have been out of my mind. Carry on.

More kids died in 2019 of strep throat than died in 2020 of Covid.  

More kids died walking to school, riding a bus or riding in a car to and from school in 2019 than died in 2020 of Covid.  
 

There's a greater than 0% chance one of my littles will get covid and die or get seriously hospitalized. There is a greater chance my wife kills herself and all of my kids at once by getting run over by the train or turning in front of a semi truck while transporting them to or from school. It's one of my nightmares and it wakes me up probably once a month in a panic and cold sweat. Nobody likes to think about the idea of their kids being at risk in any way.  Yet to breathe is to be at risk of something bad happening to you at any time.  Thankfully, this thing has mostly spared children.