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

[atomheartbevo 89621]

https://www.kxan.com/news/texas/texas-school-district-closes-after-2-teachers-die/

Quote

A Texas school district announced Monday evening it will be closing all campuses until Sept. 7 after a second teacher passed away of COVID-19 complications.

Natalia Chansler and David “Andy” McCormick both taught social studies at Connally Independent School District’s junior high school.

Quote

“Although they were in the same content area, they were at two different grade levels in two different portions… of the building,” said Assistant Superintendent Jill Bottelberghe. All staff identified as “close contacts” with a known COVID-19 case are asked to get tested every other day, Bottelberghe said.

All of the district’s campuses are set to be closed for a week and students will do remote learning. Buildings will be deep cleaned and sanitized.

 

[Captainant 27625]

28 minutes ago, Lobo said:

If in-person/non-remote education is so goddamn important to some people, why don't they vaccinate themselves and add another layer of protection to their household so the kid has a (however slight) better chance of not missing two weeks of school with his friends.  No matter your feelings on efficacy, if somebody tells me, "For 10 minutes of your time, your family will have a 10% better chance of not missing school/work due to Covid-19"......I'd do that in a heartbeat

Wow, it's almost like the people who refuse to get vaccinated and reach for any possible excuse from "I've been infected before" or "it's just the flu" or "kids can't get sick from COVID" don't actually give a shit about their child's education and just want to use school boards as their new culture war battleground. 

[atomheartbevo 89621]

https://www.kxan.com/news/education/not-every-school-district-is-testing-students-for-covid-19-anymore/

Quote

However, the reality is not every school district in the area is providing testing services to students.

Burnet CISD, Lake Travis ISD and Eanes ISD only offer COVID-19 tests for staff, not students. There’s not enough staffing to do both, the districts said. Keith McBurnett, the superintendent at Burnet CISD, said existing staff have to be pulled from their work assignments in order to test their colleagues.

 

[CooterBrown 18002]

35 minutes ago, atomheartbevo said:

https://www.kxan.com/news/education/not-every-school-district-is-testing-students-for-covid-19-anymore/

 

Can't have a football season interrupted.

 

[Wulaw Horn 19063]

23 hours ago, Captainant said:

Saw this in /r/Houston.... Kingwood highschool currently has the most student COVID cases in the town, last weekend they had a bigass unmasked party in their school cafeteria

 

Wonder why they've got so many cases....

My district is next door to Kingwood (it's not Kingwood ISD btw- it's Humble ISD which Kingwood is a part of, but not the majority of) and our new cases are through the roof.  3.5% of the students have Covid- that seems really really high.  Wife was at a parent orientation thing last night and they were adamant no masks and no virtual learning (not even setting it up for kids that are quarantining).  She said absolutely nobody seemed bothered by it and that it was a very very small topic of discussion in the otherwise 90 minute meeting.  I think I said I wasn't sure what it would take before my community changed it's mind and I think it's serious hospitalization or death.  Even then I'm not sure that would break through.

I'm curious as to if this is a peak or not. It seems like it probably is, but who knows with this thing. 

[drt 638]

I didn't stay in a holiday inn last night, but if 3.5% of the kids currently have covid, there are no remote learning options, and the community is staunchly against masks, I don't see any way this is the peak.

IMO there's no way the student body in a K-12 school is close to herd immunity with those conditions.  Hope for your sake I'm wrong, and none of the kids become one of the really bad statistics.

[Guest Lobo]

You know how I love to berate a point.  I just do not fucking understand the pushback for a remote learning option for kids under mandatory quarantine.  That could be up to 10 school days under current protocol.  The technology and infrastructure are already there from last year.  I know because I helped haul it from storage sheds back into the classrooms a month ago. 

Don't do two parallel instructional tracks like last year when it was a necessary evil with half the kids in class and half the kids at home.  But you got 4 kids outta 20 at home or 6 outta 22?....what's the fucking harm of them just listening in from home to the lesson plan that day?  Throw 'em a bone and say the last 5 minutes of every hour/every other hour, they can ask/post questions or chat with their friends for a minute.  How is that undermining TEA guidelines?  It's not admitting your side is stupid, it's admitting it's really no trouble at all to let a kid to listen in to math class from their bed.  

Edited September 1, 2021 by Lobo

[conVINCEd 21469]

4 minutes ago, Lobo said:

You know how I love to berate a point.  I just do not fucking understand the pushback for a remote learning option for kids under mandatory quarantine.  That could be up to 10 school days under current protocol.  The technology and infrastructure are already there from last year.  I know because I helped haul it from storage sheds back into the classrooms a month ago. 

Don't do two parallel instructional tracks like last year when it was a necessary evil with half the kids in class and half the kids at home.  But you got 4 kids outta 20 at home or 6 outta 22?....what's the fucking harm of them just listening in from home to the lesson plan that day?  Throw 'em a bone and say the last 5 minutes of every hour/every other hour, they can ask/post questions or chat with their friends for a minute.  How is that undermining TEA guidelines?  It's not admitting your side is stupid, it's admitting it's really no trouble at all to let a kid to listen in to math class from their bed.  

The answer to your question is that the idiots would throw a temper tantrum.

[Born to Run 6569]

I didn't stay in a holiday inn last night, but if 3.5% of the kids currently have covid, there are no remote learning options, and the community is staunchly against masks, I don't see any way this is the peak.
IMO there's no way the student body in a K-12 school is close to herd immunity with those conditions.  Hope for your sake I'm wrong, and none of the kids become one of the really bad statistics.

I have been very pessimistic about this thing the entire time and I have largely been prescient. Underestimating this virus is a bad play. I don't see how this variant has peaked given that the vast majority of the population is doing nothing to mitigate spread, nay, they are taunting this bastard. Do not taunt happy fun covid ball.

[Wulaw Horn 19063]

1 hour ago, Lobo said:

You know how I love to berate a point.  I just do not fucking understand the pushback for a remote learning option for kids under mandatory quarantine.  That could be up to 10 school days under current protocol.  The technology and infrastructure are already there from last year.  I know because I helped haul it from storage sheds back into the classrooms a month ago. 

Don't do two parallel instructional tracks like last year when it was a necessary evil with half the kids in class and half the kids at home.  But you got 4 kids outta 20 at home or 6 outta 22?....what's the fucking harm of them just listening in from home to the lesson plan that day?  Throw 'em a bone and say the last 5 minutes of every hour/every other hour, they can ask/post questions or chat with their friends for a minute.  How is that undermining TEA guidelines?  It's not admitting your side is stupid, it's admitting it's really no trouble at all to let a kid to listen in to math class from their bed.  

The only thing I can think of that would be remotely reasonable from a school perspective is the fear that they won’t get paid for kids not attending, and that option would cause people to not attend/fake it?  
but yeah- I have no idea. My wife was bitching about that very thing last night after leaving the meeting- they have no remote option for people in quarantine, they tel you to stay home if you have symptoms, but the say they aren’t going to bend the number of allowable absences this year no matter what. 

[dingleberryswitzer 2724]

3 hours ago, CooterBrown said:

Can't have a football season interrupted.

 

lol.  I’ve read about a couple small districts shutting  down entirely for a week or two.  But they allow sports to continue.  
 

[Captainant 27625]

3 minutes ago, Wulaw Horn said:

The only thing I can think of that would be remotely reasonable from a school perspective is the fear that they won’t get paid for kids not attending, and that option would cause people to not attend/fake it?  
but yeah- I have no idea. My wife was bitching about that very thing last night after leaving the meeting- they have no remote option for people in quarantine, they tel you to stay home if you have symptoms, but the say they aren’t going to bend the number of allowable absences this year no matter what. 

Man just imagine if our state cared about the stability of the education system instead of penny pinching for every minor infraction. Almost feels like a planned disaster seeing the case numbers and child hospitalization numbers, in the face of coordinated efforts at the local and state level to fight COVID mitigation strategies

[atomheartbevo 89621]

2 hours ago, Born to Run said:

Do not taunt happy fun covid ball.

[atomheartbevo 89621]

1 hour ago, Wulaw Horn said:

 they have no remote option for people in quarantine, they tel you to stay home if you have symptoms, but the say they aren’t going to bend the number of allowable absences this year no matter what. 

1 hour ago, Captainant said:

Man just imagine if our state cared about the stability of the education system 

The legislature is putting in money and other allowances for virtual instruction through 2023 for those who need it, particularly the smaller districts that have a harder time pivoting from in-person to virtual.

 

[Captainant 27625]

2 minutes ago, atomheartbevo said:

The legislature is putting in money and other allowances for virtual instruction through 2023 for those who need it, particularly the smaller districts that have a harder time pivoting from in-person to virtual.

Man they're really reacting expeditiously, 18 months in and they're finally allocating funds for virtual learning for next year! Exactly when it'll be most needed. 

Maybe they'll work on the power grid in 2030

[atomheartbevo 89621]

Just now, Captainant said:

Man they're really reacting expeditiously, 18 months in and they're finally allocating funds for virtual learning for next year! Exactly when it'll be most needed. 

They weren't in session last year.  Our legislature is only in session every other year, and only for a very short time.

 

[Captainant 27625]

1 minute ago, atomheartbevo said:

They weren't in session last year.  Our legislature is only in session every other year, and only for a very short time.

Say, wasn't there not one, but TWO special sessions this summer to deal with pressing current issues?

Don't understand why you're carrying water on this man

[NeverMarryAStripper 21871]

I guess a special sessions are only for made up crises and not actual ones

[Guest Lobo]

What about funding for virtual learning for all those teenager (and younger) girls stuck at home for nine months?  

[atomheartbevo 89621]

1 hour ago, Captainant said:

Don't understand why you're carrying water 

I'm not, just pointing out that last year's budget was set in 2019. I think they had a special session last year for covid, but Google is inconclusive.

Anyways, regardless of what's going on with certain officials, the lege is putting some money into it, and the fact that it runs until 2023 is a sign they don't see this being over in the short term either.

[atomheartbevo 89621]

https://www.kxan.com/news/education/hutto-isd-rescinds-mask-requirement-4-days-after-issuing-it/

Quote

The Hutto Independent School District rescinded its mask mandate this past Friday. The mask requirement was in place for less than one week. 

The district said the requirement was removed after consulting with its legal counsel about a court ruling in Bexar County. On Aug. 26, the Texas Supreme Court paused a mask mandate for public schools in San Antonio and Bexar County.

 

[MonkeyDoughnut 10227]

22 hours ago, drt said:

I didn't stay in a holiday inn last night, but if 3.5% of the kids currently have covid, there are no remote learning options, and the community is staunchly against masks, I don't see any way this is the peak.

IMO there's no way the student body in a K-12 school is close to herd immunity with those conditions.  Hope for your sake I'm wrong, and none of the kids become one of the really bad statistics.

Yeah, wondering about this too. It seems like the spread should be increasing at a faster rate the longer the year goes on and not slowing correct?  In our ISD (Fort Bend) is seem like it started out really fast but now seems to have slowed and even declined in places. District itself for elementary is around 1.1% with "peaking" school between 2-3%.  The early peaking schools seem to have plateaued.

[CleverNickname 1308]

I think it is likely that (a) kids immune systems do very well against covid, even delta; (b) it remains to be seen if delta truly is a game changer in terms of contagiousness in classroom settings; (c) virtual education as provided in 2021 is not as good as in-person, for actual learning, socialization, and mental health; and yet (d) providing a reasonable virtual option and applying mitigation methods (mask mandates, pods, outdoor lunch, better air handling, testing) is clearly the best policy option. The polarization is insane! I'm not sure I could voice opinions (a) through (c) on my Facebook FUSS group, and clearly the rapid anti-maskers are waaaay to upset about something kids just shrug and endure without much complaining. 

[Wulaw Horn 19063]

2 hours ago, CleverNickname said:

I think it is likely that (a) kids immune systems do very well against covid, even delta; (b) it remains to be seen if delta truly is a game changer in terms of contagiousness in classroom settings; (c) virtual education as provided in 2021 is not as good as in-person, for actual learning, socialization, and mental health; and yet (d) providing a reasonable virtual option and applying mitigation methods (mask mandates, pods, outdoor lunch, better air handling, testing) is clearly the best policy option. The polarization is insane! I'm not sure I could voice opinions (a) through (c) on my Facebook FUSS group, and clearly the rapid anti-maskers are waaaay to upset about something kids just shrug and endure without much complaining. 

I'd be much more ok with masks if it wasn't for a year and it was based upon conditions in the school district and the community.  Remember the CDC saying, essentially we could take our masks off (it was appropriate at the time) and everyone freaking out.  I think we have enough (in my district anyway) going on that the idea of "masking up" for 2 weeks or something and then re-evaluating it based on data would be appropriate- but that certainly wasn't what was going on last year.  Before Delta which seems to be much more contagious especially for the kids I was pretty anti mask in school b/c we just weren't seeing any kind of numbers to justify it imo.  I think I've seen enough from Delta to change my mind- as long as it's narrowly tailored to community conditions and not open ended.  
But yeah- the polarization on this thing from every side is off the charts.  

[Skipper 6127]

3 hours ago, CleverNickname said:

 clearly the rapid anti-maskers are waaaay to upset about something kids just shrug and endure without much complaining. 

My 4 year old has been asked to wear a mask for first time in Pre-K.  There was apparently a bunch of drama resulting in a zoom call about the policy (and basis for it was well presented by the board, with a willingness to pivot in future if it doesn't work) that presumably calmed some parents down.  But I just told my son he's a big boy this year and GETS to wear a mask (while his 2 year old sister doesn't) and he was happy about it.  I asked my sister if any of her kids (1st grade, 3rd grade, 5th grade) care and she said not at all. All the drama is from the parents.  None of the kids give a shit.   Pretty much what I expected.

[Gardner Barnes 1562]

I'm getting help.  Mental health tuneups are always a good idea.  Right now, she's getting a rush from watching people physically play out her script/direction in real life.  She doesn't know that "high" doesn't last very long and is rarely worth the damage done.  

Jen Stevens isn’t really hiding. She is all over the internet.

[Gardner Barnes 1562]

are the lady's initials L.K.?

The mask puller, yes.

[Gardner Barnes 1562]

Yeah, that's kinda my thinking.  Most folks should get a pass for going off at a board meeting or at an administrative site.  But you come onto an elementary school campus and start throwing blows and screaming threats in front of kids.  That's a problem.  J.S. is not to blame for this but she has wound up these sheep that she at least be trying to calm them down.  But nope, she lost an election and is now stoking the flames of disruption in an attempt to remain relevant. 
We have 12 CCE kids on my little street (just 11 homes).  So we know the parent involved into today's campus melee (again, holy fucking shit getting an alert to your phone that 'your child's campus is on lockdown'...makes the covid case alerts now look like the lunch menu for the week) but again I am hoping somebody else outs that person so we can just link to it here and start off on ruining their lives.  
As for the incident two weeks ago in plain view of 100 kids.  L. Klepac---you got away with it because you're a white female, and threatened withholding EEF money.  Well, they scrubbed you from their site.  You're a vicious cunt of a human being and all you did was mark your child as "that one cunt's kid" for the rest of their days in EISD.  Your husband's computer business has been marked as well.  I know you think you are J.S.'s protege in training, but you're just drinking the same kool-aid cocktail of vitriolic hatred and stupidity.  Fuck you.  Tell your apathetic cuckhold of a husband we can meet  up after school.  Does he know you've been down on more Westlake dads than Gabbie Carter?  

All of this is true…. But you misspelled Klapac

[Guest Lobo]

Yeah, I do that.  Doctor says, "Maybe the misspellings and rants disguise your anger."  Then I show him my spelling and penmanship books from elementary school and he's like "Oh, so you've been like this for quite awhile.  Well hey---kudos on making it in proper society for so long.."  

I didn't mean to suggest J.S. was "hiding" per say, rather kinda hanging back and watching her minions do her bidding.  A wise Field Marshal she's making

[Gardner Barnes 1562]

https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianklapac

[Gardner Barnes 1562]

Yeah, I do that.  Doctor says, "Maybe the misspellings and rants disguise your anger."  Then I show him my spelling and penmanship books from elementary school and he's like "Oh, so you've been like this for quite awhile.  Well hey---kudos on making it in proper society for so long.."  
I didn't mean to suggest J.S. was "hiding" per say, rather kinda hanging back and watching her minions do her bidding.  A wise Field Marshal she's making

JS is one of the most narcissistic individuals I have ever seen in person.

[Gardner Barnes 1562]

JS is one of the most narcissistic individuals I have ever seen in person.

I’ll also say thag I have heard one of her people is planing to run for the board again. If it is who I have heard it is - the election will be insanity.

2. I’m hearing rumors that JS is going to run for SBoE

[Guest Lobo]

Considering some of the mutual friends and colleagues that you and I share, that's really saying something   

I'm morbidly curious to see how her gofundme thing shakes out, considering...

[4th&Five 41506]

6 hours ago, CleverNickname said:

I think it is likely that (a) kids immune systems do very well against covid, even delta; (b) it remains to be seen if delta truly is a game changer in terms of contagiousness in classroom settings; (c) virtual education as provided in 2021 is not as good as in-person, for actual learning, socialization, and mental health; and yet (d) providing a reasonable virtual option and applying mitigation methods (mask mandates, pods, outdoor lunch, better air handling, testing) is clearly the best policy option. The polarization is insane! I'm not sure I could voice opinions (a) through (c) on my Facebook FUSS group, and clearly the rapid anti-maskers are waaaay to upset about something kids just shrug and endure without much complaining. 

I've thought about this a lot this week since my 9yo is currently out of school with it.  About 1/3 of her class has tested positive already.  I wonder if more kids are actually catching it this year over last or with Delta they're actually having symptoms where last year they never knew they had it. 

[dcbc 14465]

Tyler ISD is 8% of the way through the school year so far and has 60% of the COVID cases it had all last school year (in person all last year and 100% in person starting in Nov. 2020; masks required last year until early May 2021).
 

Edited September 2, 2021 by dcbc

[Abogado Peligroso 89]

2 hours ago, Gardner Barnes said:

I’ll also say thag I have heard one of her people is planing to run for the board again. If it is who I have heard it is - the election will be insanity.

2. I’m hearing rumors that JS is going to run for SBoE

Are the initials of her person FC?  If so holy shit 

[Guest Lobo]

Oh fuck me, please tell me that's not who Gardner was referring to?  

Just going scorched earth on our school district now...what the fuck?   My kid's gonna be stuck in their post-apocalyptic fantasy world now? 

Edited September 2, 2021 by Lobo

[Abogado Peligroso 89]

3 minutes ago, Lobo said:

Oh fuck me, please tell me that's not who Gardner was referring to?  

Just going scorched earth on our school district now...what the fuck?   My kid's gonna be stuck in their post-apocalyptic fantasy world now? 

Don’t want to start any rumors I was just spitballing with the worst possible person I could imagine on the board. 

[Guest Lobo]

Oh, okay good.  That still gives us time to find out if John Wayne Gacy has any relatives in the district that could run, somebody that really loves kids.  Gotta be another uppity British guy we could find to run and he can tell us about the horrors of teaching kids about colonialism without a hint of fucking irony.  Gotta be some rich horse owner in the district that can mandate we deworm the kids.  

I never joined social media even with pages for school stuff.  And I just assumed my district was above all the crazy shit flying around the rest of America during Covid.  Then my wife showed me the EKF page, and I just looked in horror like "oh yeah, all those dystopian movies where they take perfectly intelligent and compassionate people and let them get drunk on power...yep...here's what the fuck happens."  Next thing I know, the Vice Superintendent is showing me the threatening mail he gets from some of these parents.  I'm looking at this guy telling a principal that he knows where she lives and is gonna make her life miserable, and all I can think is, "Holy shit, I fucking know this guy.  We worked on a statewide campaign together."   

Like every other 20 and 30-something, you pride yourself on that whole "I'm a really good judge of people.  I read people well.  I'm in tune with the vibes from other people and how they are perceiving me."  Nope, fuck that, I'm out.  I don't know shit anymore.  I wanna know shit anymore.  I'm gonna let my kids socialize because it's good for 'em, but as for me...fuck it...I'm out.  

There really were Monsters Due on Maple Street this whole time.  

Edited September 2, 2021 by Lobo

[Gardner Barnes 1562]

Are the initials of her person FC?  If so holy shit 

No. Farrah is not the name I heard.

[atomheartbevo 89621]

On 9/1/2021 at 8:11 AM, Lobo said:

But our children are actually pretty caring about one another.  They don't want to let down the kid next to them so they do what is asked of them to protect their class (and I realize it differs from district to district).  It fucks with their heads though to see 4 empty chairs every single day, on rotation, because of kids that test positive and have to stay home for 2 weeks.  They wonder, "when will it be my turn?"  So they come together to behave safer.  It's amazing to see in real time.  

Our kids also don't want to be homeschooled again for a few weeks.

[Cap33 384]

Here we go:

Ivana Silva; Aaron Silva as next friends of minors
v.
Eanes Independent School District; Eanes Independent School District Board of Trustees
8/30/2021 D-1-GN-21-004592

Constitution.

Plaintiffs say defendants' mask mandate for Eanes ISD students goes against the state governor's executive order banning such mandates and "violates clearly established precedent regarding the non-segregation of students." Plaintiffs seek injunctive relief.

Edited September 3, 2021 by Cap33

[atomheartbevo 89621]

38 minutes ago, Cap33 said:

Plaintiffs say defendants' mask mandate for Eanes ISD students goes against the state governor's executive order banning such mandates and "violates clearly established precedent regarding the non-segregation of students." Plaintiffs seek injunctive relief.

Abbott and Paxton argued last week that it's not the state's job to enforce it, but is instead left to the local DA.

Also, legislature is pushing through legislation to allow districts to mask up.

[Cap33 384]

Sounds like that might be news to Aaron and Ivana. 

Edited September 3, 2021 by Cap33

[Abogado Peligroso 89]

54 minutes ago, Cap33 said:

Sounds like that might be news to Aaron and Ivana. 

Fucking Californians

[Guest Lobo]

30 minutes ago, Abogado Peligroso said:

Fucking Californians

Aaron, to file your claim in Texas...you've gotta take the 1 to the 2222.  From there, you'll need to take the 343 south into town.  You'll need Ivana to help you figure it out from there, but don't go below the 71/290.  STUART!!!!!!!!!!!

[Radical Larry 28539]

45 minutes ago, Abogado Peligroso said:

Fucking Californians

[Gardner Barnes 1562]

Here we go:
Ivana Silva; Aaron Silva as next friends of minors
v.
Eanes Independent School District; Eanes Independent School District Board of Trustees
8/30/2021 D-1-GN-21-004592
Constitution.
Plaintiffs say defendants' mask mandate for Eanes ISD students goes against the state governor's executive order banning such mandates and "violates clearly established precedent regarding the non-segregation of students." Plaintiffs seek injunctive relief.

I tried to look this up in Travis County and it didn’t show. Where is this filed?

[Gale Snoats 242]

I tried to look this up in Travis County and it didn’t show. Where is this filed?

Travis county district court

[Abogado Peligroso 89]

8 hours ago, Gale Snoats said:

Travis county district court

Which attorney filed the suit?