Iowa City School District

[Incredible Hawk]

Just think about how many young kids are left home alone right now in the Iowa City School District, that should not be home on their own.

This issue isn't given enough thought. My kids are relatively self sufficient and can figure things out on their own. When they can't, they'll figure it out. What about the kids who have trouble getting to school on a 'normal' schedule/year - or parents w/ English language learners? Can you imagine? 'Log in to your zoom meeting.......' I don't imagine 'zoom' is in a lot of translation guides.

 

[Old_wrestling_fan]

This issue isn't given enough thought. My kids are relatively self sufficient and can figure things out on their own. When they can't, they'll figure it out. What about the kids who have trouble getting to school on a 'normal' schedule/year - or parents w/ English language learners? Can you imagine? 'Log in to your zoom meeting.......' I don't imagine 'zoom' is in a lot of translation guides.

True. ^^ I would imagine that the poorer students, both in an economic sense and an academic sense, would lose the most on the on-line version. As Obviously indicated in a prior post, a well motivated older kid can probably get through this with little drop off...but a younger kid, a less well off kid, a child with parents that aren't dialed in, etc, they will lose out IMO.

 

[Tom Paris]

Just think about how many young kids are left home alone right now in the Iowa City School District, that should not be home on their own.

Parents are leaving 5 year olds unattended for 8 hours? Did you call DHS?

 

[LetsGoHawks83]

Parents are leaving 5 year olds unattended for 8 hours? Did you call DHS?

I guarantee it happens. Hopefully someone calls DHS in these situations.

 

[Obviously Oblivious]

I guarantee it happens. Hopefully someone calls DHS in these situations.

Interestingly enough, Iowa has no laws or statutes that address a minimum age for a child to be left at home alone. I do remember this gal from a few years ago, I guess the lack of legal guidance didn't help her much.

https://www.desmoinesregister.com/s...-leaving-kids-home-go-trip-germany/714984001/

 

[Huey Grey]

Per the governor, teacher shortages are expected to be so bad that many classes will be taught by subs who have zero teaching experience at all. Online is far from ideal, but lets not pretend that on campus will be back to normal either. Both will be subpar this year.

 

[Pinehawk]

Johnson County positivity rate down to 11.5% today. Cases have dropped off significantly in Johnson County.
Iowa City School Board to meet tonight.
I suspect they won't base their decision on the data.

 

[Incredible Hawk]

@Pinehawk - i'm hearing the board will likely approve a 9/29 return to learn plan.....from a guy who knows a guy....lol, so take it for what it's worth. I'll believe it when I see it.

I think 9/21 is a better date, but what do I know? Obviously I'm not as knowledgeable as the board.....

 

[Pinehawk]

That's good news. Agree that the 21st would be a better date. But, at this point, even the 29th would be a big win for a lot of kids and families.

 

[Incredible Hawk]

That's good news. Agree that the 21st would be a better date. But, at this point, even the 29th would be a big win for a lot of kids and families.

Sounds like we'll be back the 28th, but one more hurdle to clear. Apparently the board is waiting to see what the numbers (positivity rate - see other thread LOL) does between now and then. Hopefully, they have received enough feedback to know that online school is a joke (sorry, Tom Paris).....

Two things raised more concern. The IT guy reported receiving approx 500+ calls per day for IT issues/support. That's an insane amount given the number of users. He was happy to report that number is dropping to 350+ t his week. So, by that math we're looking at ~2700 IT support calls in 6 days of school.....

The district also released a COVID dashboard that shows 4% of teachers have tested positive. The number of students testing positive was so low that it didn't register (0.00%).....Given that, information I wonder what the district is doing to protect students from the teachers? Recall the message a couple weeks ago was how the students were going to pass the virus to the teachers - seems we should worry about the opposite being true....you know, "based on the numbers" Also, what are the teachers doing to mitigate their risk of exposure? Apparently not as much as the kids.....

Let's hope we make a reasonable decision on Friday and get kids back where they belong. I won't hold my breath..

 

[hexumhawk]

Looks like they are going back the 28th to at least the hybrid model. I think they can change to an all in person model at trimester (probably a better chance of hell freezing over).

Funny that they pushed this yet another week given the data and then have the audacity to claim they needed the time to "transition" to their hybrid model. I guess 7 months is not enough time to have this figured out. Are we sure Kevin Warren isn't secretly running ICCSD?

 

[Incredible Hawk]

Looks like they are going back the 28th to at least the hybrid model. I think they can change to an all in person model at trimester (probably a better chance of hell freezing over).

Funny that they pushed this yet another week given the data and then have the audacity to claim they needed the time to "transition" to their hybrid model. I guess 7 months is not enough time to have this figured out. Are we sure Kevin Warren isn't secretly running ICCSD?

I didn't understand the need for the additional week either. We were set to go w/ the hybrid model on 9/8.....and have had since March to figure it out.....again happy they're moving that direction, but expecting a lot of stumbling and some road blocks. My fear was the board was hoping Reynolds would open up the bars in IC again then they'd have time to pullback on the 9/28 date.....'not safe enough, increasing numbers" etc.....

Hopefully, we return on the 28th and end the foolishness.....I know if the board requests another waiver, I'll be writing more emails to Reynolds, Lebo, etc.....

 

[Pinehawk]

Johnson County down to an 8.2% positivity rate for the school district today.
40 other Iowa Counties are currently higher. But, the ICCSD will still not allow kids to attend in person, or participate in extra curricular activities.

https://coronavirus.iowa.gov/pages/percent-school-district-positive-analysis

 

[BondHawk]

Johnson County down to an 8.2% positivity rate for the school district today.
40 other Iowa Counties are currently higher. But, the ICCSD will still not allow kids to attend in person, or participate in extra curricular activities.

https://coronavirus.iowa.gov/pages/percent-school-district-positive-analysis

Yeah I think that is going to be announced today actually. Let's not go crazy just yet.

 

[Incredible Hawk]

Anyone hear anything about the potential of moving games from Friday night to Saturday? My understanding is activities t hat were scheduled the 26th and after will be allowed, but football games for the 3 HS are on the 25th and will not be allowed to be rescheduled.

I understand this is a district decision and not a state mandate. Cedar falls has indicated they are amicable to a Saturday game. The district continues it's decision making behind closed doors with a lack of transparency - frustrating for the kids and parents affected I'm sure.

 

[hawkedoff]

It is an interesting situation to watch an employee explain how the job that used to take him or her 8 hours a day can actually be done from a distance in about an hour.

Not exactly a good move from a job security standpoint. My kid is doing the hybrid model for school. The days online are all self directed learning with zero direct interaction with the teacher. Seems like if that model actually works, as is being argued by teachers, then we need a lot less teachers.

 

[Pinehawk]

Not only that, if distance learning is successful, why do kids and families need to learn from the teacher at their school who maybe isn't any good at it?
If they will just be watching online, then have one excellent teacher teach 100 kids, 500 kids, across all Districts.
If we don't get any benefit from 'local' education, then why restrict kids to having to watch their local teacher online? Where the teacher is physically located doesn't matter anymore.

 

[hexumhawk]

Looking to create a national online platform for learning for all online and we can save billions in tax dollars. Good job teachers, you successfully made yourself obsolete and nonessential

 

[Incredible Hawk]

It is an interesting situation to watch an employee explain how the job that used to take him or her 8 hours a day can actually be done from a distance in about an hour.

Not exactly a good move from a job security standpoint. My kid is doing the hybrid model for school. The days online are all self directed learning with zero direct interaction with the teacher. Seems like if that model actually works, as is being argued by teachers, then we need a lot less teachers.

Agree. The online learning days are essentially an 8 hour study hall. Of course, I'm sure it's the kids fault for not being motivated to learn.

 

[hawkedoff]

The fact is online learning only works in certain situations and that includes education beyond k-12. If anything this demonstrates quite effectively that places like the University of Iowa aren't going to go out of business even if online learning gets better.

 

[Pinehawk]

Iowa City School District restarts in person school as of today. Wow, things are really different now than they were 5 weeks ago. Not really. Kids have been going to school successfully at Solon, Regina, West Branch, Lone Tree, Hillcrest, Clear Creek and more for weeks.

Although, the current positivity rate in Johnson County is among the lowest in the state right now.
Which, I would say is good news, but when the number inevitably comes up a bit, back to where it has been, we'll see people loudly making sure everyone knows.

 

[hexumhawk]

Iowa City School District restarts in person school as of today. Wow, things are really different now than they were 5 weeks ago. Not really. Kids have been going to school successfully at Solon, Regina, West Branch, Lone Tree, Hillcrest, Clear Creek and more for weeks.

Although, the current positivity rate in Johnson County is among the lowest in the state right now.
Which, I would say is good news, but when the number inevitably comes up a bit, back to where it has been, we'll see people loudly making sure everyone knows.

Surprised when I dropped the kids off today I didn't have to swerve around any dead bodies. I am sure there will be some after school so be ready drivers.

 

[Incredible Hawk]

Iowa City School District restarts in person school as of today. Wow, things are really different now than they were 5 weeks ago. Not really. Kids have been going to school successfully at Solon, Regina, West Branch, Lone Tree, Hillcrest, Clear Creek and more for weeks.

Although, the current positivity rate in Johnson County is among the lowest in the state right now.
Which, I would say is good news, but when the number inevitably comes up a bit, back to where it has been, we'll see people loudly making sure everyone knows.

Soooooo.....ICCSD board - what's the plan to return to full in class? Of course, there is no metric or published plan to do that, so I imagine the state will eventually have to get involved again.......

They might as well rename 'asynchronous' learning days to Saturday2, Saturday3, and Saturday4......that's essentially what they are - an 8hour unsupervised study-hall........yet they count as days/hours for the year.....

 

[Pinehawk]

Lot of kids getting shortchanged on their education this year. School Board is letting them down.

 

[Pinehawk]

The science is in. The CDC says that kids should be in school and may in fact be safer in school.

"On Tuesday, federal health officials weighed in with a call for returning children to the nation’s classrooms as soon as possible, saying the “preponderance of available evidence” indicates that in-person instruction can be carried out safely as long as mask-wearing and social distancing are maintained. "

Even though the pandemic is rapidly changing, and contagious new variants are spreading, Dr. Honein and other C.D.C. officials argued there is little evidence that schools spark the kind of outbreaks seen in nursing homes and meatpacking plants, or contribute to increased transmission in communities.

C.D.C. researchers also took a look at 17 elementary and secondary schools in rural Wisconsin where mask-wearing was routine. The incidence of infection was lower in schools than in the community at large, the scientists found. During 13 weeks in the fall of 2020, there were 191 infections among staff and students; only seven resulted from in-school transmission, according to the study.

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/26/world/cdc-schools-reopening.html

 

[hexumhawk]

Lot of kids getting shortchanged on their education this year. School Board is letting them down.

This

ICCSD should be ashamed of themselves and how they have "handled" this.

 

[Incredible Hawk]

Lot of kids getting shortchanged on their education this year. School Board is letting them down.

The board AND administrators. One of which who was given a contract last night.

Imagine the difference if he'd have been promoting returning to school instead of saying how "disappointed" he was in the state's decisions early on. Instead of promoting a true "return to learn" (full time school) program like the vast majority of districts in the state, they've chosen to find reasons to keep kids home. The teachers and staff have followed their leadership and many believe it's not safe to return......kids and taxpayers continue to get the shaft.

Good time for a reminder that schools are the only entity still not operating while everyone else has figured it out.

 

[Jackie Treehorn]

The science is in. The CDC says that kids should be in school and may in fact be safer in school.

"On Tuesday, federal health officials weighed in with a call for returning children to the nation’s classrooms as soon as possible, saying the “preponderance of available evidence” indicates that in-person instruction can be carried out safely as long as mask-wearing and social distancing are maintained. "

Even though the pandemic is rapidly changing, and contagious new variants are spreading, Dr. Honein and other C.D.C. officials argued there is little evidence that schools spark the kind of outbreaks seen in nursing homes and meatpacking plants, or contribute to increased transmission in communities.

C.D.C. researchers also took a look at 17 elementary and secondary schools in rural Wisconsin where mask-wearing was routine. The incidence of infection was lower in schools than in the community at large, the scientists found. During 13 weeks in the fall of 2020, there were 191 infections among staff and students; only seven resulted from in-school transmission, according to the study.

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/26/world/cdc-schools-reopening.html

You may be able to socially distance in your class A school, but please share how you do that in a classroom with 30 students?

That’s been the issue since day 1 and your little “gotcha” study confirms that.

As a parent of students (one 100% virtual and one hybrid) in the ICCSD district, I have no problem with how they have handled things.

 

[hexumhawk]

The board AND administrators. One of which who was given a contract last night.

Imagine the difference if he'd have been promoting returning to school instead of saying how "disappointed" he was in the state's decisions early on. Instead of promoting a true "return to learn" (full time school) program like the vast majority of districts in the state, they've chosen to find reasons to keep kids home. The teachers and staff have followed their leadership and many believe it's not safe to return......kids and taxpayers continue to get the shaft.

Good time for a reminder that schools are the only entity still not operating while everyone else has figured it out.

Was not thrilled in the least to see he got that contract.

 

[Pinehawk]

"A case-control study of exposures among children aged 0 through 18 years with (n = 154) and without (n = 243) SARS-CoV-2 infection in Mississippi found that having attended gatherings and social functions outside the home as well as having had visitors in the home was associated with increased risk of infection; however, in-person school attendance during the 14 days prior to diagnosis was not.5 "

In the fall of 2020, 11 school districts in North Carolina with more than 90 000 students and staff were open for in-person education for 9 weeks.6 During this time, within-school transmissions were very rare (32 infections acquired in schools; 773 community-acquired infections) and there were no cases of student-to-staff transmission. Similarly, in a report released by CDC on January 26, 2021, with data from 17 K-12 schools in rural Wisconsin with high mask adherence (4876 students and 654 staff), COVID-19 incidence was lower in schools than in the community.7 During 13 weeks in the fall of 2020, there were 191 COVID-19 cases in staff and students, with only 7 of these cases determined to result from in-school transmission.

https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2775875

 

[hexumhawk]

Basically being in school is way safer than going to the store or getting gas or fill in the blank. I would wager to say teachers that are getting sick are getting sick outside of the classroom. Not surprising when I see them out and about every week. Too scary to teach in person though...

 

[rolfey]

There is no reason ICCSD is not offering 100% in person learning. If parents are afraid for their kids they have the option to go online only.

Tangent alert: On a non-covid topic the ICCSD has told teachers in grades 3-5 to stop teaching social studies. Apparently the district is not happen with the book being used, the book has been used for over 10+ years. They district could have supplemented the book with other material if they wanted but instead has decided to stop teaching the subject. On top of that there has been no communication to the parents about the decision. (I know because my wife is a teacher). It is absolutely ridiculous.

 

[Jackie Treehorn]

There is no reason ICCSD is not offering 100% in person learning. If parents are afraid for their kids they have the option to go online only.

Tangent alert: On a non-covid topic the ICCSD has told teachers in grades 3-5 to stop teaching social studies. Apparently the district is not happen with the book being used, the book has been used for over 10+ years. They district could have supplemented the book with other material if they wanted but instead has decided to stop teaching the subject. On top of that there has been no communication to the parents about the decision. (I know because my wife is a teacher). It is absolutely ridiculous.

You only have to scroll up to read the study cited by Mr Regina to figure out why a district the size of ICCSD isn’t offering 100% in-person.

 

[Pinehawk]

There are plenty of 4A sized schools in Iowa (and across the country) that have been able to adjust schedules and space needs to accommodate the necessary precautions.

And, there is no need to name call just because you are upset and frustrated with how this has gone for the ICCSD.

 

[Jackie Treehorn]

There are plenty of 4A sized schools in Iowa (and across the country) that have been able to adjust schedules and space needs to accommodate the necessary precautions.

And, there is no need to name call just because you are upset and frustrated with how this has gone for the ICCSD.

That’s where you are wrong, I’m not upset and frustrated with ICCSD at all.

You also forgot a very important part of that study. ICCSD can’t guarantee socially distanced spaces for students if 100% in-person and therefore doesn’t recommend it at this time. Maybe re-read the study.

 

[Pinehawk]

That’s where you are wrong, I’m not upset and frustrated with ICCSD at all.

You also forgot a very important part of that study. ICCSD can’t guarantee socially distanced spaces for students if 100% in-person and therefore doesn’t recommend it at this time. Maybe re-read the study.

They don't need to require 100% in person. They need to allow an option of in person school.
Not all would choose to do so, and there would be additional space to work with.
But, they won't even try.

 

[LetsGoHawks83]

They don't need to require 100% in person. They need to allow an option of in person school.
Not all would choose to do so, and there would be additional space to work with.
But, they won't even try.

Exactly. Do 50% of students in school on Monday/Tuesday. Then the other 50% on Thursday/Friday. Somehow our school district has been able to do that since September.

 

[chalupa81]

That’s where you are wrong, I’m not upset and frustrated with ICCSD at all.

You also forgot a very important part of that study. ICCSD can’t guarantee socially distanced spaces for students if 100% in-person and therefore doesn’t recommend it at this time. Maybe re-read the study.

Social distancing is not always possible. It isn’t happening in Waukee but yet we are doing full time in person learning for any parent that chooses. My wife has 26 2nd graders in her classroom so social distancing is out of the question but masks are required all the time except at snack and lunch. Positive cases are going to happen whether kids are in school or not, so give them the option of being in school. Waukee has found that very few, if any, known positive cases are happening via in person spread. It is always picked up somewhere outside of school.

 

[Jackie Treehorn]

They don't need to require 100% in person. They need to allow an option of in person school.
Not all would choose to do so, and there would be additional space to work with.
But, they won't even try.

What are you talking about? They currently have in-person, it’s just not 5 days per week. This allows them to socially distance, which your study shows is an effective way of not having spread in the schools. How could you argue for anything different, unless you don’t believe the study you posted?

 

[MepoDawg#]

That’s where you are wrong, I’m not upset and frustrated with ICCSD at all.

You also forgot a very important part of that study. ICCSD can’t guarantee socially distanced spaces for students if 100% in-person and therefore doesn’t recommend it at this time. Maybe re-read the study.

So 100% of students would opt in to full in-person classes. I doubt that, not to mention normal absenteeism.