https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2020/10/school-openings-covid-19.html - 'In light of the evidence, it’s hard not to conclude that there has been a misjudgment by most administrators about what’s conservative and what’s risky all along."
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Oct 19, 2020
Data in 47 states, showed a confirmed COVID-19 infection rate of 0.19 percent among students and 0.65 percent among staff
Data in 47 states, showed a confirmed COVID-19 infection rate of 0.19 percent among students and 0.65 percent among staff
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Man I wish our school would consider this, as they have just announced that there will be no in person school until January :(
What school is this?
@anonyc It's a charter school in Brooklyn.
@PSM is it ICSNYC? you should send them this article - that's NUTS
Interestingly in our school (which is open 5 days a week) has seen a relaxation of some of their anti-covid plans at the start of the year. Less strict on pod-ing and strict 6 ft social distance. They are allowed to sing in masks now, etc.
Why would they take that chance when everything is going so well?
@MidtownMom To be clear, they are still very very strict. We've had no cases to date. I think they are maybe just seeing what works and what doesn't work as well as what is important versus what isn't important, in practice.
It's paywalled but I would be curious to know if they are including data from school districts that are hybrid & remote as well as those fully in-person
Excellent question. And what precautions the schools that are hybrid/in-person are taking.
If there's a 0.19 infection rate among students in schools with 6 ft social distancing and masks.... well, yeah, that's the point pf doing that stuff.
The full excerpt with the data is below; that data was from schools that are 100% full time in person. I am sure that all the schools are following protocols (which likely vary by school, but at minimum I'm sure all schools are requiring masks which is the key in my view). I don't think it would be possible to maintain a low infection rate with no protocols -- I mean, the Rose Garden superspreader event is a prime example. But the point is to show that in person school is both possible and safe.
From the article:
Recent data, from Brown University economist Emily Oster, on nearly 200,000 schoolchildren, in 47 states, showed a confirmed COVID-19 infection rate of 0.19 percent among students and 0.65 percent among staff who have been in school full time at full capacity.
This isn’t to say there won’t be cases, or even clusters in New York schools. Still, in light of the evidence, it’s hard not to conclude that there has been a misjudgment by most administrators about what’s conservative and what’s risky all along. “I do believe that kids are safer in school. We’re controlling that environment,” Montesano said. “I look at the decision and firmly believe it is right. Do I worry every day? Yes. But I’d have that same worry if there were half the kids here.”
@anonymous I'm sure there's nuances I'm missing, but what this seems to say is that school reopenings in places where administrators felt confident reopening schools seem to have gone well to date. That seems to confirm administrator judgment rather than the opposite, no?
woof that's nearly 11,000 kids across the country. 'no thanks'? hardly a ridiculous sample size.
that's roughly 1% of the number of kids in the NYC school system, from a self-selected sample, in a self-reported survey. You'd have better luck with tea leaves at this point. I understand that Oster wants to make something of this project, but this is not something to make policy from.
Everyone who is invested in this decision should read this article (I hope Dalton administrators are in that group). What it really points out is that competent leadership and administration are the most important factors in schools that have opened. It also makes clear what has been obvious since schools have opened: schools are not a source of COVID spread and it's possible to reopen safely.
@anonymous no it’s really just luck. There are lots of competent leaders but the families don’t follow the rules, that makes it tough for everyone
@Anonymous Families not following rules (or simply having bad luck) is inevitable. The fact is that it hasn't led to spread in schools. I'm not faulting the schools which have had to shut down pods or sections to prevent spread; that shows that they have a protocol which is working. I fault the administrators who were too lazy to come up with a plan to move forward (i.e. Dalton). There are many competent leaders, but many incompetent ones too.