To every member of IHSA, IDPH, ISBE

[sporthog9er]

Please read every word of this just released memo from the CDC on opening all schools. Updated today July 23. They want in person schooling. They are against extended closure of buildings. They address the negative affects of that. They reference physical activity and after school opportunities. This isn't coming from Facebook moms or anti maskers. This is the CDC, and they want schools open for in person teaching. And if you can do that, you can do sports.

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/201...ls-childcare/reopening-schools.html#footnote2

 

[sporthog9er]

I particularly like this very hard stance because now if any mayor, governor, or local board opts for remote learning only, then they are actually going against the vaunted CDC. They only recommend closing schools and no in-person instruction if there is a massive uncontrolled outbreak going on. Who wants to be on the record of being against what the CDC recommends?

 

[RunNorth-South]

Please read every word of this just released memo from the CDC on opening all schools. Updated today July 23. They want in person schooling. They are against extended closure of buildings. They address the negative affects of that. They reference physical activity and after school opportunities. This isn't coming from Facebook moms or anti maskers. This is the CDC, and they want schools open for in person teaching. And if you can do that, you can do sports.

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/201...ls-childcare/reopening-schools.html#footnote2

As I just replied in another thread, this is a little misleading. While the provided link provides a write-up from the CDC that emphasizes the importance of schools - it is NOT the CDC's actual guidelines for schools reopening. That can be found here:

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/schools-childcare/prepare-safe-return.html

These guidelines (also updated yesterday) are not really a "hard stance" and encourage administrators to consider a lot more than just "open schools." One of the CDC's points even states:

Integrate SARS-CoV-2 mitigation strategies into co-curricular and extracurricular activities (e.g., limiting or cancelling participation in activities where social distancing is not feasible).

This would point to the idea that just because in-person teaching is happening, you can't necessarily do sports. The guideline above would definitely insinuate a canceling of football since you can't feasibly social distance while participating - as much as it pains me to read. The link also discusses a much more restrictive school environment with fewers students, distancing, student "pods" and quarantine rules for students who come into contact with a case of COVID.

So while the first link emphasizes the importance of school, it should be made clear that schools opting for remote learning or canceling football would not be going directly against the CDC.

 

[sporthog9er]

That would be reading too much into it. That memo unequivocally stated they prefer school to be in person. Those are not the guidelines on HOW to reopen like you correctly pointed out. The fact is that they did put out guidelines to open safely, not guidelines to just go remote and not even try. You took that quote about limiting or cancelling extra curricular and focused on the cancel word. I see the limited word in that sentence and mitigate word. It's an opinion, and one from the top agency that says you can do these things. They want these things. They link the references for these things. The CDC has come out and said here's what we believe, here are the guidelines, it's time to be creative to get these opportunities for the kids. Not find ways to cancel it all. I suppose it comes down to how negative or positive one is reading all this and how much you want to find solutions or not.

I still stand by the memo as a pretty clear cut path to do everything we want in school and sports if you are willing to take precautions and think about the kids first.

 

[Anonymous_Coward]

It is clear that the anti-covid cabal on here want schools open, despite any and all risks, so they can selfishly watch high school sports and get their kids noticed. And it is clear so far, based on science, that the younger children are less likely to get it and even if they do get it, less likely to suffer from it. What isn't clear how many are asymptomatic and bringing it home to their loved ones who have underlying medical conditions or are at an increased risk. Numbers across the U.S. are skyrocketing and continuing to get worse but all we care about is getting things re-opened, sports especially, because we can't seem to function correctly without them. Social distancing and sports do not mix and it is impossible to do. Sports should be one of the last worries we have at this point.

 

[RunNorth-South]

That would be reading too much into it. That memo unequivocally stated they prefer school to be in person. Those are not the guidelines on HOW to reopen like you correctly pointed out. The fact is that they did put out guidelines to open safely, not guidelines to just go remote and not even try. You took that quote about limiting or cancelling extra curricular and focused on the cancel word. I see the limited word in that sentence and mitigate word. It's an opinion, and one from the top agency that says you can do these things. They want these things. They link the references for these things. The CDC has come out and said here's what we believe, here are the guidelines, it's time to be creative to get these opportunities for the kids. Not find ways to cancel it all. I suppose it comes down to how negative or positive one is reading all this and how much you want to find solutions or not.

I still stand by the memo as a pretty clear cut path to do everything we want in school and sports if you are willing to take precautions and think about the kids first.

I'm just reading it, not reading too much into it. The point is that EVERYONE prefers schools to be open in person. So of course it unequivocally states that schools should try to be in person. That's actually never been a point of debate. The question has always been about HOW you should open them and what needs to be done to prioritize safety.

If you are "limiting participation in activities where social distancing is not feasible" - I'm not sure how to not take that any other way than to strongly reconsider holding football this fall. We wouldn't really be "limiting" anything if a 100 player team plays an 80 player team with refs/coaches/chain gang/etc, regardless of no fans/spectators.

The guidelines are clear that any case will result in groups of kids being quarantined (a potential issue for sports). You've made clear in other posts that "one case shouldn't shut down a school" and the guidelines agree with you, but they also state that if the school is the source of an outbreak of cases or has a higher positivity rate than the area - then it should consider a temporary closing.

Overall it describes many precautions that would be restrictive and have a negative effect on the pedagogy of the actual teaching. The school environment it describes is one that is both limiting on how schools operate and requires lots of flexibility of schools since they may be temporarily closing, or having a lot more staff out each day, and pods of students that are quarantined. At the very least, I think reading it as something else than doing "everything we want in school and sports if you are willing to take precautions" is definitely fair. These guidelines have a lot of effects on general operations - specifically for schools in dense areas like Cook County that are very likely to have some localized outbreaks.

 

[sporthog9er]

It is clear that the anti-covid cabal on here want schools open, despite any and all risks, so they can selfishly watch high school sports and get their kids noticed. And it is clear so far, based on science, that the younger children are less likely to get it and even if they do get it, less likely to suffer from it. What isn't clear how many are asymptomatic and bringing it home to their loved ones who have underlying medical conditions or are at an increased risk. Numbers across the U.S. are skyrocketing and continuing to get worse but all we care about is getting things re-opened, sports especially, because we can't seem to function correctly without them. Social distancing and sports do not mix and it is impossible to do. Sports should be one of the last worries we have at this point.

If you've read the studies referenced in that CDC memo or countless others, it is already proven on a large scale basis that kids, asymptomatic or not, rarely transmit it highly to infect adults and older people. Everything with kids is extremely safe right now- school, sports, and the low chances of them infecting family. Almost every study on the subject matter shows the main transmission that causes problems (if you have any) is adult to adult. This isn't about just sports. It's about education and not creating a massive learning loss that could last year's. It's about mental health. Social skills and social anxiety. It's about wealth opportunities. It is so much more than football.

 

[missingwalter]

I don't even know why continue to debate this, schools are going to be E-learning state wide to start and all sports will be conducted in Spring statewide.

 

[RD_Watcher]

I don't even know why continue to debate this, schools are going to be E-learning state wide to start and all sports will be conducted in Spring statewide.

As of right now, that is just not true. You are stating as fact all schools across the state will be e-learning, and there will be no sports. While that may be your opinion, the ISBE has already told the districts the decision is theirs, as each district faces different challenges. Many districts have already stated they will be Hybrid in-building and e-learning for at least the first semester. Hinsdale D86 voted just last night to use a hybrid model.

 

[missingwalter]

As of right now, that is just not true. You are stating as fact all schools across the state will be e-learning, and there will be no sports. While that may be your opinion, the ISBE has already told the districts the decision is theirs, as each district faces different challenges. Many districts have already stated they will be Hybrid in-building and e-learning for at least the first semester. Hinsdale D86 voted just last night to use a hybrid model.

I'd be happy to place on a wager on it.

 

[PanthersWildcats86]

I don't even know why continue to debate this, schools are going to be E-learning state wide to start and all sports will be conducted in Spring statewide.

6 of the 8 ICE schools have announced kids in school 5 days a week...the other two (Lisle & Streator) are going two days in school, three remote - splitting the school in half.

77% of Manteno parents wanted their kids in classrooms...not surprising. 30+ kids playing hoops kitty corner from the fire station last night, one of the soccer leagues had practice next to the elementary. Sportsman's Club beach has been packed for a month...They seem to be working hard on herd immunity...

Former CDC Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, quoted in an NBC News story Entitled "What's Plan B if there's no COVID-19 Vaccine?, who also sits on the board of Pfizer, predicts "that by early 2021, 'we will either have a vaccine, or we will have herd immunity.'"

 

[missingwalter]

6 of the 8 ICE schools have announced kids in school 5 days a week...the other two (Lisle & Streator) are going two days in school, three remote - splitting the school in half.

77% of Manteno parents wanted their kids in classrooms...not surprising. 30+ kids playing hoops kitty corner from the fire station last night, one of the soccer leagues had practice next to the elementary. Sportsman's Club beach has been packed for a month...They seem to be working hard on herd immunity...

Former CDC Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, quoted in an NBC News story Entitled "What's Plan B if there's no COVID-19 Vaccine?, who also sits on the board of Pfizer, predicts "that by early 2021, 'we will either have a vaccine, or we will have herd immunity.'"

I understand what every one is planning on doing, but I'll stand by my statement that everyone will be going remote to start and Sports will start in January.