Why is news media normalizing school return

[angrychair]

Watching MSNBC and they are answering questions about returning to school as if it's normal and foregone conclusion.

Going back to school is a death sentence for 10s of thousands of adults and children.

Not just death but permanent lung, brain, heart, nervous system and GI tract damage.

For what?? We are, yet again, normalizing the insane ramblings of a tin pot dictator.

Why are well trying to return to school when the very little science we do have says that adults, teachers or parents or admins, will get it and die or become very sick. That kids will become very sick. Or die.

This conversation is completely insane and shows a complete disdain, yet again, for teachers.

[DBoon]

1. Same reason they treated re-opening protests as normal

I suspect there is pressure to normalize insane right wing talking points from the wealthy and powerful - maybe even media owners themselves.

[Fullduplexxx]

2. The news is an arm of the gop

[EarlG]

3. Looks like schools in my county are going to start with

remote learning, just as they were doing before the summer break. There *may* subsequently be in-person classes, but they would be staggered, with some kids doing remote learning on some days, and others in the classroom, so they can have drastically reduced class sizes. But that remains to be seen, depending on the advice of medical experts. And it looks like parents would be able to opt out of in-person classes and do remote learning only.

In other words, my county is taking this very seriously -- they won't be letting Trump tell them what to do. Hopefully that's how this will play out in most places around the country (although I'm guessing it will be a different story in some of the politics-over-people Trumpublican counties).

[katmondoo]

4. I am in Florida and the infections are still rising very high, as of this minute.

The infections are rising to another high and I hear the hosts promoting the opening of the schools. I can't believe what I am hearing.

[Brainfodder]

5. Most media in the U.S.A. is under Republican control is why?

It's likely why we are in this mess in the first place?

[Laelth]

6. Disdain for teachers, for students, for staff, for science, and for life, itself.

This graphic makes the situation perfectly clear.



-Laelth

[angrychair]

7. Thank you...

That graph is amazing

[Laelth]

18. You're welcome.

The graphic isn’t mine, but it’s worth sharing.

-Laelth

[Baclava]

10. Nice graphic! My Theory is parents have gone crazy with kids underfoot all day and want them out

[Laelth]

17. The graphic isn't mine, but I am sharing it far and wide.

I think you’re right about SOME parents, but I wouldn’t send my children to school in the middle of a pandemic.



-Laelth

[not_the_one]

13. "and for life, itself"... UNLESS it is an embryo

just sayin'...

[Laelth]

15. Grrr. Tragically, you have a point. n/t

-Laelth

[Wellstone ruled]

21. Corporate Media in the last three or four decades

loves to carry water for their Mega Advertisers wishes. Example,here in Nevada there is one Major Print Media and it belongs to the Adelson Family. And if you thing for a fraction of a second,Adelson is not based against Unions,well,go a few bridges for sale.

Every single day,there is a Op Ed or Letter to the Editor smashing the Teachers Union or the Trades.

GOP has used the Teachers union as a club for suppressing Union Voter Out Reach claiming they are all Democrats anyway,there for,they are bad.

[GoCubsGo]

8. They are trying to force their parents back to work.

There is a child care shortage, and a lot of people are choosing to work from home, or not working at all because they can't find anyone to take care of their kids. Trump thinks that forcing them back on the job will get the economy going, which he believes will help his reelection prospects. The way to do that is to force the kids back into school so that they don't have that excuse any more.

[dugog55]

9. Saying "reporters on MSNBC" is casting quite a wide net.

Especially when referring to the mostly second stringers on the weekends. I do watch MSNBC weekdays, specifically Katy Tur, Nicolle Wallace, Ari Melber and Brian Williams. I do not believe any of these people sugar coat or carry water for right wing bullshit news. From my view point they are pretty balanced, they show clips and discuss, not any what they meant to say, or what that means is crap, just reporting on what the video contained. I do not watch CNN or any other channel as I have better things to do during the day.

But I do like to watch parts of the shows I have mentioned. Nicolle Wallace in particular, she is a Republican from the Bush Administration and handled Sarah Palin during the 2008 campaign. She has little good to say about Palin, Trump, or his entire administration. Not an axe to grind, just pointing out the obvious that Trump is completely clueless and a danger to democracy. Brian Williams at 2300 hrs ET gives a wonderful recap of the days events and is also highly critical of the current administration.

[angrychair]

12. Sorry wasnt specific

Not trying to imply Craig or anyone on MSNBC is carrying water for trump.
I am working from home and it was news coverage I was watching this morning (west coast time) with Craig Melvin.
Its more the lack of critical thinking and data analysis. There is not enough scientific evidence to conclusively say that putting hundreds of children and adults in a building together is safe and wont dramatically increase spread of this disease.

That was not even addressed during Craig's conversation about the return to school.

So-called pediatricians saying it's safe for kids without even addressing the unknown dangers to adults that are in those buildings with these kids.

[Proud Liberal Dem]

11. I feel the exact same way

If it makes you feel better, I don't know a lot of parents, teachers, et. al personally whom are feeling good about this.

[angrychair]

14. Both my kids are college age now

But we have a lot of very dear friends that are either school teachers or administrators and all are very worried.
My area school systems here in Washington seem flexible to the situation so far but it seems insane to be take such risks when there is little actual scientific evidence to support a return being safe not just for kids but the adults that teach them and support the school functions.

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

16. They've been "normalizing" all kinds of stupid shit since Reagan (at least)....... nt

[Hoyt]

19. Don't really believe media is normalizing this.

A NYT's article discusses risks and ways the risks can be minimized, pro and cons of opening, etc.

Most of the reopening ideas are not a full return to traditional school models, but some kind of hybrid model with fewer hours in class, etc., maybe even adjusting hours depending upon CV19 in community.

There is virtually no support in any of the articles below for trump or DeVos' push to reopen as usual.


https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/11/health/coronavirus-schools-reopen.html

"The risk of reopening “will depend on how well schools contain transmission, with masks, for instance, or limiting occupancy,” said Lauren Ancel Meyers, a professor of biology and statistics at the University of Texas, Austin, who has been consulting with the city and school districts. “The background community transmission rate in August will also be a factor. . . . . .”

"Keeping schools closed for a prolonged stretch has worrisome implications for social and academic development, child development experts say. It also became evident this spring that denying children a real school day deepened racial and economic inequalities.

“There is really damage to kids if they don’t go to school,” Dr. Edwards said. “I think we have got to think of the kids and getting them back to school safely.”

__________

American Academy of Pediatrics' recommendations can be found here (I know, many DUers do not think Pediatricians are experts and don't know anything about children):

https://services.aap.org/en/pages/2019-novel-coronavirus-covid-19-infections/clinical-guidance/covid-19-planning-considerations-return-to-in-person-education-in-schools/

______________

"Academic, mental and physical benefits of in-person school outweigh virus risks, pediatrics group says" --

https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/30/us/aap-kids-physically-in-school-wellness-trnd/index.html

_____________

Here's results of a study of epidemiologists in June 2020 (Again, some people here don't consider them experts either):

"We asked more than 500 epidemiologists and infectious disease specialists when they expect to restart 20 activities of daily life, assuming that the coronavirus pandemic and the public health response to it unfold as they expect. On sending children to school, camp or child care, 70 percent said they would do so either right now, later this summer or in the fall — much sooner than most said they would resume other activities that involved big groups of people gathering indoors. Others, though, said they would wait for a vaccine, which could take a year or more."

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/12/upshot/epidemiologists-decisions-children-school-coronavirus.html


____________

Other articles:

https://www.cnn.com/2020/07/08/health/school-reopening-fall-coronavirus-wellness/index.html

https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2020/06/will-schools-reopen-fall/613468/

______________

Unfortunately, there are not many polls that ask questions other than "are you concerned about reopening schools." I would think such questions would yield 100% saying they are concerned, everyone should be concerned.

Here is one poll in North Carolina that looks at how many support schools remaining closed completely --

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Eb5GwF4WAAU4lPn?format=jpg&name=900x900

______________

This is probably the best I found, from California and the LA Times:

"Overall, Californians are closely split on whether to continue with distance learning or go ahead with a limited reopening, according to the poll, which was conducted in consultation with The Times.

"About 4 in 10 California adults want to stick with full-time distance learning this fall. A similarly sized group favors a limited reopening with students in school on alternating days or on half-day schedules. The staggered schedule would allow schools to comply with social distancing requirements, which typically require students to remain six feet apart.

"Fewer than 2 in 10 support having students attend classes full time in person on a daily basis — even if they follow social distancing guidelines, the poll found.

"Respondents took part online in the California Community Poll from June 26 through July 6. The survey was commissioned by the Center for Asian Americans United for Self Empowerment, Hispanas Organized for Political Equality and the Los Angeles Urban League. Strategies 360, a California-based polling and political strategy firm, polled 1,184 adult citizens. The margin of sampling error is 3 percentage points. . . . . ."

https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2020-07-10/school-reopening-coronavirus-spike-parents-teachers-split

[angrychair]

20. Thank you for the articles

I guess my biggest counterpoint is that even a couple days in school,, week after week, is little different than being in school full time.
Again, not as much for young children but for the adults that have to personally interact with these children that could be asymptomatic and expose them.

What about kids, teenagers, that refuse to wear their mask on "religious" or even "political" grounds but refuse to do school from home?

[Alex4Martinez]

22. Take a breath, everyone. Terminology matters, "opening" schools may mean online only...

I manage programs throughout California and this comes up over and over.

Schools will stay closed while they open, using distance learning-- this is very common here.

San Diego will not "open schools" but they will continue teaching.

And, TeeVee journalists aren't in the trenches and don't know what they're talking about.

In the trenches, several mostly smaller and rural districts haven't even decided, it's a moving target.

But ALL SCHOOLS WILL OPEN! They just might not be opening their doors and classrooms, not at first.

[ananda]

23. Why is fascist water poison?

nt