if it hasn’t already been brought up, I’d like to point out that media com is currently having an outage in town and as a result cell towers are taking a hit as well. many people who wanted to join this call likely will not be able to. On top of this meeting being last minute, and plenty of parents not knowing about the event, it would be a good idea to push the deadline in my opinion.

Thank you Stefan! This has also affected myself and many others. in addition I would like to ask: When will the recording be online and how can non-English speakers access this information in a timely manner? Thank you.

I understand that the use of masks is “strongly encouraged” with push back on both sides. Is this an issue that each school would be able to approach differently or could there be areas of school that certain staff and teachers could require masks be worn while in other areas they were not mandatory?

Hello, just to clarify, if my child has a cold that includes a cough and a fever will my child need to take a COVID test and prove to be negative before returning to school? What if my child only has a cough? Will they need to take a test? Or only wear a mask?

More test, more cases…simple math

well... not exactly. more tests, still the same amount of positives and increased hospitalizations...

the only way our child will be attending in person this year is if mask are mandatory for teachers at all times even in their classroom with stable group

You are listening to opinion of families/children but what about staff and faculty. They have to present a case why they can’t be in person but if they don’t feel comfortable wearing masks. Are you taking input from them?

Face shields would be better for accessibility

I don't need to speak on microphone, I would just like to say that while I understand the limitations that masks may pose for some, I STRONGLY believe that they should be required by all students, teachers, and staff for in school learning. Would just like my position noted.

Why not recommend N95 instead of mask or face shield, since this would prevent infection?

If we had N95s that actually protect the wearer, people wouldn't need to be forced to wear them

I agree with Amanda above. Required masks are essential.

agreed. as high school students and 20-25 yr olds are the most likely to be asymptomatic and highest growing she range... it's less about their safety and more about community spread. masks are essential to control those vectors.

I also worry about teachers and putting them into a high risk environment and their family's impact. I can't believe the union or OSHA requirements allowed the safety risk.

This has been said before, but requiring means you have to be able to enforce that requirement. As a student, I know first-hand that a full mandate on masks for everyone just wouldn't be feasible to enforce.

but how are you supposed to enforce a mask policy? Also what would be the consequences of not wearing a mask?

Even if masks are required…kids eating in classroom, etc will be situations where they are not wearing masks. So what really are masks for if controlled environment where you will still have situations and times without masks

95% of population wearing mask would have a huge impact on spread.

Perhaps if someone doesn’t want to wear a mask, they should choose the virtual school option.

^exactly

Although cloth masks and face shields reduce transmission, they will not prevent transmission by asymptomatic individuals. There is a lot of data that shows that individuals are at risk of infection even when wearing a cloth mask. Families need to understand that there remains a significant risk and to appreciate what Dr. Stiepleman said about all of the other measures the schools are taking to prevent exposure. These are the primary measures that will keep our kids safe at schools.

I would also like to go on record as keenly pro mask-mandate. thanks for this zoom session, and all the work going into this decision.

We are strongly supportive of requiring masks for students as the best way to protect the health and safety of students as well as our community. Thank you for all that you are doing.

@phil - or vice versa.

Great point Stephanie

At least I think for elementary school, requiring masks will be difficult. I watch my 3 young boys when they have a mask on in the community and they touch it constantly.

Elementary students you will deal more with kids taking them off, not wearing properly which results in teachers spending more time addressing that instead of instructing. As well its very important for younger children to see the expressions of their teachers and peers.

The American Academy of Pediatrics offers strategies for helping young children be more comfortable wearing masks: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/23/well/family/children-masks-coronavirus.html

With a rising Freshman I believe that my student will be fully capable of wearing a mask at all times during the school day. I would feel much safer for both my student and my family knowing that masks were required for in seat learning.

I also support the use of masks in school with their respective accomodations for children with special needs.

There are children with anxiety going to school with non-mask wearers could be as much of a trigger. I feel like we have to look at the public health recommendations here

Definitely worth considering mandatory masks for secondary and optional for elementary - makes a lot of sense. It's important to consider our secondary kids will never wear one unless everyone else is doing it. Middle school is rough - if everyone wears a mask, they'll be pretty compliant. If they're the only one, it won't work. Strongly encouraged will never work for the majority of secondary students. But as other commenters have mentioned, looking at the data indicates that there's no way to deny the importance of wearing masks in public settings.

My son is 5 years old, going into kindergarten, and today he had his first masked play-date. I had very low confidence that he would keep it on, and he wildly surpassed my expectations. He and his 5 year-old friend wore their masks the entire time without complaint and, in fact, forgot they had them on the second they started playing. They played for almost 3 hours that way.

What happens when a K-2 child tells teacher or peer I can’t hear your, its muffled. Or children with strong accents. Would teacher or child be disciplined if they take off mask so child can hear or are they out of luck and they miss out on the instruction

want to clarify on the word mandate... of course there would be exceptions. but for the health and safety of both teachers and students (& parents) I urge the default positions to be wear masks, esp. middle and high school.

there definitely needs to be a certain percentage compliant to benefit from the policy

the strongly encourage masks is only in a staff section. for students masks is never mentioned. on top of that it says in the stable room they’re not needed, which is where they are more needed.

Elementary children can do this if it's modeled with buy in and framed positively. Other communities have done this in non-traumatizing ways. This will take additional teaching but let's be honest with ourselves...this school year will not be "normal" by any stretch of the imagination. Being pragmatic, and knowing how oddly polarizing this issue is, I think that middle and highschool students (with nec. exceptions) should be required to wear masks.

will the students be going for recess during school hours for elementary?

Strongly encouraging masks, providing masks to all students upon demand, teaching, modeling, practicing, prompting, and reinforcing will significantly increase the likelihood of students wearing masks and engaging in other necessary safe behaviors. If targeted groups, locations, activities, etc need to have mask flexibility, that is critical. Individuals who would have their learning negatively impacted by masks need to have flexibility (students with disabilities, ELs, and others). An instructional approach is the only possible avenue to approaching this safety issue. Disciplinary action (which is overwhelmingly disproportionate in all senses already) is NEVER ok in response.

^^YES

Yes! South Korea

as a physician, I fully believe in masking at all grade levels, with reasonable exceptions likely requiring a health care provider’s certification/statement. if not mandated, would there be some.thought to “clustering” (socially distanced) of children and families who choose to have their children wear masks? having one child masked sitting next to another child unmasked, does very little

I also support the mandatory use of masks in all schools with accomodations for children who need it. The primary goal should be to keep everyone as safe as possible for as long as possible so that schools can stay open.

I second Sondra Smith's thoughts about masks being a small request, and also emphasizing outdoor learning.

Yes, we also strongly support masking at all grade levels, with exceptions as needed. I appreciate the respectful approach to this discussion and am grateful to be part of this community.

Sondra Smith is correctly thinking outside the box. We need that kind of mindset, not just trying to "fit" this new environment into old ways of doing things.Shorter school days?Expanded pre-and-after school programs?Expand school meal options allowing kids to feel taken care of?

As for masks, we are 100% in favor of mandating them. Exceptions are always needed, and can be accommodated.

regarding mask-wearing by children, has anyone seen data on "fun" masks (e.g. super heroes, images, graphics, etc.) as positively affecting compliance? negative effects (distracting? etc.) Asking for a friend! 😎

that is a great point that was just made regarding formation and determination of stable groups.

Steve - I make children’s masks and I always try to make them with some character or pattern the kids enjoy so that they will be more “excited” to wear them :).

I personally don’t agree with mandating the masks for children. I think that a child would be messing with the mask all day defeating the purpose and being more of a health risk than safety precaution.

thanks megan & brad!

has anyone addressed the district providing masks for disad

...families NOT able to provide for children?!

Steve- my kids have fun print masks and enjoy wearing them. not scientific data, but good anecdotal!

If masks are required I hope we come together as a community to be able to provide masks that cannot be purchased. I have been sewing and will continue to do sew to be able to donate to those in need who cannot afford them.

thanks Jayne. I am good with anecdote. anything that helps!

Will temperatures be taken prior to entry into schools and buses? That is done when entering a doctor’s office. Is it important?

Sandy - they said no - it would create a bottleneck causing more chance of exposure

Agree Chris

I am a 1st grade teacher in CPS. In February when it began to look like Covid-19 was going to impact us, we began teaching students about how germs spread and stepped up our handwashing and germ-x procedures. We came at it as a point of being a community helper and protecting our friends and family by not spreading germs. Our youngest learners hear and are more aware of what is going on then what we often given them credit for. Our youngest learners can understand big topics when given the time, tools, and space to process and understand. Our teachers will add these procedures into our typical back to school procedures and will model and encourage as we go. We give grace and understand that our students will need more support in this. As a teacher of some of our youngest learners, I know they are capable and can rise to the challenge when we lead them with love and grace.

Good points Chris.

thank you for that, Lindsey 1st grade teacher! great to hear.

good point on choice.

I understand the hope of vaccines or treatments. But if this is the new normal—if, as we see numbers increasing now, and in the future—not to mention potentially new outbreaks—doesn’t it make sense to begin best practices for public health now? I understand our students are not used to masks, but I wasn’t used to a desk when I started Kindergarten, either. If it’s modeled, accepted, encouraged, rewarded, etc., wouldn’t that create a more safe future, anyway?

Has there been any discussion of testing and contact tracing in the district?

Will there be other sessions available for those who could not access this directly/ask their questions? There are approximately 19,000 students in CPS and this webinar is capped at 500. Many people have not been given access to ask their questions. In addition, there is a large Mediacom outage in town and it appears that cell phone towers may also affected. My point is that with 19,000 students, more than a 1 1/2 hour session on such a critical topic would be appropriate. I would also like to advocate for those who are non-English speaking but have not been given access to this discussion and may not be given access to the same information as happened with the limited information webinars. On such a serious, historically unprecedented, and potentially-life altering decision, parents of 19,000 students should be given many more opportunities than the 1-2 webinars plus this session to get their questions asked, provide input, and given access to equal information. Thank you.

they said that tracing was one of the reasons for creating a stable group and having assigned seating.

Agree with requiring masks for all; if individuals need exceptions (for medical reasons for example), those could be individually approved. I teach at Mizzou, and we are planning to have students wear masks and professors will wear face shields.

Steve - they did not they will be tracking everyone in and out of classrooms to assist with tracing

Note*

Please make these webinar recordings available online with transcripts.

Thank you to Honda and other community donors! With state budget cuts, perhaps the PTSAs could help fund masks via a fundraising drive. Perhaps a Gofundme that could be shared in the community. Perhaps not only seeing if parents with the means would give to this cause but also others in community who feel strongly about reducing spread. These could be provided to children in need. Many students would be willing to buy them on their own. Also could help cover fabric masks for teachers/staff. I agree with concern about proper use as they will need to be washed at night. But requiring them seems to be the only way to keep our kids in school longer. Thank you for listening and for all your hard work.

we (and I know many others) would certainly donate to offset any cost for facemasks/shields if mandatory

thx Seth and Megan & Brad

Agree with Greg Irwin and the next 2 speakers that you are actually taking away the family’s choice to go to school if masks aren’t required. Any families with at-risk family members will actually NOT be able to go to school if they are not protected from droplets of virus. This is very frustrating for parents whose kids really need social interaction but whose families may not weather the virus well. In fact, it’s a cruel choice to force families to make.

agreed 100% dress code level enforcement and to the previous comment as a cruel choice.

Dress codes are overwhelmingly enforced in disproportionate ways, especially impacting students of color. A disciplinary response is not acceptable.

certainly open to hearing alternative enforcement methods beyond disciplinary.

Agree with mask-requirement as an equity issue. Families with essential workers who cannot work from home and for whom home schooling is not an option, need to be able to send their kids to school.

YES!!

Illinois requires masks for K-12. My elementary age children deserve to be safeguarded by masks as much as any other age group.

true

...to clarify, I support mask-requirement!

A kindergartner is not going to wear a mask, and it would be such a pain for the teacher to constantly disrupt and stop class to tell them to put them back on

Yes Heather

My six year olds wear masks with no issue.

Just throwing out a couple of suggestions. For those kids who might struggle with wearing a face mask for one reason or another, would a face shield be a good alternative? Maybe not so restrictive. Not as much protection as a mask, but maybe better than nothing at all? Also, in regards to the idea of mask breaks, would it be possible for teachers to let kids alternate taking their masks breaks? For example, x number of kids per classroom can take off their mask (while practicing social distancing) for half the class period or every other day, etc.

that's a really interesting approach

Angela do they wear them for 8 hours a day, 5 days a week?

agree that we need to think about families who do not have the option or ability to have kids learn from home. If we require masks, they are MUCH more likely to be able to continue to send their kids to school. If we don’t wear masks, school will close again and again, and those families who need their kids to be at school will be forced to keep their kids home. So, equity is addressed by requiring masks.

They wouldn't wear them 8 hours a day. There would be breaks for recess, lunch, etc.

our 6 yr old wears a mask with no problems or complaints

Elementary should be consider differently. Its a totally different audience

It may take a few days or weeks for some students and age groups, but again, if it’s modeled, practiced, and becomes a habit in those spaces, we’re all better for it.

Elementary kids deserve to be protected by a mask requirement just as much as older kids. So do their families and teachers.

what happened the 2 day and 3 days homework schedule that was first being talked about ?

thx for helping bring clarity to my point, Kelly about masks and equity.

Agree Chris.

I understand the need for a mask, but I believe it would be hard for a kindergartener to wear one all day, and not only that, they would touch their face constantly.

What about elementary staff that need elementary students to wear masks due to personal reasons?

Working in an unsafe environment seems OSHA worthy. curious what the union's position is on protecting their employees or their use of sick days from being exposed to this illness

good idea from the Smiths on mask breaks. I think terminology, i.e. masks vs. face covering should be clarified. We are talking face covering, which mask is more specific type...

I think we sometimes underestimate our children. They are very adaptable and resilient and if we teach them the importance of wearing a mask for helping their friends, teachers, and our community.

they will respond positively.

I very much disagree that we shouldn't try to require masks with younger elementary school students. I understand it may not be done well, but we should try and teach them, and practice (and like the idea of breaks, and of course exceptions). I also think it is important to recognize that the "stable groups" are not as stable as we may want them. There will be students riding the bus that may be in a classroom, my understanding is that adventure club will be happening, etc. As such, it concerns me to argue masks are not needed because of the "stable groups". We need multiple layers of protection.

YES—to the current speaker. We can TEACH kids about mask safety and decorate them in art. Great ideas!

Thank you Molly - that’s all I wanted to say!

Agree with Molly. Thank you.

Yes Molly!

yes

Yes Sonja--we need all the protection we can possibly provide

yes, Molly! Great ideas about making this a part of teaching! That is what we do!

yes please, teaching and practice is all that’s needed. we’ve already been working with our 5 year old old wearing the mask more often and making it normal

agree with the Smiths and Steve Calloway that face shields are a great alternative for some with special needs. Better than nothing!

Agree we can make masks the norm, discuss why important with germs, there is a lot of info out there on teaching kids about masks

We have 2 months to start working with our children at home so they feel comfortable wearing masks when the time comes.

Forcing the opinions of 50% of the population on young children is not teaching. There are many parents who feel strongly against masks.

I agree with what was just said regarding teaching students, singing songs about it, etc. I also think it is important to recognize the fear and anxiety that some students will experience if they don't feel their school is putting those safety protocols in place that they are hearing elsewhere is important. There are children with anxiety and fear about going out that masks will actually help alleviate. If we are able to tell them that we are doing things to help make it safe, that is something that they can understand with the masks.

... maybe mask-wearing by kids will result in better behavior by adults!

Masks are not an opinion, it is a safety issue based on science. We teach gun safety, etc.

Good point Steve!

Whether masks are effective is an opinion.

it is not

Its not science…may masks do not stop or prevent the spread.

yes Angela, this is not opinion. In all countries that have gotten this virus under control, there has been wide-spread masks wearing. It’s not an opinion.

Agree with Angela Soth. This is not about opinions but science. Keeping the community safe from spread is key. Masks do prevent spread.

Data would suggest it is not an opinion. And it isn't about prevention it is about reduction of risk

Yes. I believe masks work. Maybe not 100% but if I didn’t make it clear - I believe they work.

same. we're not going to be perfect but we should make the best choices not just for your kid but for the community at large

hello my name is Chan Chea i am a parent of Jossemit Cheachan and Majada Chachean if my child do online classes do they have to go back to school for PE, Science Experiments things we don't have at home please answer yes or no.

Thank you so much for this listening session. I agree Kristen!

follow the science. that’s the only way we will get through this. masks DO lessen the spread in the community at large, and they lessen the viral load up close.

Masks wearing is NOT the problem. School closing from covid -19 will be the problem

IF it is not required by the county at the time of schools starting, then it should not be required in the school. There is a health director for a reason.

yes Zaiden—precisely the point we should not forget.

I hear parents say they feel safe when their kids wear masks. I have worn N95 with a respirator exhalation valve which is necessary to expel our moisture we breath out every breath. I have worn in my occupation N95 and other masks for work (8 hours a day). I can tell you that many people who have spoken today who expressed that they think wearing masks is good has not worn one properly, or for long hours on end like I have. It restricts speech and is very hard to understand people in my line of work and it becomes uncomfortable after very little time wearing it. The wearing of masks doesn’t get easier or more comfortable if you wear them a lot. IF you have any other masks other than a n96 with an exhalation valve your moisture builds up in the mask and restricts your breathing and makes the mask less effective.

Agree Lisa. We need to follow science and CDC guidelines which are clear about need for masks age 2 and up.

CDC calls them essential when social distancing isn't possible.

conceivably some older kids may show up with black lives matter masks and clothing fo

for

all political views I believe are covered under dress code...

Let's not underestimate our children's ability to adapt to wearing a mask. There have been some great suggestions here about how parents and teachers can create the expectation and teach it. I give children credit for understanding many of the issues surrounding the pandemic and the importance of helping others stay healthy.

hopefully kids will express themselves with #BLM, pride or other masks! :)

... for that matter. Not sure if the policy, but district needs to be thinking about that. Dress code, probably?

in the current plan, nothing for the bus - in fact they are encouraging you drive your kids to reduce the number on the bus.

Agree Wendy. Kids can adapt and masks promote proactive social behavior

thx Seth and Kelly. Good to focus on the health issue and in-person school. I haven't heard any district discussion about BLM. Not sure it's as simple as a dress code issue! #humanrights

agreed def not, but not the scope if this call, respectfully :)

Steve Calloway. Right on target!

absolutely agree, seth.

i am not actually sure how they handle political messaging, maga, blm, pride, etc currently. going to be an interesting fall semester

yep, seth!!

Yes Lindsey!!! Just as kids wear shoes, etc, this is a safety issue. We don't just "recommend" things that are clearly safety issues.

Thank you Lindsey!

Is there any way that special education parents can have a zoom call like this about fall and the issues that impact our kids? That would be so helpful and we have so many questions that apply to all of us with special ed kids.

My 5 year old knows germs are bad and how to wash his hands but he doesn’t mean he isn’t going to touch his mask, constantly take it off, etc

Great points, Lindsey!

Very good point about subs coming in

agree with you Lindsey! Kids safety should be first!

People keep making the point about teachers teaching when school starts. Why can’t parents/caregivers start teaching now? We have 2 months to model and help children be comfortable wearing masks.

Agree Kelly. We have already started.

you could also put out some informative videos prior to the school year (think about the video that was put out when the diverging diamond exchange came to COMO) to help younger students gain exposure to and understanding of the expectations (and it may help their family members at home to better understand the science as well)!

that was actually suggested to me by someone who at their job is required to wear them all day long - They said, you forget about it more than you would think after a while but start getting them ramped up now

great idea Kelly!

good point, Kelly

Good idea Leanna!

Stores are not allowing personal cloth bags in the stores for the potential spread of germs. It makes no sense to think that 1000s of kids are going to clean their masks daily or be able to afford changing disposable ones. We closed school and made the classes stop teaching new curriculum because a few expressed concerns on how they were going to deal with teaching from home. I realize people are scared and yes some people die from this virus but the fact is, the history of flu and pneumonia kill thousands of people a year. People that are high risk have been told to stay home or wear masks, social distance, they are sacred and have a right to be. We are trying to fix a problem that is not able to be fixed fro everyone. What si said is our kids will not get the education they deserve. The virus rarely kills children. We can not put our kids in a bubble in a public place and expect them to be perfectly safe.

All of this discussion (including the value of conducting a parent, teacher, and staff survey on mask usage among other critical topics), highlights the fact that the Tuesday, June 30th deadline needs to be extended. As mentioned in my previous comment, MANY families have not even had the opportunity to access any of this information yet (not to mention, get to ask their own questions that would be critical for them to know in order to make a decision for their family) and it is unclear when/if they will be given access to this opportunity. We urge you to extend the June 30th deadline.

The elementary and middle should start from day one in learning how to use their masks, but a delayed start date may be more beneficial for the HS to give them more time to adjust.

Would you think about take a tempertuer for students and staffs before get in to school or to the bus?

They've said that would create a bottleneck that would cause even more opportunity for spread.

Decisions should be based on the best science.

the bottleneck issue can be addressed by allowing for an earlier drop off time. it’s how I deal with my multiple time daily screenings

I have a family thing and I have to drop - Thank you to Dr Stiepleman and team for taking the time and thoughtfully listening to all of those on here.

Well-said Debbie! thanks for bring up the foster grandparents program. CPS needs to be cognizant of our older persons who are in contact with school kids and need to be protected as much as possible.

Agree Tara!

Yes Laura. Just like seat-belts, car-seats.

Agree Tara -- special needs parents need to hear from the Special Ed department

I suggest Dr. Stiepleman next webinar you wear a mask during it so people can understand the difficulty at times hearing individuals with masks on.

The "practice" idea is one that could be started @ home before school starts, so kids get into the habit of wearing masks! Great idea.

What about the kids who cannot wear a mask they won’t get rewarded? That idea doesn’t seem to work.

will the schools be doing daily temperature checks? This is another way to keep people safe (other than masks).

Great points Amy!

Elementary kids, families, their teachers and staff deserve the same level of protection with required masks as other schools.

Thank you.

Amy had SO many great points. We should definitely be listening to professionals, like physicians, and guiding our requirements from that. I understand that little kids COULD wear masks all day, but should they? Is it healthy physically, emotionally, and mentally for a five year old to wear a mask all day, every day, when it has been proven that their risk of passing kids to adults and kids to kids is incredibly low.

If we choose in person, ( still not 100% though) will there be a cut off date to change our mind and enroll & have a spot for our kids for online? Or is there a cap for online enrollment?

CDC, WHO, and American Academy of Pediatrics recommend masks for children 2 and up. We should listen.

He said closer to the beginning that you can easily move from in seat to online but they ask that parents wait until semester to move from online to in seat.

I would appreciate if a summary of all of these questions and answers be t included in a FAQ, if a transcript is not an option. In addition, it will be important for non-English speaking families (at least in the top most common languages represented in CPS families) be provided with this information. Thank you.

Thank you!