Marion County parents question school closures, urge county to reconsider

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27 thoughts on “Marion County parents question school closures, urge county to reconsider

  1. If parents would make better decisions, we would not have these spikes. Continue to visit grandma, have your birthday parties and hang out at bars. Those of us that are “suffering” and doing the right thing, for the better of the community, are the ones paying the price for those in their own selfish worlds. Stay home so we can all come out to play soon.

    This is why we can’t have nice things…

    1. Or we could accept disease as part of life and all just go back to living. How about I make my decisions and if they scare you, you can stay home.

    2. Nicholas – you sir are part of the problem. The disease will always be part of our life, but we should all be living with caution until it is under control, a vaccine is widely available and a protocol is in place. I’m not scare, I care for my community, my family, my business and my health. You and those that think this way are the reason we need shut downs.

      Again, This is why we can’t have nice things…

    3. No. The problem is that people panic and overreact because the disease is “new”. I’m guessing you’re just fine living with the 80k who died of the flu last year. Or the 80k who died in cars. Diseases exist. People die. It’s sad, but panicking and locking the country down with arbitrary measures is the problem, not continuing to live life.

  2. It’s a seasonal virus at this point. Spikes have nothing to do with what someone “did” or “did not do”…stop the fear mongering. Indy schools can operate safely…but Dr Virginia Caine chooses to ignore the facts. Time for her to go.

    1. Seasonal virus? Tell that to families that have lost loved ones or those fighting for their lives with the virus. Seasonal is not 10 months.

  3. All I read in this article is a bunch of privileged and wealthy Karens who send their children to five-figure per year private schools complaining because they can’t potentially expose their children to a deadly virus (or spread it to teachers, staff, community members, ect, who they conveniently forget in their argument to keep schools open). Note to anyone who agree with these Karens, it’s not just about their/your kids. The order to shut down schools is about protecting the community and those who are more vulnerable and have less resources than the wealthy Karens and Kevins who send their kids to private school and are, generally, very well off. Oh, and by the way, our hospitals are overflowing, which they also, conveniently forget. If you want bars and restaurants to close along with schools, maybe start to advocate for more stimulus and reasonable leadership at the federal level for EVERYONE and not just keeping your kids in schools so you can go to brunch. Individualism will only make this virus worse.

    1. It’s a virus. Viruses exist and make people sick. Why have you never cared about the tens of thousands who die of influenza every year?

    2. There’s certainly a group of Karens but it isn’t the people who are going about their lives….

    3. Jordan – by your overyly-cliched “Karen” and “Kevin” slams, you are definitely showing yourself to be as mature as the children that a ton of us are fighting to get back in school. No matter whether it is a public shcool or “five-figure” private school, in-person education is extremely important for all kids, especially for younger elementary school aged children. Do you even have any clue that these private schools you clearly hate so much have lots and lots of kids who attend for free or reduced tuition? Do you know that many of these kids have their only healthy and full meal of the day when attending school, whether it is public or private? As the article pointed out, most schools are operating very safely and are not the source of the spread. This is purely a political move by our terrible liberal leadership in Indianapolis and Marion County to continue the nationwide trend in left-leaning cities that the populace needs to bow down to our wise masters who know better than we do on how to take care of our children and families. Our school had 3 cases of COVID since it opened in August – 3 cases! Now we are shut down which is absolutely wrong. Kudos to these parents who are fighting for what is truly best for these kids. If you are a parent and aren’t comfortable sending your kid to school then DON’T – there are e-learning options in place for those kids. Otherwise, the schools and the parents should be dictating whether in-person education is the right move.

      By the way, my friends and I ironically have a name for whiney know-it-all millenials. Its Jordan.

    4. I’m not arguing with anyone’s opinion on this issue. I would note though that Holy Cross Lutheran School is referenced in the article, and that is far from a “five-figure” per year school.

  4. This issue isn’t JUST that “kids might get sick” — and the argument can’t be ripped from the pages of Monty Python (“I got bettah!”) … the issue is staffing. Teachers & staff members are getting sick. Some are VERY sick. There aren’t enough teachers to cover classes.

    1. You state this but our school has yet to have a single teacher or staff member out due to COVID since we opened in August. I have a hard time believing your fear-mongering statement.

    2. Question for Michael. Since I’ve never seen someone get shot, that means people don’t get shot right? All those news stories about homicides are fake news and fear mongering reports!

    3. Michael – where are you getting your information. What school are you referring to? FYI a staff member at HSE just passed away with another fighting for their life.

      By the way, I am advocating for schools to stay open, but its the communities fight to move about as they please that are preventing this.

    4. David – I don’t need to share the name of our school to prove it to you. The fact is that our school has done an excellent job re: the virus and shouldn’t be penalized for others that aren’t doing a good job, nor should they be part of a blanket political decision. Holcomb makes an announcement one day about lifting or enacting stricter statewide mandates, useless Hogsett and the Marion County leadership just react the next day with a more severe interpretation – strictly political. Our school can do just fine without the damn politics.

    5. Michael – congratulations. Things went well at my children’s school system, but now I get e-mails just about every day from my children’s schools with COVID notifications – mostly students, occasional staff and teachers. There are nine children out in my son’s class of 23 students alone as they go virtual. Most cases are due to quarantine. And they’re down substitutes since many of the retirees who used to sub are sitting out this year as they’re high risk for the virus.

      I personally wish the kids would stay in school and we’d shut down the bars/restaurants and subsidize them until the spring when they re-open so I have a place to celebrate getting my second vaccine shot. But that’s not what we’ve chosen to do as a society, and the window to vote for different leadership doesn’t open for another 2 years.

  5. China stuck it to the planet. Either intentionally or unintentionally. I would to see some journalistic curiousity on that subject. Either way we have to live with it and move forward. Follow the science. Go to school.

    1. China has limited regulations now because they were on complete lockdown and now can be free again. Why couldn’t we do that?

    2. Everyone is always limited on what they can do in China. I don’t think locking people in their houses when they are sick is a feasible plan.
      And their numbers have to be WAY off.

    3. We also had scientists in China to monitor disease and act as a lookout… remind me, why did we pull them out during there Trump administration?

  6. Providing discretion to school systems and schools would allow the opportunity to provide in person instruction as the data allows. There are Marion County schools (public and private) that have tackled this issue – differentiating between grade schools and high schools, hybrid learning, etc. These schools want to stay open. Why does this have to be a bilateral decision – “open or closed”? This is a much more nuanced and complicated discussion

    Aaron Carroll – here at IU Medical School with a national following said it best in his op-ed piece:

    https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/17/opinion/schools-closing-covid.html

    1. RS – completely agree. Not sure why the bilateral decision. A lot of closures now are due to lack of staffing.

  7. Ha! Its Wesley from the Indystar boards- I know you! You drink the Kool-Aid in California yet you like to troll Indy’s message boards pushing your weak, liberal agenda. Happy Thanksgiving, turkey!

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