Quarantine: Week 0 (March 8-14)
Lisa writes:
On Tuesday, March 10, the FCPS Superintendent sent this:
The virus seems to be primarily focused in Washington State and New York, but there are new cases showing up in new states daily.
On Thursday, March 12, the PTA posted this:
My employer, the community college, had all all sign telework agreements that were scheduled to go into effect on March 16, but they told us to start taking our laptops home every night ... just in case. On the 12, I hauled home my laptop, both extra monitors, wireless, mouse, keyboard, headset and mic. The VP of IT happened to walk by as I was carrying all of this stuff out the door in my arms. He paused and said, "I didn't think we meant take your monitors, too," then shrugged and kept walking.
The next day, they told us not to come back. One person at another campus had tested positive for the virus and the campuses were all closed.
Friday, March 13, the whole thing got strangely real. I went to the grocery store:
I'd never seen that before. There WAS still plenty of other food. Just no milk (I brought home chocolate milk), eggs, meat, or toilet paper. Or water. I'm still not clear on why people panic-bought water.
Friday, March 13, was Tom's birthday. It was a big one -- one that ends in Zero -- so I'd originally been planning something biggish. With maybe a bounce house. But under the circumstances we switched to a come-eat-cake-with-immediate-family party at our house. A dinosaur cake was made. It's an ankylosaurus, as you can clearly see.
And then, on March 13, the Friday-teacher-workday and Monday-one-extra-day-to-prepare holiday turned into school's-probably-closed-for-the-rest-of-the-year.
Two things:
On Tuesday, March 10, the FCPS Superintendent sent this:
Dear FCPS Community,
Thank you for your patience and support as we continue to address the multi-faceted challenges related to planning for Coronavirus (COVID-19). We have two important updates to share.
First, Monday, March 16, will be designated a student holiday. This student holiday will provide an opportunity for our staff to prepare for the possibility of distance learning in the event of a school(s) closure. We will use this day as a staff training day and all staff will report to work.
... [long list of cancelled activities] ... Any trips scheduled to New York state are also canceled, including day trips. All other day trips will proceed as scheduled. We recognize that the decision to cancel overnight field trips may be disappointing; however, the decision is made in an abundance of caution for our students and staff.
This situation will continue to evolve and we will keep you updated. Check for updates on our website at: https://www.fcps.edu/news/
We strongly encourage our families to stay informed and stay calm.
Sincerely,
Scott Brabrand, Superintendent
Fairfax County Public Schools
Fairfax County Public Schools
On Thursday, March 12, the PTA posted this:
My employer, the community college, had all all sign telework agreements that were scheduled to go into effect on March 16, but they told us to start taking our laptops home every night ... just in case. On the 12, I hauled home my laptop, both extra monitors, wireless, mouse, keyboard, headset and mic. The VP of IT happened to walk by as I was carrying all of this stuff out the door in my arms. He paused and said, "I didn't think we meant take your monitors, too," then shrugged and kept walking.
The next day, they told us not to come back. One person at another campus had tested positive for the virus and the campuses were all closed.
Friday, March 13, the whole thing got strangely real. I went to the grocery store:
I'd never seen that before. There WAS still plenty of other food. Just no milk (I brought home chocolate milk), eggs, meat, or toilet paper. Or water. I'm still not clear on why people panic-bought water.
Friday, March 13, was Tom's birthday. It was a big one -- one that ends in Zero -- so I'd originally been planning something biggish. With maybe a bounce house. But under the circumstances we switched to a come-eat-cake-with-immediate-family party at our house. A dinosaur cake was made. It's an ankylosaurus, as you can clearly see.
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