Eeeep! Front Page Of Local Weekly

[ProfessorGAC]

Schools to open 100% as normal!
I know our county positivity is 2.2, and the city of 150,000 (county seat) is at 2.7.
So, down here in the small town area, were likely 2.0 or lower, but...
They're following CDC & IDPH guidelines and all, and are setting up on-line learning for kids staying home for medical reasons.
And, the supt. did leave open major revisions.
But, the plan is full reopening.
I didn't read the whole article, so I don't know about extracurricular activities.
But, 100% sounds like 100% to me!

[Nevilledog]

1. How big is your school district?

[ProfessorGAC]

3. Unsure. Maybe 1,200 Kids?

I've subbed at the junior high. I'd say four 8th grade classes of around 20-25. So, maybe 90 per grade.
Just an estimate.

[Nevilledog]

5. They're probably thinking they're small enough to control the situation.

I believe they will be proven wrong.

[ProfessorGAC]

6. That's Probably It

I'm not as pessimistic about outcome, but I still think it's quite the risk.

[Alex4Martinez]

2. Could you share a clue about what city and state and district this is. I don't know you!

I don't know most people on DU so a post like yours is confusing to me.

I enjoy your posts, by the way, but wish people would take the few extra keystrokes it would take to provide context.

Where is this, please?

Orange County???

[ProfessorGAC]

4. South of Chicago

Will county, Illinois.
I didn't add it, because I didn't realize that mattered.

[Wellstone ruled]

7. The Rural Areas

are in deep denial. Dealing with that with our Grand Kid. The Wingers have control of the School Board and it is full speed ahead.

[ProfessorGAC]

8. Not Really Rural

And mask wearing is better than 90% in stores.
I don't think there's much denial.
It depends on definition of rural, I suppose.
We have a bit under 7,000 in the township, and probably 50 are farm families.
It's mostly a bedroom community. Live here, work elsewhere.
But, 5 miles north are 2 huge intermodal centers, and warehouse central. Walmart, amazon, Michelin, Goodyear, Bissell, Home Depot, et all have huge warehouses. Then there's about 8 large manufacturing sites. Then you hit the city of 150k.
County has 700,000.
I don't think denial is the primary motivator in making this decision.

[Wellstone ruled]

12. Kids City is about 7k

and the County is in the 15k range with another decent Population Center 10 miles away of around 20k. Their city is very progressive,but it is the County School board that sucks. Simply put ,the way back gang .

Will they open Schools,doubt it,the Gov is from the Area and knowing him years ago,he won't let certain County School boards to open. This Virus is just now showing up in Farm Country. Similar to many viral infections of the Forties and Fifties,it hit the Towns people first,and yes the Farm People were infected during the Heat of the Summer.

[ProfessorGAC]

15. Those Numbers Do Sound Rural

The county you describe is way smaller.
This is the 4th most populous county in Illinois.
I do acknowledge that we're near the edge of it, then the "rural" starts. Go 20 miles south and for a long time, it's all corn, soybeans, & windfarms.

[Wellstone ruled]

16. It is known as the Minneasota River Valley .

Once you head west of the Valley Bluff,it is a flat as a pancake for most of two hundred miles and then Rolling Hills known as the Buffalo Ridge. Towns are ten miles apart for the most part. All were established as Whistle Stops for various railroads in the late 1800's. Corn,Soybeans,Sugar Beets,and on the Western edge Wind mills which have been cranking away since the mid Sixties.

As per our Rellies living out on the Prairie ,the Virus is just now being noticed by the Rose Glasses Crowd. Chicken and Turkey Processors are loaded with sick people and a several fatalities.

And yes,they want their damn Schools open because some Towns are running Little league Baseball programs. Yupper,got to get the Kiddos back in School don't yah know.

[ProfessorGAC]

17. Very Different Than Here

20 miles east, west & south is where suburban spread hits.
12 miles to the north, and then all the way to the Wisconsin line is exurban, suburban, urban, suburban.
To the south & west though, after that 20 miles, lots of soybeans.

[Wellstone ruled]

18. Fimiliar with the area. Grew up in Northwestern Wisconsin.

Kind of into the Ag Business thingee last couple years of High School and Summers while attending College,doing Farm Expos and Crop Tours in the Illinois and Wisconsin Border region.

Not amazed at the Urban development out side Chicago. Remember,during the Urban sprawl era,land was cheap as well as taxes and Gas was less than a buck a gallon. Plus the mass Transit system was second to none. We use to drive just south of Milwaukee and catch the Metro into Chicago rather than hassle the Chicago scene. Same in later years,NWA had flights out of MPLS every half hour to Midway and the fares were dirt cheap.

[SWBTATTReg]

10. I know. Some rural areas have been sitting on the sidelines watching the CV ravish ...

cities like NYC, and other places too, while their neighborhoods, small towns and cities have remained unscathed. These small towns and cities still went about doing things as normal, pretending that nothing was wrong and now the CV has and is continuing to make very deep inroads into these rural communities.

My sister is in rural SW Missouri and they are literally freaking out down there (Joplin, Springfield MO) because the CV is pretty well out of control down there. I'm hoping that all are safe (my family and such, they do wear masks) but this points out just how irresponsible and arrogant these people are, and I'm sure some of them were laughing at the misfortunes of the larger cities (STL and KCMO).

I know how these people that live in these small cities and towns act like, they are constantly mocking and making fun of the larger city problems and the residents of larger cities (at least in MO), thinking that they are better than those residents in larger cities. Unfortunately this disgusting attitude is killing people. Kind of bringing karma onto themselves.

[Wellstone ruled]

13. The little Towns and Villages as well as

Farmers will be infected. Watched how Polio and Whooping Cough as well as Measles spread as a youngster . The Town Kids took the early hit,we Farm kids ended up catching everything by mid Summer,Hot Humid and no A/C back then. As well as a Dairy Farm to tend to.

Yup,those Sunday Church things were perfect Petri dishes.

[Alex4Martinez]

11. Thank you!

I've been profiling different districts for work as our state navigates the waters!

[unblock]

9. We know a lot of people here (Connecticut) who won't send their kids back to school no matter what.

Chances are they'll at least offer a distance learning option, and I think most will take it.

[MissB]

14. That's what I'd choose if I had school aged kids.

My college kids are going. But I can trust them to wear masks and wash hands etc.