FCPS StreamIN/CheckIN policy is unnecessary

Students can only attend zoom classes to keep up with instruction after three day’s of contact-tracing induced quarantine. For TJ students especially, this can be a big problem.

William Henry, Staff Writer
February 9, 2022

This year, when staying home as a result of being sick with COVID, students have the opportunity to access their classes through zoom or a recording of the lesson. However, students will only be able to listen to class lessons, and not have any back and forth with teachers. Schools have up to three days to provide this support to students. This is an FCPS policy.

“My understanding of the reason why the three day piece was put in was so that teachers would have the opportunity to prepare,” Principal Dr. Ann Bonitatibus said, “Depending on when you were quarantined, a teacher would not necessarily have all the time or ability to get everything set up.”

The argument that teachers need three days to prepare for students tuning into lessons when on pause for COVID is unreasonable. Teachers should have had the technological knowledge needed to allow students to tune into classes since the beginning of the year. In other words, teachers aren’t going to learn how to set up a zoom meeting, or how to record the audio of their lesson, in the three day period given to them to prepare.

In addition, teachers aren’t going to need to create a new lesson when they find out a student of theirs has been paused for COVID. Teachers also aren’t required to interact with students who are tuned into their class. I don’t see why teachers can’t just start giving students access to lessons as soon as they become quarantined.

“Tuning into instruction is only available to students who are paused due to COVID because that is a longer period of time,” Associate Principal Dr. Ana Cingel said.

There is no reason why students shouldn’t have the option to tune into lessons when sick without COVID. If a student is feeling sick, it is expected that they stay home, even if they have not tested positive for COVID. Students should have access to lessons when not sick with COVID, permitting they feel up to it, especially considering that they don’t really have the option to tough it out and attend school in person.

Missing any days of classes creates stress and extra workloads for students, who would be behind the rest of their classmates, and will have to take extra time to understand the content they missed. Checking Schoology for assignments is not a substitute for direct instruction from a teacher. Ultimately, this policy was created to alleviate stress for teachers, but allowing students to tune into classes immediately should not create additional work for teachers. This policy is only creating stress for students who are hurt as a result of the ignorance of Fairfax County.