Apr 30, 2009
Fort Worth Swine Flu Hysteria Post
by Steve Smith
Actually, Pete, the photo should look like this. Post all of you swine flu hysteria comments, and I’ll start it off with this: shutting down the Fort Worth ISD for a week. Well, OK. But why did they wait two days to shut down the schools after finding a case? Could it be because kids were taking TAKS tests Tuesday and Wednesday? So, student health is important, but TAKS tests are … more important?
Fire away.
Tags: swine flu
9 Comments, Comments or Pings
Charles Martin
I grew up in the Dallas ISD and when I was in the 6th grade (around 1984), we were taking the ITBS standardized tests and I was told there was no excused absence. Therefore, they had to set me up in the back of the classroom off to one side so I could take the tests while I had chickenpox! So, yeah, those damn tests do seem to be important to the schools. More so than student health.
Apr 30th, 2009
Anonymous
The point about the TAKS test is interesting. Certainly a possibility.
I also heard a rumor that the TEA told districts that they would not be “penalized” for closing schools due to swine flu. I’m assuming that includes not losing funding for losing school days.
So, given the fact that the FWISD has been very open about having a huge budget shortfall… could this have been a move more about saving $$$, just in case the legislature doesn’t fix the funding problem this session?
Apr 30th, 2009
Anonymous
It was said that we would have a African-American President the “Day Pigs Fly”
Well on the 100 day of President Obama’s Presidency “Swine Flu”
Apr 30th, 2009
Sonja
Hey don’t knock the FWISD shutdown! You know if you work there it all seems different — especially since, if there was going to be an outbreak of swine flu in Texas, an urban public school like the ones in the FWISD would be the most likely spot.
Apr 30th, 2009
JLT
I’m going to go out on a limb and say that Anonymous post came from Chinese Boomerang. That guy loves him some Obama-dissing, regardless of topic at hand.
Apr 30th, 2009
JBB
The TAKS point makes sense, but I believe most schools were still supposed to be giving a portion of the test today, even if it was just for a certain group of students.
Apr 30th, 2009
greg
Maybe it helps for high school age, but so would hand sanitizer and prohibiting kissing between classes.
The elementary kids will mostly go to day care where they will also be around preschoolers. Not sure that’s an improvement.
Mayfest shut down? An outdoor activity? Now that’s over the top. However it does give a certain city official the chance to posture and pontificate about his concern for our safety.
May 1st, 2009
Ken Turetzky
I’ve experienced my own brush with the Fort Worth swine:
Nation asks: Who will be the next weiner?
Mayfest pulls plug on pig flu scare
May 1st, 2009
Sonja
Just have to make a quick reply to Greg — most kids in FWISD appear, from my observation, to go home with mothers, fathers, aunts and grandmothers. Very few school aged kids, maybe 2-4 per class, go to daycare.
May 1st, 2009
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