Escambia Teachers, Staff To Have Face Shields As An Option

July 24, 2020

“When you are teaching kids to read, they need to see the words, hear your voice and see you form the sounds with your lips,” according to the Escambia County School District.

That’s why schools in Escambia County will have face shields as an option to teachers and staff.

“We are dedicated to finding what will work the best in different circumstances,” the school district said in a statement.

Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.

Comments

25 Responses to “Escambia Teachers, Staff To Have Face Shields As An Option”

  1. j Keen on July 27th, 2020 2:38 pm

    Frontline Worker-

    What if you were an ESE (Special ED) teacher for ADHD, Shaken Baby Syndrome, kids and so on.

    Can you really teach remotely?

    The answer is NO.

    My wife is one of these teachers and it was a disaster trying to keep these kids on task remotely earlier this year.

  2. Zsolt on July 25th, 2020 5:28 pm

    Instead of the face shield, I’d recommend a simple eyeglass. If you don’t wear eyeglasses, you can get a clear eyeglass at Lowes or Home Depot that workers use at construction sites. They are transparent plastic all around, so they protect your eyes. If a kid sneezes at you, at least your eyes are protected.

  3. Zsolt on July 25th, 2020 5:22 pm

    I had to wear a face mask and a shield to work, and it was fun at first. After the first day, I realized it’s no fun! The shield traps the humid air and gets foggy. Then I had to take it off occasionally. I couldn’t do my job really. And I don’t even have to talk at my job. In about a week, the face shield had all kinds of scratches and bumps on it. I looked like I had been in a war. Lol Now I just don’t wear it at all.

  4. Frontline Worker on July 25th, 2020 9:57 am

    I work in a school and during band camp this summer we have already had a child test POSITIVE and with NO Sypmtoms, the only reason the child was tested is because of a family member showing symtoms. We know the kids will be carrying the virus. It’s going to be a difficult task this year, like fighting a lion with a paper sword difficult. There will be no “social distancing” what a joke with kids. They swap spit, food, clothes on a regular basis like Alfred E. Newman “What, Me Worry?” I hope more parents keep their kids home and use the virtural school option which is free in our county.
    I have already seen several teachers retire or quit education altogether this summer for good reason, for their own health.

  5. Glenda on July 24th, 2020 11:07 pm

    Sending the kids to school is not only ridiculous but disastrous. I’d like to hear how they are gonna social distance kids on a school bus since they would not have enough buses to do this – and with the busses they have now they are already short drivers. So even if they doubled their buses (which they don’t have the funds to do) – they don’t have anyone to drive them. Drove a school bus for several years and does anyone really think the driver can keep masks on the kids and drive too. They already won’t wear the seatbelts that are on the busses. Teachers also will spend more time getting the kids to stay 6 ft away and wear masks that I really don’t understand how much teacher and learning is really going to get accomplished. Obvious that they did not think this through.

  6. Lee on July 24th, 2020 9:48 pm

    @coah. It’s what nurses do, care for sick people.

  7. Jolene Elliott on July 24th, 2020 9:30 pm

    I agree with you Brian.

  8. Jolene Elliott on July 24th, 2020 9:30 pm

    I agree

  9. Brian B Joiner on July 24th, 2020 7:13 pm

    @ Sheep No More. Yes I agree, they keep the fear going for political purposes and to see how many people will do what their told by trying to force masks on everyone. I’m wondering what they’ll try to force on us next.. They’ll probably try even harder in the next few months to keep people away from voting and mandate vote by mail, which would be disastrous.

  10. Brian B Joiner on July 24th, 2020 7:04 pm

    @ Big Boy My grandchild is starting this year, and lives with me. There are many other ways to get sick than sending children to school. I will not spend my short time on earth in fear. There are other options for schooling if anyone is worried about sending their child to school.

    @fisherman sorry to hear someone close to you got sick from this The flu is just as bad when someone has underlying conditions and schools have never shut down for that. Children need an education.

  11. Coah on July 24th, 2020 7:02 pm

    What if Nurses said they arent working in a environment like this?

  12. Holly on July 24th, 2020 5:46 pm

    The face shields do NO GOOD if not worn WITH a mouth and nose covering. The teacher sneezes or coughs, all of their germs, which we are supposed to wear a mask to stop, will go right out the bottom and spread to their students…… right?

  13. David Huie Green on July 24th, 2020 2:56 pm

    REGARDING:
    “the virus (which has a lower death rate WITHOUT a vaccine than the flu does WITH a vaccine)”

    The CDC for the 2017-2018 flu season was probably the worst in a decade reported 61,099 deaths. And flu had a year, COVID-19 around a half a year.
    https://www.cdc.gov/flu/about/burden/2017-2018.htm

    For COVID-19 American deaths to date are reported to be 147,865 (and counting, with 1,166 of them yesterday).
    https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/

    61,000 is not more than 147,000.

    AND
    “The CDC is a billion dollar business. They have every interest in making this look worse than it is.”

    Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the CDC’s budget is around $11-$12 billion. The CDC offers grants that help many organizations each year advance health, safety and awareness at the community level throughout the United States. Over 85 percent of its annual budget is grants to those trying to improve public health. Its expenditures are public record.

    How does the CDC benefit from making any disease look worse than it is? Why would they all of a sudden start lying to us and how have you determined that they are?

    David for truth

  14. mat on July 24th, 2020 1:55 pm

    Just asking.
    For anyone who has worn a face mask and a shield.
    Does your face get warm or overheated with the shield on?
    Just curious.

  15. Coll on July 24th, 2020 11:45 am

    I agree with Brian, and I have school aged children. If someone does want to send their student/students to brick and mortar school buildings, they have options just as they have ALWAYS had. Before this “pandemic,” parents had the options of virtual school, homeschool, and private school. If that is what meets a family’s needs, by all means, that is what should be used. However, for those who want to go back to normalcy, they should have that option also.

  16. Sheep No More on July 24th, 2020 11:35 am

    Brian,
    I completely agree! And as someone who is a teacher and has a child going to school in the fall, I am horrified at this. Horrified that the kids are having to cover their faces and see teachers like this. I am definitely considering homeschooling not for fear of the virus (which has a lower death rate WITHOUT a vaccine than the flu does WITH a vaccine), but for fear of mandating students and teachers to cover their faces at all. I am so alarmed for people falling for this. I too believed the hype at the beginning, but as I saw numerous people I know infected and recover just as they would from a cold, I did my own reading a research. I didn’t rely on MSM to tell me what to think. The numbers are being pumped up for narrative. It’s so alarming to people to see “another Covid death” headline, but they don’t publicize flu deaths like this. If they did, people would realize it is all going to be okay. The economic impact won’t be okay if we continue to live in fear. The CDC is a billion dollar business. They have every interest in making this look worse than it is.

  17. Big Boy on July 24th, 2020 10:58 am

    I bet without knowing Brain you don’t have any kids in school or a wife or family members that are teachers or something in the school sysyem. Think twice before you speak.

  18. Michelle Garrett on July 24th, 2020 10:08 am

    Great idea!! A safe option, which will allow your students to see your face. Thank you for all you do.

  19. Sherrill Dye on July 24th, 2020 9:47 am

    I think returning to in-person school is a bad idea. Virtual school is the safer option. Parents, children, and teachers are being made to make choices where there should only be one choice. Health and Safety for All. Everyone needs to stop trying to make things seem like everything is normal life when it is not. Hiding in pretend normalcy is unsafe practices. Where is the norm in a child having to wear a mask, try to solcial distance wash their hands 30 times a day and look at teachers and students in masks and shields all day. What about the mental trauma of that for many children? In-person will not be teaching academics but will be teaching fear, anxiety, panic, and potential germ phobias in children all over the country. When the better option is virtual learning in a relaxed, loving hands on environment.

  20. Jay on July 24th, 2020 9:45 am

    Face shields will not help unless you believe someone is going to spit or sneeze directly into your face.
    People need to read the research on this virus, or talk to a doctor that can explain it to them.
    This virus spreads through micro-droplets that are released into the air when an infected person breathes out. They don’t have to cough, or sneeze, or even talk to spread the virus, although those actions will expel even more virus particles than just breathing. So no one has to be hacking or coughing or sneezing to get you sick; just basic breathing will put plenty enough droplets into the air to accomplish infecting others.
    Also, this virus loves air conditioning systems. Over and over again we are observing spreading events where an asymptomatic or pre-symptomatic person in a room infected individuals all across the room because everyone sitting near an AC vent got sick. This tells us two things: 1. That the virus hangs in the air a long time, and 2. That a relatively small viral load is capable of accomplishing infection.
    A face shield will not help you in a classroom setting. If one kid is sick sitting all day in an air conditioned room, then he or she is going to infect many other kids and the teacher. The only hope one might have to be in that room and not get sick is if they are wearing an N95 mask, or some other face covering that does a good enough job of filtering out something the size of a virus particle. Cloth or paper face coverings of any type on all the children and teacher would be somewhat helpful because it knocks down much of the virus that a sick person would otherwise be propelling outward from their face when they breathe, talk, sing, etc.
    And based on the many many spreading events that we have now had the opportunity to study, it is becoming very clear that this virus likely does not transfer across surfaces. The targets for its spike protein are the ACE2 receptors of which you have tons of in your lungs, and not so much in your mouth, nose, eyes, etc. We have yet to find one instance of a surface or food transmission with SARS-COV-2, and based on what we know about it’s preferred receptors, and the fact that 100% of infection events we have observed have been accomplished through inhalation, it is safe to say that this virus likely does not infect people well when the exposure is just shared contact with surfaces. So, hand washing is certainly always a good idea, but likely not helpful in preventing the spread of SARS-COV-2.

    Educate yourselves people. It is the only way we are going to find a better way past this pandemic than just letting it flow over our country unabated.

  21. Carolyn C Smith on July 24th, 2020 9:43 am

    Brian, I agree with you!

  22. fisherman on July 24th, 2020 9:05 am

    @Brian
    This may be absolutely ridiculous to you however you would change that attitude when you see a family member fight for their life for 2 months on life support and your family can’t do anything about it.Be Safe!!!!

  23. Colleen on July 24th, 2020 8:43 am

    Brian,
    ABSOLUTELY!

  24. Herewrgoagain on July 24th, 2020 8:30 am

    Ok let’s scare the kids as they get off the bus! .Speaking of which. I can’t drive a bus with that on. And all I hear is Teachers talking. We have to transport kids at a bus stop to school. Not 1 or 10 at a time. Ron Desantis hushed when he said they were squeezing workers in a bus like sardines. Lol.Well I need to go back School bus drivers are voluntarily laid off..ha ha so we don’t get unemployment. And jobs for us are not out there. Who cares right..beep beep. Teachers union not bus drivers union.

  25. Brian B Joiner on July 24th, 2020 7:26 am

    This is absolutely ridiculous.