D&D and the rising pandemic

[Deset Gled]

In a meeting about vaccines, the superintendent of schools for our county said they would be rolling out vaccines for teachers and staff in alphabetical order by school name. You can tell they picked this in order to be "fair." But there's a big difference between fair and equitable!

I see nothing fair or equitable in using alphabetical order for something like this. Good for your coworker for challenging it. Extra points for doing it in a meeting, double points if the meeting was public.

 

[Umbran]

You can tell they picked this in order to be "fair." But there's a big difference between fair and equitable!

Yeah. Unfortunately, a lot of people aren't ready for equitable :/

One of my coworkers spoke up in a meeting with the superintendent of schools and challenged this, saying it would be better to find another factor (say, number of students with who receive free-or-reduced lunch) to prioritize schools by. After all, we know from multiple studies that low-income families are more likely to live in generational housing, work front-line jobs, and be more susceptible to catching and spreading COVID. Apparently the superintendent was, as they say, shook.

That took some bravery. Bully and good luck to them!

 

[Zardnaar]

I see nothing fair or equitable in using alphabetical order for something like this. Good for your coworker for challenging it. Extra points for doing it in a meeting, double points if the meeting was public.

It avoids resentment I suppose.

The rich schools get it it's unfair, poor schools get it the rich gets salty.

Is it strictly fair? No but it shouldn't upset to many people (them vs us).

 

[Umbran]

Is it strictly fair? No but it shouldn't upset to many people (them vs us).

If risk isn't randomly distributed, but the vaccine is, that means a bunch of folks who don't need it as badly will get it, and a bunch of folks who really ought to have it, won't.

Getting sick when it could be prevented should upset folks.

 

[Zardnaar]

If risk isn't randomly distributed, but the vaccine is, that means a bunch of folks who don't need it as badly will get it, and a bunch of folks who really ought to have it, won't.

Getting sick when it could be prevented should upset folks.

You're never gonna be able to have a perfect/fair system and it will have to be to reality.

Personally I figured frontline health people should get it first but some countries priorities are old people.

Prioritizing it on socio economic status is going to lead to more us vs them type stuff so alphabetically while not perfect is fair enough IMHO in the scenario outlined by the poster.

It avoids the I got it and you didn't effect in the same school and I guess it's easier to vaccinate schools all at once school by school.

 

[BookTenTiger]

You're never gonna be able to have a perfect/fair system and it will have to be to reality.

Personally I figured frontline health people should get it first but some countries priorities are old people.

Prioritizing it on socio economic status is going to lead to more us vs them type stuff so alphabetically while not perfect is fair enough IMHO in the scenario outlined by the poster.

Man I've just got to disagree with you very strongly. You are prioritizing "not angering people" over helping people who need it most. In any policy discussion, equity means helping those who need the most help first.

 

[Zardnaar]

Man I've just got to disagree with you very strongly. You are prioritizing "not angering people" over helping people who need it most. In any policy discussion, equity means helping those who need the most help first.

In theory I agree with you but I do live in a country where schools get ranked by deciles and access to things like student allowances are also income based.

It's quicker and easier to do alphabetically I suppose than try and work out who gets what and people get inventive with work around.

So yeah pragmatic reasons as well. Rock on up to school vaccinate move onto next one.

 

[BookTenTiger]

In theory I agree with you but I do live in a country where schools get ranked by deciles and access to things like student allowances are also income based.

It's quicker and easier to do alphabetically I suppose than try and work out who gets what and people get inventive with work around.

So yeah pragmatic reasons as well. Rock on up to school vaccinate move onto next one.

Again I've got to disagree. The county has all the data on the schools, it takes as much time to list them alphabetically as to list them by the number of students receiving free or reduced price lunch (the usual indicator of low-income households). So it doesn't take any more time, it just takes a conscience.

 

[Umbran]

You're never gonna be able to have a perfect/fair system and it will have to be to reality.

Nobody's asking for perfection.

And, not being able to reach perfection is no excuse for not trying to be better. Using an arbitrary assignment scheme, when some folks are demonstrably at significantly higher risk, is shabby.

It avoids the I got it and you didn't effect in the same school

Please go back and read again - we are talking about vaccinating school faculty and staff, not the students.

 

[Zardnaar]

Again I've got to disagree. The county has all the data on the schools, it takes as much time to list them alphabetically as to list them by the number of students receiving free or reduced price lunch (the usual indicator of low-income households). So it doesn't take any more time, it just takes a conscience.

I've already seen arguements on other forums if people complaining about who gets what and when.

Alphabetically is fair in terms of who gets what and when without anyone getting to salty about it.

Unless your name start with Z but who cares about them.?