ABCFT - YOUnionews - September 4, 2020
MEMBER BENEFITS - WELLNESS WEDNESDAYS
Maintaining our mental health and well-being is important for all of us. Beginning September 9th, ABCFT will be offering Wellness Wednesdays. Each Wednesday from 3-3:30 pm members will have an opportunity to virtually participate in Guided Meditation and Chair Yoga. These weekly sessions will give members a chance to practice self-care.
In partnership with Kaiser Permanente, you can also access mindfulness resources for all ABCFT members. For Kaiser members, you have free access to the app Calm and myStrengh which offers personalized self-care programs based on the cognitive behavioral therapy model.
Please be kind to yourself and find time in your busy schedule to take care of yourself.
An email will be sent early next week with link details for Wellness Wednesdays.
KEEPING YOU INFORMED - School Board Trustee Endorsements
ABCFT Rep Council and Executive Board have endorsed incumbent ABC school board trustees Chris Apodaca, Letty Mendoza, and Sophia Tse. Maynard Law is retiring this year and Brad Beach, a Nixon parent and community activist is running for the open seat. Brad Beach was interviewed this past Monday by ABCFT membership and he too has been endorsed by ABCFT leadership. The Meet a Board Trustee session last Monday night was well attended and gave an opportunity to hear from the candidates. ABCFT is planning on holding more Meet the Trustee sessions as the year progresses.
Besides endorsing school board members how does ABCFT help get the candidates elected? It takes money to run a successful campaign and the majority of those funds ABCFT donates to our endorsed candidates come from members of the Committee on Political Education (COPE). Who can join COPE? Any ABCFT member can make monthly contributions directly from your paycheck.
Click on this link → ABCFT COPE Membership to support the election of teacher-friendly school board candidates.
TEACHER LEADERS PROGRAM By Tanya Golden
In collaboration with our national affiliate, AFT we are honored to offer the ABCFT Teacher Leaders Program for the 2020-21 school year. More now than ever, educators are needed to advocate for policy that affects the entire education family. Teacher Leaders will complete action research and along the process learn how to identify and self-select education policy to change or influence. The Teacher Leader program help educators find their inner voice and learn how to advocate for their students and colleagues. Now is the time to use your voice and become a part of the ABCFT Teacher Leaders community.
Below are the details regarding this national program as well as the online application process.
These attachments offer highlights of the program:
Teacher Leaders Program Participant Guidelines
Teacher Leaders Program Application
Final Application due date Friday, September 11, 2020
TOSA TIDBITS
A new column, (Teacher on Special Assignment) TOSA Tips will showcase the hard work TOSA’s do to support teachers in the classroom. The topics highlighted this week are math and science resources for teachers and ABC’s Parent Academy. Thank you to the TOSA’s for contributing and expect to see more updates as they become available.
Building a Mathematics Community: by Lena Bradshaw
Youcubed.org (www.youcubed.org) has resources such as lessons, parent resources, fun tasks, posters, and videos addressing students’ identity as a mathematician and growth mindset. The site has a section under tasks called the Week of Inspirational Maths and contains resources such as, “And I’m a Mathematician…” that helps students identify and share how they describe themselves as mathematicians. A free (short) online course is offered to students through this website about math and mindset. Information about the course can be found at the following URL, https://www.youcubed.org/
ABC Parent Academy: by David Franklin
Today's topic: Google Classroom and Google Meet.
Tech was the first session. Parents were walked through Google Classroom, how to support them as parents, how to navigate the classrooms, featuring the “To-Do” List, and “Turn in” assignments. Also demonstrated was helping students enter video classroom sessions via the Google Classroom Meet Link and how to approach challenges with accessing the Meet Session. The morning session had a modest turnout, but expecting a larger group for the evening session. Encourage parents to attend these sessions held each Thursday at 9 am and 7 pm weekly. Click here to see the schedule for September ABC Parent Academy September Sessions.
Community Building in the Science Classroom: by Lora Ayala
“I Am A Scientist” is a collection of 20+ toolkits that can be downloaded and used in your middle school or high school classroom. The project is designed to break stereotypes about scientists while introducing students to a wide range of STEM fields. Each toolkit profiles the science and story of a real-world researcher and includes several resources to engage students. To maximize impact, we recommend presenting one scientist at the beginning of each month and connecting their work to your lesson plans throughout that month as possible, because every student deserves the chance to see themselves in science.
Information: https://news.harvard.edu/
Educator Guide: https://www.iamascientist.
Google Folder: https://drive.google.com/
Elementary teachers can use the STEM Career Connections in Inspire Science in the same way to emphasize role models and the sense of belonging in science which leads to community building in the classroom.
SEPTEMBER ACADEMIC SERVICES UPDATE is delayed
This month’s academic service update is vital for all teachers. We hope that you will take a moment to look at this monthly report which discusses changes in academic services. This document provides the union with a means of giving the District feedback on the many programs or changes they are proposing at any one time. Without your feedback or questions on these changes, it is harder for ABCFT to slow down and modify the district’s neverending roll out of new projects. Please submit your comments and questions to the appropriate ABCFT liaison.
For Elementary curricular issues please email Kelley at Kelley.Forsythe@abcusd.us if you have any questions or concerns.
For Secondary curricular issues please email Rich at Richard.Saldana@abcusd.us if you have any questions or concerns.
For Special Education issues please email Stefani at stefani.palutzke@abcusd.us if you have any questions or concerns.
ABCFT PRESIDENT’S REPORT - Ray Gaer
Communication is a union’s most important tool for advocating for its members at the bargaining table. Every conversation with the membership is focused on the end result of negotiating for the future prosperity and wellbeing of ABCFT members. This weekly report aims to keep the membership informed about issues that impact their working/learning conditions and their mental well-being. Together we make the YOUnion.
Let’s make this week short and sweet. The major talk at the end of the week was the discussion about the Engagement and Participation forms that the California Department of Education released or should I say unleashed on California school districts. The extra paperwork is ridiculous but it is necessary for funding purposes and a statewide requirement. This week we were able to negotiate for more time for paperwork so that teachers are not forced to do this paperwork on their own time. ABCFT was able to negotiate for a weekly 45-minute block on Wednesdays for teachers to do paperwork. This was created by taking a 30-minute reduction in the weekly district Professional Learning block (down to 60 minutes a week now) and a 15-minute reduction in teacher collaboration time (we wanted to keep teacher planning time intact at 60 minutes). I am glad we were able to work with the District on this compromise as teachers already are working overtime to make instruction happen right now. Next week there will be more information on this latest development but I do want to stress that ABCFT will have MOU language that will ensure that this latest paperwork cannot be used against teachers for disciplinary purposes.
To me, this Labor Day has more meaning than ever. I am thankful for Labor and the Unions that provide protections for American workers. You should all be proud of what the ABCFT YOUnion has done to protect and advocate for students and their hardworking teachers and nurses in ABC. Without the structure of a union, we would have no collective bargaining power and would be forced to follow the unrealistic whims of out of touch politicians and their donors. Simply put, I want to thank you for supporting ABCFT, CFT, and being a part of the American Federation of Teachers who represents 1.4 million educators and support staff throughout the nation. Together we are a voice for those who do not have a voice.
Alright everyone, good job, well done, back slap, high five, and a fist bump to all of you. Now let’s get on with the three day weekend!
In Unity,
Ray Gaer
President, ABCFT
CALIFORNIA FEDERATION OF TEACHERS
The latest CFT articles and news stories can be found here on the PreK12 news feed on the CFT.org website.
AMERICAN FEDERATION OF TEACHERS
Follow AFT President Randi Weingarten: http://twitter.com/rweingarten
----- NEWS STORY HIGHLIGHT-----
New York City schools’ reopening delayed
New York City, which had been the lone holdout among the nation’s largest school systems for an on-time return to in-person learning, on Tuesday delayed the start of its school year after Mayor Bill de Blasio agreed a deal with union leaders who had been petitioning that it wasn’t safe to reopen buildings on September 10 as originally planned. The deal was struck between the United Federation of Teachers (UFT) union, the Council of School Administrators and Supervisors, which represents principals, and District Council 37, which represents school cafeteria workers, contact tracers and nurses. While teachers are still expected to report to buildings on September 8, students will now begin a “transition and orientation” period on September 16, after which regular coursework will resume when school buildings reopen on September 21. Officials did not immediately say whether the delay will mean that students and teachers will make up additional days throughout the school year. The UFT had been considering a strike authorization vote during a meeting of its 3,200-member delegate assembly on Tuesday afternoon.
Education Week Washington Post Chalkbeat
----- NATIONAL NEWS -----
Trump demands “patriotic education” in U.S. schools
President Donald Trump said Monday that the nation must restore “patriotic education” in schools as a way to calm unrest in cities and counter “lies” about racism in the United States. Trump blamed violent protests in Portland, Ore., and other cities in recent months on “left-wing indoctrination” in schools and universities, while accusing his Democratic presidential challenger, former Vice President Joe Biden, of giving “moral aid and comfort” to vandals. “The only path to unity is to rebuild a shared national identity focused on common American values and virtues of which we have plenty,” he said. “This includes restoring patriotic education in our nation's schools, where they are trying to change everything that we have learned.” “Teach American Exceptionalism” is one of two education goals listed on Trump’s second-term “Fighting for You!” agenda released ahead of the president's acceptance of his party's nomination during the Republican National Convention last week.
Summer meal programs can continue
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue has confirmed that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is to extend several flexibilities, through as late as December 31, to allow summer meal program operators to continue serving free meals to all children. “We appreciate the incredible efforts by our school foodservice professionals year in and year out, but this year we have an unprecedented situation. This extension of summer program authority will employ summer program sponsors to ensure meals are reaching all children – whether they are learning in the classroom or virtually – so they are fed and ready to learn, even in new and ever-changing learning environments,” said Secretary Perdue in a statement. “School Nutrition Association (SNA) greatly appreciates USDA addressing the critical challenges shared by our members serving students on the frontlines these first weeks of school. These waivers will allow school nutrition professionals to focus on nourishing hungry children for success, rather than scrambling to process paperwork and verify eligibility in the midst of a pandemic," asserted SNA President Reggie Ross.
Education Secretary tells states not to expect waivers from annual tests
U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos has informed states that they should not count on getting the same waivers from federal testing mandates for this school year that they got last spring as the pandemic shut down schools. In a Thursday letter to chief state school officers, DeVos said that these annual, summative assessments in English/language arts, math, and science are "at the very core" of the bipartisan agreement behind the Every Student Succeds Act, the main federal K-12 education law. "It is now our expectation that states will, in the interest of students, administer summative assessments during the 2020-2021 school year, consistent with the requirements of the law and following the guidance of local health officials," the Education Secretary wrote. "As a result, you should not anticipate such waivers being granted again."
Education Week
FEMA to stop paying for cloth face masks for schools
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has told state and tribal emergency managers it will no longer pay for some safety measures related to COVID-19 that it had previously covered, including cloth face coverings or personal protective equipment in nonemergency settings. It will also stop paying for cleaning and disinfection costs unless they are considered an emergency protective measure. From September 15, the equipment will be classified as "increased operating costs" for public services and will not be covered by the fund. Additionally, FEMA will only provide stockpiling funding for a 60-day supply of personal protective equipment from the date of purchase. Previously, a specific date was not specified. It is possible that districts that ordered PPE and were counting on FEMA reimbursement may be able to get it if they submit the relevant paperwork before the deadline.
----- STATE NEWS -----
Colors to determine school reopenings
California school leaders will from today be monitoring the color their counties are assigned via a new ranking system determining when schools can open for in-person instruction. The new four-tiered system, announced Friday by Gov. Gavin Newsom, ranks the severity of the pandemic in each of California’s 58 counties; purple (tier one) indicates that the virus is “widespread,” red (tier two) indicates “substantial” incidence, orange (tier three) indicates “moderate” and yellow (tier four) indicates “minimal” incidence of the virus. Only districts in counties in the purple or tier one category cannot reopen schools. If they are in any one of the other tiers, they will have permission to open their schools for in-person instruction, should they decide to do so. The colors are based on just two factors, the number of new positive cases per 100,000 population and the percentage of positive test results over the previous week.
----- DISTRICTS -----
LAUSD enrollment decline continues during online learning
Enrollment at Los Angeles USD has continued its downward trend for the 2020-21 academic year, with the decline in kindergarten enrollment - especially in the school system’s lowest-income neighborhoods - about three times as large as in recent years. “Overall enrollment is down at about the same level as prior years,” Superintendent Austin Beutner said in remarks broadcast Monday morning. “The main drivers of this are the lack of affordable housing in the communities served by our schools and the continued decline in birth rate.” Enrollment in kindergarten so far this year is 36,914, according to figures released Monday by the district, down about 6,000 students or 14% from last year. The two prior years, kindergarten enrollment had dropped about 2,000 students each year.
LA County to allow limited school openings for special ed and ESL students
Schools in Los Angeles County can reopen small classes beginning on September 14 for students with disabilities and English-language learners, a move to safely provide in-person instruction and services to children whose education has been affected since campuses closed in March. Small groups of students who have individualized education plans, require instruction for English as a second language, or must have an assessment to determine their needs will be able to come to campus for services, as long as their schools comply with the county’s reopening protocols, the health department announced Wednesday. The county said schools must maintain small, stable cohorts of no more than 12 students and two supervisors in order to ensure the safety of teachers and students. Schools must submit an operational plan to the county Department of Public Health and adhere to reopening protocols. L.A. County Office of Education Supt. Debra Duardo said Wednesday’s announcement was “very encouraging.” She added that “our students with special needs and English Learners are among the most vulnerable during this time of distance learning.”
Los Angeles Times Press-Telegram
Districts react to new OC health care guidelines
The Orange County Health Care Agency says that the county is on track to progress into the second tier of “substantial transmission” on September 8, with a subsequent two-week waiting period putting the new school reopening target date at September 22. Newport-Mesa USD spokeswoman Annette Franco said the district has yet to decide on a date for transitioning from distance learning. She added that the district has exercised caution in announcing a date with the reopening situation being fluid, but she also said that the district is working to finalize those plans. Meanwhile Laguna Beach USD Deputy Superintendent Leisa Winston said the district board of education plans to look at potential dates for a return to in-person learning, as well as whether or not to apply for the elementary school waiver, in a board meeting on Thursday. And Jimmy Lambos, the assistant to interim Supt. Greg Magnuson for the Huntington Beach City School District, said the new state guidelines have little impact on the plans of the district, since it focused on beginning the school year with distance learning.
----- EMPLOYMENT -----
Teachers with kids strained by lack of child care
Working parents across all professions were forced to balance the demands of their jobs and their children’s remote education this spring; but the new school year has created even more logistical hurdles for teachers with kids at home. Nearly half of teachers have children at home, according to an analysis by researchers at the Brookings Institution. For many of these teachers, the spring semester was stressful: A recent survey of nearly 8,000 teachers in nine states found that 40% said caretaking responsibilities for children and/or other dependent adults made it difficult to do their jobs, and 16% said they were unable to balance their work with other responsibilities at home, according to an analysis by researchers including Brown University’s Matthew Kraft. “When you’re [teaching] from home and you have four kids under the age of 10, if you don’t have a spouse, babysitter , or someone to sit there with them, it’s really difficult,” said Sherri Dutton, a 2nd grade teacher in Las Vegas. “As a teacher, I have to be available online to facilitate the instruction. It makes it so tricky to go between my classroom online and my own kids’ education.” Some local teachers’ unions are negotiating how their districts can support teachers with children. For instance, the Los Angeles’ teachers’ union secured child care for its teachers who are working on school campuses. The agreement with the district also states that teachers working remotely “shall not be subject to discipline if and when instruction is occasionally interrupted” by their children or other family circumstances.
----- LEGAL -----
How to manage legal risks of COVID-19
As school begins in earnest, districts are struggling to get their arms around an elusive but potentially costly challenge: risk management in the age of coronavirus. Although the vast majority of school systems have general liability insurance, in a number of cases the policies exclude communicable diseases from coverage, with insurers informing districts they will not cover claims relating to the pandemic. “I’m extremely worried,” said Sharie Lewis, the director of business and operations at the Parkrose public schools in Portland, Oregon. “When someone dies, you can’t in any way soothe their pain, but historically, one way people have tried to soothe their pain is through financial recourse, and that is lawsuits. School districts aren’t prepared anywhere in the country to handle that kind of loss.” Education Week looks at what districts can do to protect themselves, including fulfilling their duty to provide a standard of care, from offering appropriate PPE to creating a contact-tracing system; looking at purchasing additional coverage; and being aware that liability waivers may not be enforceable.
----- HEALTH & WELLBEING -----
Fears that pandemic pods could widen education gap
The two largest teachers' unions in the country are fearful that the pandemic pod phenomenon, where families group together to school their kids, will hurt the education of the majority of children. "These parental pods are like exclusive private schools, very selective on who gets in," said Lily Eskelsen Garcia, president of the National Education Association, which represents 3m teachers and school staff from preschool through university graduate programs. While Eskelsen Garcia accepts that parents want to do what's best for their children, she said pods could limit the promise of equal access to a quality education to all students. Her concerns were echoed by American Federation of Teachers president Randi Weingarten, who said that the pods “serve the few, not the many.”
Teacher morale and student enrollment declining under COVID-19, claims survey
As the academic year begins, COVID-19 is causing declines in student enrollment and teacher morale, an increased likelihood of teacher resignations, and growing concerns about a slowdown in student academic progress. The EdWeek Research Center’s latest national survey of educators, carried out August-26-28, found that teacher sentiment has hit its lowest point since March, with 31% stating that morale is “much lower” than it was prior to the pandemic. Thirty-two per cent of teachers said they are likely to leave their jobs this year, up from 26% in July and 12% in May. The survey also found that more than half of school and district administrators have seen a decline in enrollment in preschool, kindergarten, and grades 1-5. Close to half say the same for the secondary grades. Additionally, 23% of district leaders and principals say they won’t tell parents about COVID-19 cases in their schools unless they believe a parent needs to know because their son or daughter was directly exposed.
----- INTERNATIONAL -----
Global education crisis 'remains severe'
The UN education and cultural organization UNESCO has warned that with 900m pre-primary to secondary students set to return to school between August and October, fewer than half – about 433m across 155 countries – can actually return to classrooms at this stage. Factoring in about 128m students in the middle of their academic year, a total of 561m students, just one-in-three pupils globally, are able to attend classes. To date, UNESCO says students around the world have lost an average of 60 days of schooling since lockdowns began in February and that often vulnerable populations, girls in particular, are at a higher risk. “The educational crisis remains severe. This is an emergency for global education,” warns Audrey Azoulay, Director-General of UNESCO.
----- OTHER -----
Police Say Student Has Confessed To Multiple Cyber Attacks On Miami-Dade Schools
The AP (9/3, Anderson) reports, “A 16-year-old student has been arrested for orchestrating a series of network outages and cyberattacks during the first week of school in Florida’s largest district, authorities said Thursday.” The AP adds, “District police said they also believe others were involved in the cyberattacks, which have plagued the Miami-Dade schools since they reopened Monday and students began receiving online instruction amid the coronavirus pandemic. ‘We will not rest until every one of them is caught and brought to justice,’ schools police chief Edwin Lopez said.” Superintendent of Schools Alberto Carvalho “said it was ‘disheartening that one of our own students has admitted to intentionally causing this kind of disruption.’ According to Lopez, the student at South Miami Senior High School told police he had conducted eight attacks on the school computer system ‘designed to overwhelm district networks.’ He has been charged with computer use in an attempt to defraud, which is a felony; and misdemeanor interference with an educational institution.”
The Miami Herald (9/3, Wright, Ovalle) reports, “The 16-year-old teen accused of launching a cyberattack that helped shut down Miami-Dade’s online classes used a simple, easy-to-download program to overwhelm the servers of the nation’s fourth-largest school district, experts say.” The student “is accused of orchestrating no fewer than eight of at least two dozen cyberattacks that helped paralyze the first three days of the district’s virtual classes, law enforcement officials said Thursday. All cyberattacks ceased around 3 a.m., though officials said that last attack is not connected to the raid of the 16-year-old’s home in the pre-dawn hours Thursday.” The student “admitted to using a tool called a ‘Low Orbit Ion Cannon (LOIC),’ according to an unredacted arrest report obtained by the Herald. Experts say it is software that is easy to download and can be used to disrupt websites.”
Also reporting are the New York Times (9/3, Fortin) and ABC News (9/3, Allen).
NTA Life Insurance - An ABCFT Sponsor
About three years ago ABCFT started a working relationship with National Teachers Associates Life Insurance Company. Throughout our partnership, NTA has been supportive of ABCFT activities by sponsorship and prizes for our various events. This organization specializes in providing insurance for educators across the nation. We have been provided both data and member testimonials about how pleased they have been with the NTA products and the opportunity to look at alternatives to the district insurance choice.
To All Members of the ABC Federation of Teachers,
National Teacher Associates (NTA) is committed in our efforts to helping educators through tough times. It’s what we do. After all…in our eyes you are the heart and soul of our communities.
Protecting you and your families has been our goal for over 45 years. Despite the current global pandemic, we are not about to slow down now. We know that many of you have had our programs for years and sometimes forget the intricacies of how they work. NTA wants to help facilitate any possible claims for now and in the future. Fortunately, all claims and reviews can be done by phone and on-line. I personally want to offer my services to guide you in the right direction with your NTA benefits.
We also apologize for not being able to finish the open enrollment for those of you who wanted to get our protection. We are still able to help by extending our enrollment window for the near future. Again, this can be done over the phone, email, or on-line.
Please contact Leann Blaisdell at any time either by phone or email.
562-822-5004
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