ABCFT - YOUnionews - January 22, 2021
MEMBER ONLY RESOURCES
Professional Learning Opportunities - On-Demand Webinars:
Top Distance Learning Webinars Supporting Online and Hybrid Models
AFT's Share My Lesson has collaborated with partners like Common Sense Education, Facing History and Ourselves, and Colorín Colorado to offer free, top-tier professional learning webinars on effective distance learning strategies and solutions.
Featured AFT Member Benefit
Trauma Counseling Programs and Services
A new, free, AFT-paid trauma counseling benefit offers immediate and confidential therapy by phone, video, and text to help you move forward from covered personal and workplace traumas. Enhanced, paid coverage at a discount is also available.
MEMBER BENEFITS - WELLNESS WEDNESDAYS
Maintaining our mental health and well-being is important for all of us. ABCFT will be offering Wellness Wednesdays from 3:00 to 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 myStrength 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.
This week, Donna focuses on reducing negative stories we tell ourselves. Examining your feelings and where you are will help you determine and control how you will react to others. Participants practice the Four Square breath. To build a stronger immune system, Qigong movements are applied. The session closes with a quote from Albert Einstein,
“The mind that opens to new ideas never returns to its original size.”
MEMBER FEEDBACK - CSTP SURVEY by Tanya Golden
Refreshed California Standards for the Teaching Profession (CSTP) Feedback Opportunity
Every decade the state of California refreshes the CSTP’s which at ABCUSD are used for teacher evaluations. I have the honor to serve and represent CFT on this workgroup along with twenty-five other California educators. We are asking teachers such as yourself to provide valuable input for the draft document. Here is the current CSTP’s for reference. Let’s make certain ABCFT members let their voices be heard by taking the survey. The CSTP survey will be open until Friday, February 5, 2021.
CA Standards for the Teaching Profession survey
JANUARY ACADEMIC SERVICES UPDATE
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.
Resources on ShareMyLesson.com for Special Education:
https://sharemylesson.com/
https://sharemylesson.com/
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.
For Nurse issues please contact Theresa at Theresa.Petersen@abcusd.us if you have any questions or concerns.
Click Here For This Month’s Full Report
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.
This was a rollercoaster of a week for emotions but regardless of your political affiliation, we can agree that regardless of who is president of this great country we cannot lose the hope that we will find our way together.
This week, ABCFT began daily negotiations with ABCUSD as we sort through the list of items we need to move forward. The hardest part of this round of negotiations is that the ground is shifting beneath our feet because of the negotiation situation Governor Newsom has created in every district. Tonight I hear rumors that his plan might fall apart as soon as the legislative body contemplates his proposal….so negotiating for no reason about an opening at this time is extremely difficult and precarious. ABCFT is being careful. We are sticking to the high ground of safety and science.
Next week, we will have a school board report but I will tell you now that members of the school board were uncomfortable talking about the governor’s carrot of nine million dollars. I want to reassure you that when the fog lifts and we can actually see what is ahead of us we will let you know the details. All I know is that we do not want any ABCFT Members in the classroom this school year until they feel it is right for them. That means vaccinations and getting every classroom-ready with the proper HVAC units, PPE, technology, and safety protocols. This is no small task for any district and this process should not be rushed. In my opinion, the Governor’s timing is off and he’s causing more chaos by forcing the issue of in-person instruction at the height of a global pandemic. It could be a career-ending blunder if he’s not careful. Anyway, I’m as exhausted as you are and I wish I had more concrete information to share with you this week but it’s hard to report on things that might not matter the next day or next week.
I’m sure Tanya Golden is proofreading my message this week and can see I’m teetering on saying how frustrated I really am with the situation. Thankfully she will edit out any colorful language or dramatic imagery (yes, I saved you all from the words you would not have been able to unsee [TG]) but I want you to know that just as you are struggling with grading changes which stink and are unsavory, the ABCFT leadership is also frustrated. My frustration with State leaders is worse than our local leaders who are jumping hoops like the rest of us. It all boils down to having state officials who don’t know how their policies translate at the district level. I believe that by next week we should have some factual and concrete information to share about the state of negotiations, the governor’s plan, and the state budget.
So back to my real message this week and that is HOPE. I hope that the state of California will give districts more concrete guidance on how to navigate the opening of schools. I hope that our students will continue to give their best in the most difficult of circumstances. I hope that ABC parents will continue to do what is right for their kids and their teachers and nurses by staying virtual. I hope our nation will heal this painful divide so we can move forward and crush this pandemic, but most of all I hope that you are safe and staying healthy. If you do get sick, I hope with all my heart that you and your family make it through safely. We are rounding the corner, my friends. Stay strong.
In Unity,
Ray Gaer
President, ABCFT
CALIFORNIA FEDERATION OF TEACHERS
Vaccine Update
CFT Resolution: Ensure Safe, High-Priority COVID-19 Vaccines for All School Employees
CFT Information - website
Recording of January 12 Vaccine Webinar hosted by AFT & others
Recording of December 1 Vaccine Webinar hosted by AFT & others
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
AFT’s Weingarten on President Biden’s Executive Order on Safely Reopening Schools
WASHINGTON—American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten issued the following statement as President Joe Biden prepared to sign an executive order to formulate a national strategy to safely reopen schools in the first 100 days of his administration:
“Finally, we have a president who is committed to doing what educators, parents and students have yearned for since the first weeks of the pandemic—a real national plan to crush COVID that follows the science and secures the resources to make in-school learning safe.
“All too often in this crisis, educators’ concerns were dismissed or derided to downplay or minimize the virus. We are already seeing the opposite with the Biden administration: They recognize that safety is paramount, and we are working with them to relay the direct experience of teachers who’ve tried valiantly to educate their kids absent any federal leadership or support.
“This executive order will produce guidance that embeds and disseminates best practices—based on the science—for safe and effective in-person, remote and hybrid learning. It will source emergency supplies, such as personal protective equipment for schools and childcare providers. It will help establish early warning and screening systems—including testing and contact tracing—and require school districts to consult teachers and their unions to make these plans happen. It will kick-start the equitable rollout of vaccinations and accommodations for educators who need them.
“Crucially, we are grateful the president recognizes the pandemic is rapidly evolving, and that new variants and the latest science must continue to guide decision-making on reopening in the days and months to come.
“Yesterday was a new day in America. There will be daunting challenges, but President Biden, Vice President Harris and their administration are meeting the moment. This week’s executive orders are a vital first step.”
Follow AFT President Randi Weingarten: http://twitter.com/rweingarten
----- NEWS STORY HIGHLIGHT-----
Inauguration at the U.S. Capitol
Presidential inaugural ceremonies are perhaps the most widely known of the numerous ceremonies held at the U.S. Capitol.
Biden rolls out new strategy to reopen schools
On his first full day in office, President Joe Biden set out details for how his administration plans to get the country's public school system back up and running for in-person learning. The 200-page federal plan, and executive orders he signed Thursday, call for “sustained and coordinated” efforts with the cooperation of states and new resources, guidance, and data for schools as they continue to respond to the pandemic. The executive order will task the departments with collaborating to produce a Safer Schools and Campuses Best Practices Clearinghouse to share lessons learned from across the country. The President has called on Congress to provide at least $130bn in dedicated funding to K-12 schools, as well as $350bnin flexible state and local aid that would help districts avoid lay-offs and close budget gaps. Additionally, Biden proposed fully reimbursing states for eligible costs nec essary to reopening schools through the FEMA Disaster Relief Fund, like personal protective equipment for staff; something which national education groups have long been advocates of. Thirty-five billion dollars has been earmarked in emergency stabilization funds for colleges and universities, where enrollment is down 20% in 2020 compared to 2019. The proposals were welcomed by the American Federation of Teachers, while Dan Domenech, executive director of AASA, The School Superintendents Association, called the plans “a much-needed step forward in a coordinated response to the ongoing pandemic and will help to alleviate some of the downward pressure and decision making that was placed upon local leaders to date.”
Education Week CNBC NPR AASA US News and World Report
----- STUDENT LOANS-----
Pause on federal student loan payments extended
The Education Department announced Wednesday that it would extend the suspension of federal student loan payments through September 30 and keep the interest rate at 0%. “Too many Americans are struggling to pay for basic necessities and to provide for their families. They should not be forced to choose between paying their student loans and putting food on the table," the Department said in a statement.
----- NATIONAL NEWS -----
Biden Administration Unveils COVID Response Plan To Reopen Schools
Chalkbeat (1/21) reports the Biden Administration on its first full day in office “released a detailed national COVID response plan...that includes creating a clearinghouse of best practices for schools, tracking school openings, ratcheting up virus testing and vaccinations, and pushing for tens of billions in additional aid for schools.” Biden said, “Today, we’re directing the Department of Education and the Department of Health and Human Services to immediately provide schools and communities with clear guidance and resources.” The departments “will be asked to collect information to inform state and local officials’ decisions about opening and closing schools, including data about how school closures have affected students of color, students from low-income families, English learners, and students with disabilities.”
Education Week (1/21) reports Biden has set a goal of “getting a majority of K-8 schools safely open” in the first 100 days of his Administration. The 200-page federal plan, combined with executive orders he signed Thursday, “call for ‘sustained and coordinated’ efforts with the cooperation of states and new resources, guidance, and data for schools as they continue to respond to the pandemic.” The plan “builds on Biden’s proposed coronavirus relief package, which calls for $130 billion in additional aid for K-12 schools and $160 billion in new funding for testing, vaccine administration, and building up the health care workforce.” Education groups and teachers’ unions released statements Thursday praising Biden for “listening to scientists.”
According to CNN (1/21, Lobosco), union leaders “describe having a close working relationship with the Biden team but argue that the 100-day goal is a big challenge.” National Education Association President Becky Pringle called the 100-day pledge “an aggressive plan, no doubt,” noting there’s “nothing educators want to do more than be back in person safely with their kids.” American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten said, “I’m on board with the goal, but I’m very concerned about this new variant. None of this is done in isolation.” Bloomberg (1/22) reports Weingarten “said clear standards for masks and physical distancing, guidelines on when to close, and providing leeway for teachers who may be susceptible to Covid-19 are crucial to reopening plans.”
NPR (1/21) reported that “among Thursday’s actions is a call for the Education and Health and Human Services departments to take a more aggressive role in collecting, aggregating, analyzing and reporting data and best practices to help schools and businesses reopen safely. That includes collecting data on the equity impacts of prolonged school closures.” The Washington Post (1/22, Strauss) says Biden’s strategy is “the opposite of the former Trump administration and its education secretary, Betsy DeVos, who did not give federal assistance to states in deciding how and when to reopen schools.”
Inside Higher Ed (1/22, Redden) reports the response plan states that “college enrollment for high school graduates was down more than 20 percent in 2020 compared to 2019, and students from low-income families are nearly twice as likely to report canceling their plans to attend college.” It says “reopening and keeping colleges open is critical to ensuring that all Americans have a shot at a college credential,” but warns reopening “must be done safely, to protect the health of students, faculty, staff, and the broader community.”
US News & World Report (1/21) reports Biden has also “proposed fully reimbursing states for eligible costs necessary to reopening schools through the FEMA Disaster Relief Fund, like personal protective equipment for staff...and proposed additional resources to help schools to establish screening, testing and tracing programs.” The plan further “proposes $35 billion in emergency stabilization funds for colleges and universities, where enrollment is down 20% in 2020 compared to 2019, especially among community colleges, which serve the largest number of low-income students.” The Seventy Four (1/21, Jacobson) reports that the plan directs the Federal Communications Commission to “increase connectivity options for students lacking reliable home broadband.”
Also reporting are CNBC (1/21), McClatchy (1/21), and Fox News (1/21, Hein).
LA poet dazzles at Biden inauguration
Amanda Gorman, a 22-year-old Los Angeles native and the youngest inaugural poet, stole the spotlight at President Joe Biden’s inauguration yesterday, with her poem "The Hill We Climb." Written to inspire unity partly in response to the Capitol riot on January 6th, the poem launched Ms Gorman onto the national stage in spectacular fashion. Her path to the national stage started when she was a child, who turned to writing to cope with her speech impediment; at age 14, she joined WriteGirl, a Los Angeles-based nonprofit organization that helps teen girls discover the power of their voice through creative writing. Throughout her high school years at New Roads School in Santa Monica, Gorman attended WriteGirl's monthly creative writing workshops and was matched with writing mentors for one-on-one mentoring. Later, in one of his first actions in the Oval Office, Mr. Biden revoked a recent Trump administration report that aimed to promote “patriotic education” in schools. In an executive order, he ended Donald Trump’s presidential 1776 Commission initiative, which the former President hoped would be used in classrooms across the nation. The report championed the country’s founders and played down America’s role in slavery.
Los Angeles Times The Patch NBC Los Angeles NBC News Education Week Washington Post
College Board eliminates SAT subject tests
The College Board is eliminating the optional essay component of the SAT, and will no longer offer subject tests in U.S. history, languages, and math, among other topics, as the pandemic accelerates a push for changes in college admissions. The decision doesn’t affect the main SAT. The organization, which administers the college entrance exam in addition to several other tests, including Advanced Placement exams, said the coronavirus crisis has “accelerated a process already underway at the College Board to reduce and simplify demands on students." It also explained that AP courses are more suitable measures of a student’s knowledge in specific subject areas these days, as they “provide the type of hands-on learning experiences and practical, real-world work that colleges want to see from students.” Even before the pandemic, the subject tests and the optional essay were losing influence. Fewer schools were requiring applicants to take them, and many experts questioned their value. The subject tests, lasting an hour apiece, used multiple-choice questions to cover discrete topics such as math, literature, history, biology, chemistry, physics, and various foreign languages. These tests long served a niche role in admissions as a way for students to amass extra credentials showing their prowess for ultra competitive schools. The SAT essay will continue to be offered through June to anyone who wants to take it. After that, the College Board said, it will be available only in certain states that use the SAT for school accountability measurement and offer the test during the school day.
Wall Street Journal Washington Post NPR Forbes
Biden picks San Diego Super as Deputy Ed Sec
President-elect Joe Biden has nominated San Diego USD Superintendent Cindy Marten as Deputy Secretary of Education, serving under Miguel Cardona. If confirmed by the Senate, Ms. Marten will replace current Deputy Education Secretary Mick Zais, who has served as acting education secretary since former Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos resigned earlier this month. She was a classroom teacher for 17 years before she took roles as a vice-principal, principal, and literacy specialist, and was appointed to lead San Diego in 2013, since when the school system has been recognized for improving students’ reading achievement and graduation rates. Last year San Diego USD had an 88.6% graduation rate, which was 1% better than the statewide average and up from 86.6% in 2017. “I am honored to serve alongside @teachcardona to restore our education system – putting teachers, students, and parents first. Work Hard. Be Kind. Dream Big. Let’s do this!” Ms. Marten tweeted on Monday morning. In a closed meeting Sunday, the San Diego USD board chose Area Superintendent Lamont Jackson to serve as interim superintendent once Ms. Marten moves on to her new position.
Education Week San Diego Union-Tribune NBC San Diego Times of San Diego
Hundreds of billions in education funding cut since recession
The Education Law Center (ELC) has published two reports underlining the financial turmoil facing the nation's public schools and further highlighting the adverse impact states' education funding cuts were already having prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the "$600 Billion Lost: State Disinvestment in Education Following the Great Recession" report, public schools lost a total of $598 billion in state and local revenue in the years following the recession, with PK-12 funding in all but four states in 2018 representing a smaller portion of economic activity than before the crisis. Meanwhile, the ELC’s "Making the Grade" report shows dramatic variations in school funding levels from state to state, with those in the Northeast and Midwest generally trending toward higher funding levels than the South and West. In the top states, funding provided as much as 50% more than the national average of $14,548 per pupil, while the bottom states were as low as 30% less. In May 2020, the Association of School Business Officials International and AASA, The School Superintendents Association, estimated the average district would have to spend approximately $194,045 for personal protective equipment, $1.23 million to hire additional staff such as custodians and nurses, and $116,950 for health and disinfecting equipment.
----- STATE NEWS -----
School organizations urge revisions to Gov. Newsom’s reopening plan
Five statewide organizations representing school districts and county offices of education that had refrained from commenting on Gov. Gavin Newsom’s plan to entice school districts to begin reopening are urging major revisions they say would make the plan feasible. Newsom is proposing $2bn in incentives to districts that adopt a safety and health protection plan, comprehensive Covid testing procedures and a schedule to phase in the return of elementary students. While crediting Newsom for taking “proactive” steps and laying out “critical components” for the return to school, they are also calling for more flexibility to reduce the amount of COVID testing, having the state pay for all testing expenses, and not giving labor unions final say over districts’ safety protocols. “Without these changes, we question the efficacy and merits of such an immense” investment of state funding, they wrote. The organizations are the California School Boards Association, the Association of California School Administrators, the California Association of School Business Officials, the California County Superintendents Educational Services Association, and the Small School Districts Association. Districts want Newsom to negotiate conditions with the unions and mandate one set of standards. The management groups’ letter does not directly address Newsom’s timetable, which sets February 1st as the initial deadline for districts seeking funding to submit their union-negotiated safety plans to their county offices of education for review.
Call for Los Angeles public schools to serve as mass inoculation sites
Los Angeles ISD Superintendent Austin Beutner is calling on state and local health officials to immediately allow the district to turn its more than 1,400 schools into COVID-19 vaccination sites, focusing on shots for teachers and school staff in what would become California's biggest education vaccine push. “Schools which are part of Los Angeles Unified are uniquely situated, and uniquely qualified, to help in the vaccination effort,” Mr. Beutner wrote in a Monday letter to Dr. Mark Ghaly, who heads the state’s Health and Human Services Agency, and to Barbara Ferrer, director of the L.A. County Department of Public Health. The leader of the nation’s second-largest school system said it has a dozen licensed clinics, 42 testing locations, more than 450 registered school nurses, and partnerships with insurers that would allow them to begin administering inoculations immediately. “We’re raising our hand and saying, ‘Put me in, coach - we can help,’” Mr. Beutner said. Schools have been integral to vaccine distributions in the past, operating as sites in the 1950s for the inoculation of millions of schoolchildren against polio, for instance, and in 2009 for the distribution of millions of doses of vaccines for the H1N1 swine flu virus.
Los Angeles Times Politico CBS Los Angeles New York Times
How California schools can help undocumented students receive legal aid
With an estimated 145,000 undocumented students aged 3-17 enrolled in California’s schools, according to the Migration Policy Institute, some advocates are recommending that schools partner with legal aid organizations to provide consultations, since they are trusted places and sources of information for many immigrant families. Many of these students, they say, could benefit from meeting with attorneys or legal aid organizations before they turn 18 to help them identify options for legal residency for which they might be eligible. Immigrants Rising is one such group; it offers free online legal screenings for undocumented immigrants, as well as grants and fellowships for achieving educational and career goals. “Legal screenings are key on many levels — student motivation, graduation rates, continuing education, being able to obtain employment,” said Amie Scully, founder and CEO of another nonprofit organization, Students Without Limits, that partners with schools in the San Diego area to help undocumented students get legal services and go to college.
----- DISTRICTS -----
Montebello at ‘high risk’ of insolvency
The state Fiscal Crisis and Management Assistance Team will today present an audit of Montebello USD revealing the district to be at “high risk” of fiscal insolvency. The audit was commissioned by the district in October after the Los Angeles County superintendent issued a “lack of going concern” designation to the district. Key problems identified by the report include a 13% decline in enrollment in the past three years, the erosion of its reserves due to ongoing deficit spending, and a general lack of stability, including vacancies in key positions including assistant superintendent, human resources, director of classified, personnel director of procurement, and budget manager.
Alpine the first California district to fully vaccinate teachers
Alpine ISD has become the first school district in California to give all its teachers and staff members a first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, according to Superintendent Richard Newman. Although the county has not expanded vaccinations to educators, the state has approved it under Phase IB. Newman says a local clinic contacted him last week after fulfilled vaccinating healthcare workers they offered to vaccinate district staff members including substitute teachers. Although they still need the governor's approval, Newman hopes once all staff receives the second dose they can fully reopen, adding: “I believe it is our moral responsibility when it is safe and possible to bring our students back from in-person learning.”
Montebello trustees receive state intervention warning
One of the authors of an audit that said Montebello USD is at “high risk” of fiscal insolvency has warned the district’s trustees that the state could intervene if financial problems aren’t corrected. Debbie Riedmiller, an intervention specialist for the state’s Fiscal Crisis and Management Assistance Team, said the district’s budget projects deficit spending that in two years will reduce its reserve from $100m at the start of fiscal 2020-21 to $14.2n at the end of fiscal 2022-23. The audit also found problems in leadership and stability, declining enrollment, deficit spending, budget development, position control, internal controls, fraud prevention and collective bargaining. Board President Marisol Madrigal Uribe defended the district, saying Montebello is making progress in addressing the issues put forth by the audit.
----- CLASSROOM -----
Capitol riot becomes civics lessons in schools
The Capitol riot on January 6 th, and this week’s presidential inauguration, have become teachable moments in classes around the nation, pulling civics education to the forefront as teachers say they face new questions from students and others say it all exemplifies the need for a better civics curriculum and funding. The federal government annually spends about $3m on civics education, according to an analysis of federal data by the National Council for the Social Studies. However, only 24% of eighth-graders scored at or above the proficient level in the 2018 National Assessment of Educational Progress civics exam, largely unchanged since 1998. Proficiency means students should be able to recognize differences between American ideals and reality, understand the separation of powers and be able to explain how citizens influence government. A bipartisan bill called the Educating for Democracy Act was introduced in September and proposes a $ 1bn investment in civics education.
----- LEGAL -----
State Supreme Court rejects lawsuit against LAUSD
The state Supreme Court has rejected a lawsuit filed by a pair of children's advocacy organizations, the Alliance for Children’s Rights and the Learning Rights Law Center, seeking to force Los Angeles USD to resume in-person instruction for special-needs students. The petition argued that the district has violated a state law that requires education agencies to offer in-person instruction and provide "the appropriate resources to avoid learning loss, prevent behavioral regression, and protect students' mental health and well-being." "There is no question that severe learning loss has already occurred, is ongoing, and will lead to irreparable harm for these students," according to the petition. "This slow-motion catastrophe- with potentially irreversible and life-long negative consequences for students - can and should be immediately addressed." The court did not comment on its reasons for rejecting the lawsuit.
Biden pledges to reinstate transgender students’ bathroom protections
President-elect Joe Biden has pledged to reinstate federal guidance designed to protect transgender students. Early on in its tenure, the Trump administration revoked an Obama-era federal rule that extended Title IX protections to transgender students, allowing them to use bathrooms and locker rooms according to their gender identities and not just their biological sex. Without these Title IX protections, it has been left to states to make their own rules on the issue. The decision was considered a setback for transgender rights, though proponents argued the Obama rule was an example of federal overreach. Some of the other policies he intends to promote and implement include protecting the LBGTQ+ community from violence, ensuring access to high-quality health care, and ensuring fair treatment in the criminal justice system.
----- HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS -----
California high schools that play unsanctioned games face sanctions
The California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) has written to its members warning of recriminations to schools that participate in unsanctioned interscholastic sports competition. A football game last weekend between the private Capistrano Valley Christian and Calvary Chapel schools was in violation of California Department of Public Health orders, which state that no team youth sports can be contested before January 25th, and possibly broke CIF rules. “Any school determined to have participated in or to be conducting interscholastic athletics events in violation of the State’s orders or CIF rules may be subject to CIF Article 22 sanctions including, but not limited to, fines, suspension or dismissal from membership. CIF executive director Ron Nocetti wrote in the memo. “While the CIF understands that the postponement of interscholastic athletics due to the COVID-19 pandemic has had an adverse impact on all of our member schools and student-athletes, the intentional violation of the orders, regulations, and guidance of the Governor’s Office, CDPH, CDE and CIF will not be permitted. Compliance by our member schools with the CDPH’s guidance regarding youth sports is mandatory, not discretionary.”
The Mercury News Los Angeles Daily News
----- SOCIAL & COMMUNITY -----
Students, educators team up against LGBTQ+ harassment
Students and educators across the United States are participating in "No Name-Calling Week," addressing anti-LGBTQ+ harassment and bias-based bullying in schools. This year's theme, "#SafeToBe," highlights the struggles of Black, brown and Indigenous LGBTQ+ youth who may be bullied for both their race and gender or sexuality. Despite societal progress in recent decades, schools remain hostile places for LGBTQ+ students; last July, a national survey by the Trevor Project, revealed that 40% of LGBTQ+ youth and more than half of transgender respondents had seriously considered suicide in the last year. “When students feel safe and valued, they’re better able to focus on their studies, engage with their classmates, and develop confidence within themselves and others, but LGBTQ+ student safety can’t be taken for granted,” said Kristy Self, a teacher in Oklahoma and a member of GLSEN ’s National Educator Advisory Committee. “As an educator, it’s my job to teach my students about how to build respect in the classroom and in the community. It takes all of us from the principals to the school bus drivers to create an inclusive learning environment for our LGBTQ+ students.”
----- OTHER -----
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
