ABCFT YOUnionews for August 27, 2021
KEEPING YOU INFORMED - Negotiations Update By Ruben Mancillas
There is not any new information regarding negotiations to report this week. The timeline remains the same. The state has passed its final budget and we will be bargaining over the course of the next months for salary, benefits, and a master contract. We will continue to provide updates as they become available.
One of the impacts of the pandemic in general, and to labor in particular, is to almost force an evaluation of the balance between personal and professional responsibilities. For example, there has been an ongoing debate regarding so-called labor shortages in relation to years of increasing corporate profits and wage stagnation. Or the idea of mental health or self-care becoming an accepted discussion even while many workers are feeling more stretched and stressed than ever. As educators in an ever-changing environment, we have been asked to work on the front lines in the most challenging of circumstances. Let’s take careful note of what our priorities need to be as we move forward successfully in our partnership. Please take care of yourself and your families and remember the strength in solidarity you share among your fellow ABCFT members.
On a personal note, my own children were able to participate in their first-ever election when they mailed back their ballots this week. My civic-minded family had been looking forward to this since they were young. None of us, however, anticipated that this first vote would be cast in such an atypical off-year special election. I will try to resist sharing my personal views regarding the recall for now but simply note that elections have profound consequences and that I urge all of our members to cast their vote and ensure their voice is heard.
In Unity,
AFT NATIONAL PRESIDENT RANDI WEINGARTEN VISITS THE ABC SCHOOL DISTRICT ON THE FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL: FOCUS ON GOING FORWARD TOGETHER
Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, visited ABC’s Artesia High School, as part of her 20-state “Back to School for All” tour touting the feasibility of returning to full-time, in-person instruction. Weingarten, who has backed vaccine mandates for school staff, was joined Tuesday at ABC Superintendent Dr. Sieu, ABCFT president Ray Gaer, CFT Secretary-Treasurer Luukia Smith, ABCFT Executive Vice President, Tanya Golden, ABC Directory of Secondary Schools, Dr. Crechena Wise, ABC Equity Officer, Adrienne Thomas, and AHS Principal Sergio Garcia. ABC was one of a handful of California school districts president Weingarten visited as her way of supporting locals, members, and the efforts to provide safe schools for California students.
Weingarten visited a handful of classrooms that are currently being renovated and upgraded thanks to the communities effort in the passing of Measure BB. She spent over an hour speaking with students and teachers, thanking them for their courageous efforts, and welcoming students back to in-person schooling. When asked what was important for this school year, students expressed their overwhelming gratitude for being back in classrooms, “being with their friends” experiencing “new ways of learning and participating in group activities,” and “having more access to tutoring and other resources to help them succeed.”
Question: What are looking to highlight in your tour and why the stops in California?
Answer: In May, we said that we're going to put skin in the game behind our campaign for back to school for everybody. We put $5 million out into the field. And the California Federation of Teachers took one of those grants, and has been knocking on doors and standing up vaccine clinics, and helping support back-to-school efforts like in ABC and other California school districts. And I really wanted to see these amazing back-to-school efforts. We know kids really need to be in school, we know the positive effects of being in school, of really ensuring that we end the social isolation that being that COVID had created.
(Weingarten agreed to pen a letter with ABCFT for Sacrament legislators stressing the importance of CTE teachers, their contributions to California schools, and the support of AFTs president in getting all CTE teachers permanent status and an equitable salary with other TK-12 teachers and nurses.)
The ABC Federation of Teachers has been a standout local union for the American Federation of Teachers for over two decades witnessed by examining the many innovative programs that continue to develop in ABC. For over twenty years the collaborative efforts in ABC between the union and administration have shown the power of their efforts with improved student achievement, nationally recognized schools, exceptional health benefits for teachers, a top quartile compensation package, mental health supports in all schools, and labor peace for the past 30 years. ABCFT continues to shine with its member communication and supports during a time of national crisis with its innovative live YOUnion chats, the weekly YOUnion newsletter, and member advocacy.
A special thanks to Randi Weingarten and her team for taking the time to visit the leadership of ABCFT and ABCUSD in her efforts to shine the spotlight on how educators have sacrificed and fought to get students and teachers back to school in the safest manner possible. Thank you, Randi, we appreciate your time and support! In Unity!
CURRENT COVID GUIDELINE SUMMARY
It seems like the goalposts of what we do to counteract the impact of COVID-19 are always moving as guidelines are revisited and revised over the course of the pandemic. It can all be very confusing and who has the time to research every little change. Thankfully, the ABCUSD Human Resources under Dr. Zietlow helps to provide some clarity to all the changes in regulations, we appreciate their efforts to keep us safe and informed. If you have any specific questions or concerns about health and safety at your school, DO NOT HESITATE reaching out to your principal or supervisor for support, guidance, or clarity.
Whenever we can, ABCFT tries to find bitesize articles that help us explain these constant changes. This week we found an exceptional article that helped to summarize some of the new guidelines and how they impact teachers and students. You can find the original article here.
What to expect when a student tests positive
Students who are on campus with symptoms of illness and when a coronavirus test indicates an infection will be given a surgical mask and accompanied to an isolation space until they can return home, according to the L.A. County Department of Public Health policy.
A person is supposed to isolate at home for 10 days if experiencing symptoms of illness or after testing positive. The school, working with health officials, will identify those who have been in close contact with the infected person, and then quarantine decisions will be made.
L.A. Unified revised its rules Monday to enable more students to avoid quarantine. Under the new policy, vaccinated students who are close contacts do not have to quarantine unless they develop symptoms. Close contacts who are vaccinated still must be tested five days after exposure. The district’s new policy aligns with that of L.A. County.
Close contacts who are unvaccinated must quarantine for up to 10 days.
What parents are told
CONTACT TRACING: Los Angeles County health officials say they will be aggressive about contact tracing after confirmation of infection. There is some uncertainty about who will be notified about exposures and by whom. Generally, those who may have been exposed to the infected person will receive direct communication.
‘CLOSE CONTACT’: The definition of “close contact” has been unclear to many parents. Early on, the definition was based on the length of time a person was exposed to an infected individual. But now the situation has become more complicated: Were both people wearing masks? Was the exposure indoors or outdoors? Was either of them vaccinated? School and public health authorities have the task of identifying close contacts, but the definition of close contact can vary from place to place.
NOTIFICATIONS: In cases of notification, parents will not learn the identity of the infected individual, as schools can’t provide medical information or records about another person. Schools are generally notifying parents if their child has been in close contact with an infected person. Also, many school districts are setting up dashboards showing how many active infections are at a campus. In Los Angeles, the district has online data and a parent and teacher group has created its own dashboard.
OUTBREAKS: A cluster of three or more potentially linked cases at one school over 14 days could represent an outbreak and could lead to having a group of students or even a class quarantine at home. Decisions on how a school handles an outbreak will be made in concert with local public health authorities. Dr. Barbara Ferrer, the L.A. County public health director, said the closure of an entire school would be unlikely. What could be more likely, she said, is that students in a classroom where a cluster of cases has originated — or a group of those students — may need to quarantine for 10 days. Schools are expected to provide ongoing academic support for students while they are at home.
For students who miss school
CALIFORNIA LAW: A recent California law requires school districts to offer independent study as an educational option for the 2021-22 school year for students. Parents should know that the “distance learning” or “hybrid learning” practices of last year with their child’s teacher are no longer available.
INDEPENDENT STUDIES: Independent study requires a written master agreement signed by the student, parent or guardian, and the supervising teacher. Within the agreement, school districts have to define what level of educational progress a student has to meet to remain in the program. The independent study program varies by school district and by grade: Elementary school students have a different schedule from middle and high school students. Generally, students will have teacher-led live instruction and then work independently on assignments. In this learning option, attendance is based on work completion. If a student doesn’t participate in live instruction or complete assignments and isn’t making adequate progress in this virtual classroom, the supervising teacher will convene an evaluation conference with the student’s parent or guardian to determine whether the student must return to in-person instruction.
PULLING KIDS OUT: Can a parent switch a child’s model of learning at any time? Yes. There is an obligation under state law for school districts to offer independent study as an option.
INSURANCE AND OPEN ENROLLMENT - YOU HAVE OTHER OPTIONS
ABCFT has partnered with NTA for over a decade offering members options to a variety of life insurance and disability plans. If you are considering changing or beginning policies contact Leann Blaisdell an Artesia high school alumni by using the link below for more details on how NTA can help you.
Schedule My Benefit Review with the local NTA Representative
MEMBER-ONLY RESOURCES
Click here for Classroom Management Strategies.
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.
CONGRATULATIONS, YOU MADE IT TO FRIDAY! When I was able to visit classrooms this week, talk with members, answer email questions, phone calls, and a landslide of text messages….one thing came across loud and clear. Teachers and nurses are back in their classrooms doing what they love to do best with their students. Being back in the classroom has its rewards and it seems as if all of you are doing your best to stay calm, patient, and roll with the punches. Even though there is a lot of chaos and it seems like nothing has been preplanned, Educators across the district are standing tall and being that anchor that our students, parents, and community need in a time of turbulence. Seeing your strength and bravery is something that I am honored to witness in my lifetime. History will tell the tale of how brave our nation’s teachers and students were in these darkest times.
As a backdrop to all this bravery, there is still frustration that many members feel. I’m sad to say that ABCFT has had an unusual number of opt-outs from the union this summer. When asked why they are dropping out of the union they typically say it is for political reasons or they are frustrated that we are endorsing vaccinations in the name of safety for our members and our students. I totally get it that we all have differing opinions about some of these key issues but I find it unfortunate that those that opt-out of the union would minimize their collective bargaining voice and the means of staying connected to fellow teachers and nurses in this school district. Now is not a time to take your toys and go home, this is a time when your collective voice has the most impact. There is no way that we could of survived and been collectively compensated last year if we had not stood together as a YOUnion.
Some of you have asked about vaccination policies, changing guidelines of the state and county, and why doesn’t the union do something about all these unprecedented and intrusive changes to our working conditions. Yes, it is unfortunate that many of these decisions have been taken out of the union and school district’s hands in the name of health and safety. It is good and bad to having universal rules that don’t fit the needs of each individual child, teacher, school, district, or community. HOWEVER, the ABC Federation of Teachers is a giant among locals when it comes to advocating for teachers and nurses at the State level in Sacramento where these decisions are made. Each week the ABCFT leadership engages the California Federation of Teachers on how our union’s state leadership can influence education and health policies so that they make sense for our members. In fact, as you may have read in one of our articles this week, ABCFT was able to pull the AFT national president into our orbit for hours to discuss your classroom working environments, advocate for CTE teachers, and push for continued funding to mitigate this crisis. YOUR ABCFT VOICE makes a difference.
Here is my ask. Let’s continue to stay united and stand tall and loud about what we need for compensation, health benefits, safety conditions, working conditions, professional learning supports, and fair treatment for all. Our little ABCFT YOUnion has a membership of 97% and we are strong. Let’s keep our voices loud and strong together in YOUnity.
In YOUnity,
Ray Gaer
President, ABCFT
CALIFORNIA FEDERATION OF TEACHERS
AFT President visits Petaluma schools
Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, visited McDowell Elementary and Casa Grande High schools Tuesday, as part of her 20-state “Back to School for All” tour touting the feasibility of returning to full-time, in-person instruction. She was joined by Jeff Freitas, president of the California Federation of Teachers and Sandra Larsen, president of the Petaluma Federation of Teachers. Ms Weingarten praised the schools' "amazing" efforts to make the ground safe for students and teachers, but reiterated the "positive effects of being in school, [and] of really ensuring that we end the social isolation that being that COVID had created."
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
Dear AFT MEMBERS,
The AFT executive council unanimously passed a resolution on Aug. 11 encouraging AFT affiliates to engage employers—either through bargaining or other forms of consultation—on workplace vaccination policy to promote broad vaccination of our membership in a manner that ensures workers have a voice in implementation and other decisions. With the spread of the Delta variant and the rise in cases among adults and even children, vaccination remains the best tool to keep our workplaces and communities safe. I want to make sure you have the support you need to engage with employers on these issues.
In unity,
Randi
Follow AFT President Randi Weingarten: http://twitter.com/rweingarten
----- NEWS STORY HIGHLIGHT-----
How a new California law is disrupting school reopenings
As California schools reopened amid the spread of the more transmissible and deadlier delta variant, student quarantines became commonplace within days. However, a new state law is undermining the ability of schools to keep these quarantined kids engaged. Its provisions attempt to stretch independent study — a program intended for long-term remote learning— to meet the spontaneous, short-term needs of students temporarily quarantined. Districts are now required to provide students with live instruction as a part of independent study. Teachers have to work with parents and students to design a plan of study. Student-teacher ratios for independent study cannot be higher than district-wide averages. And under the new state law, if a student decides to move back to in-person instruction, the district has five days to comply. This could be a logistical nightmare considering that many class sizes have already hit their maximum. “In middle and high schools that’s not just one student, it’s one student times the number of classes they take,” said Don Austin, superintendent of Palo Alto USD. “At the elementary level, it can easily mean a student may not have a spot when they choose to return.” Austin and his team ultimately decided to hire a third party to manage its independent study program. The district is paying an additional $3,000 for each of its approximately 230 students enrolled. Schools say they are unable to hire the teachers required to provide independent study for these quarantined students. As a result, they can languish in an educational limbo, while schools risk losing state funding for the days they are technically “absent.”
Pandemic's full impact on students with disabilities unclear, says report
The pandemic has had a disproportionate impact on students with disabilities, but deep understanding of these learning disruptions remains widely unavailable because of limited U.S. research studies that include data specific to students with disabilities, according to a paper from the Center on Reinventing Public Education. The study found that students with disabilities had lower levels of engagement and attendance in remote or hybrid learning formats, and that there was inconsistent delivery of special education and related services due to shortened school days in hybrid or remote learning, limitations of in-person learning or because of the diverse range of students’ needs.
----- CONCERNING NEWS FOR EDUCATION -----
School board meetings dominated by culture war skirmishes
School board meetings across the U.S. have become ground zero for the country’s culture wars, often resulting in combative and confrontational forums as students prepare to head back to school in the fall. Recent incidents include protests in Loudoun County, Virginia, over the rights of transgender students, and disruption at a Salt Lake City board meeting where a number of anti-mask protesters now face criminal charges. Experts say schools and school boards have been the stage for a number of debates over social and cultural changes in recent history, including prayer in schools and integrated busing. “People care very deeply about the public school system, the impact that it has on their children and therefore many of the contentious culture war issues are played out in local politics, primarily through school boards more so than in national politics,” said Mark Rozell, the dean and Ruth D. and John T. Hazel chair in public policy at the Schar School of Policy and Government at George Mason University. “People perceive that this can be where they can make a difference in the everyday lives of their children, their families, their communities.”
----- NATIONAL NEWS -----
War Over School COVID-19 Safety Protocols Continues Between Governors, President Biden
Politico (8/25, Perez, Payne, Mays) says, “A turf war between Republican governors and the White House over masking in schools is testing the limits of local control.” President Biden, “impatient with states that won’t comply with school masking recommendations from the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, has started to use federal power to goad them along.” He “has threatened federal scrutiny against states that ban mandatory masks for school staff and students, and...pledged to backfill money governors cut from defiant local school officials.” The aggressive tactics on both sides “have made for a rocky back-to-school season, as Covid-19 cases among children continue to surge.”
Politico Playbook (8/25) quotes Chip Slaven, interim executive director and CEO of the National School Boards Association, as saying, “My biggest concern is this is just escalating.” Slaven adds, “The president is weighing in and trying to support local schools, but it’s yet another tension point. Now you have the federal government, now you have your state government, and now you have the local school boards scratching their heads and saying ‘What do we do?’”
FDA approvals empower school systems to introduce vaccine mandates
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s full approval of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for those 16 and older, announced Monday, is expected to pave the way for more vaccine mandates, including for teachers. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio immediately announced that employees of the country's largest school district would be required to have their first vaccine dose by September 27th. There will be no option of weekly testing for employees who do not want to be vaccinated. New York City schools joins districts in Chicago, Denver, and Los Angeles, which similarly require school staff to be vaccinated without allowances that most districts implementing vaccination mandates are providing. Public health experts expect that number to grow, as will the number of states requiring vaccination or weekly testing, which already includes California, Connecticut, New Jersey, and Washington, D.C. Meanwhile, just a few weeks into the new school year, more than 80 school districts or charter networks have halted in-person learning or switched to hybrid models because of rapidly mounting coronavirus infections. “People should realize it’s not over. It’s a real problem, a real public health issue,” said Dr. Tina Tan, a Northwestern University medical professor who chairs the American Academy of Pediatrics Section on Infectious Diseases. “You have to do everything to prevent the spread of COVID in the school.” Tan and others say that means not just masks in schools but a push for vaccination, social distancing, ventilation, and other precautions, providing multiple layers of protection.
AP News Education Week US News and World Report
One-third of US adolescents now vaccinated against COVID-19
Federal data indicates one-third of adolescents aged 12-15 are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 as the school year gets underway amid rising infections and a divide over mask mandates. Dr. Francis Collins, director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), noted the figure during an interview Monday, after he was pressed over the issue of yet-approved vaccine among younger children under 12 amid spread of the highly transmissible delta variant. As of August 22nd, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported 33.9% of kids aged 12-15 are fully vaccinated, and 46.9% have received at least one dose. Meanwhile, as COVID-19 cases surge around the country, a majority of Americans say they support mask mandates for students and teachers in K-12 schools, according to a new poll. Around six in 10 Americans say students and teachers should be required to wear face masks while in school, according to a poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. Similar shares say teachers and eligible students should also be required to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. Parents are slightly less likely to support mask requirements than the broader population, the poll shows. Fifty-two percent of parents with school-age children said they supported a mandate for kids, while 28 percent opposed it, with a similar split over mandates for teachers. There were also differences by race: About two-thirds of Black parents said they back mask mandates for teachers and students, compared with about half of white and Hispanic parents.
Cardona floats civil rights probes over school mask bans
Speaking to Chuck Todd on NBC's Meet the Press, Education Secretary Miguel Cardona on Sunday warned he is “prepared to launch investigations” with the department’s Office for Civil Rights in response to states that have implemented bans on mask mandates for students. He also doubled down on the administration’s promise to give federal funds to school districts that defy governor orders and implement mask mandates, which puts them at risk of losing state funding. Pressed on how the districts will be able to access the funds, Mr. Cardona said they "have access to federal funds that they can draw down at any moment," and do not need approval from governors because the funding was approved by Congress.
----- STATE NEWS -----
California Public Health reinforces masking indoors in letter sent to school districts
The California Department of Public Health re-emphasized its masking guidance for K-12 schools in a letter sent to school districts Tuesday. The letter, penned by the director and state Public Health Officer Tomas Aragon, addresses the legal implications of going rogue against mask guidelines as well as the spread of misinformation. He wrote that “unfortunately, some elected officials and school leaders have expressed their intent to violate the law — and risk their students’ safety — by failing to enforce the universal mask requirement for indoor school settings." The letter also addressed opposition to masking being linked to misinformation. “This persistent myth also has no basis in data: in the year and a half since children began wearing masks, pediatric hospital admissions tied to CO2 poisoning have not increased. Furthermore, there is no scientific evidence that masks have an adverse mental health impact, in contrast to the ample evidence that masks prevent illness, school absences, and even death,” Aragon said.
----- DISTRICTS -----
Over 6,000 LA students missed school in first week due to COVID
In Los Angeles USD's first week back in the classroom, 6,500 of its students had to miss school because of the coronavirus. District-wide there was 87.5% of individuals in attendance as of August 19th with 3,000 students in isolation due to a positive COVID-19 test during the first week of school, which started on August 16th. An additional 3,500 students were in quarantine during the first week due to close contact with someone who had the coronavirus. There were 1,000 employees out of 60,000 who had to miss one day of the first week of school due to a positive COVID-19 test or close contact with someone who had the infection. David Baca, the district's Chief of Schools, said it has been struggling with its online learning option as some individuals who opted for it are not seeing live instruction yet. “Each day it gets better,” he added. “Each week, we’ll get better, and we’ll keep working until we get it right.” Meanwhile, Los Angeles school officials on Wednesday confirmed the first coronavirus outbreak in the district at Grant Elementary School in Hollywood, sending home an entire classroom of children. “The cases are concentrated in a single classroom and Los Angeles Unified is fully cooperating with the Department of Public Health,” the district said in a statement. “The district has alerted all those potentially impacted and the quarantined class has been provided with instructional materials to continue their studies.”
The Hill Los Angeles Times Los Angeles Times
Almost 1,900 LAUSD employees and students test positive for COVID
Advocacy group Parents Supporting Teachers has calculated that 1,893 Los Angeles USD students and employees tested positive for a coronavirus infection during the first week of school, based on a new dashboard created using district data. The group said they were frustrated with the district’s cumbersome reporting dashboard and put together their own database using district information. The group, which includes parents and teachers, presented the data in a way that allows for easier access and sorting as well as compiling a districtwide total. The outside data effort “is intended as a stopgap, and hopefully will encourage the district to do it themselves, as we’ve been requesting since last year,” said Jenna Schwartz, a district parent and co-founder of Parents Supporting Teachers. “If I was able to pull this all together in a day possessing the technological acumen of, well, me, there is zero excuse as to why the district hasn’t had this set up from the beginning.” Criticisms of the LAUSD dashboard include that parents have had to navigate to their school from a dropbox that contains a list of more than 1,400 names — one for every separately managed school on the district’s nearly 1,000 campuses. This format also allows for the display of only one school at a time. There is no way to compare schools or regions and no total or cumulative numbers for the school system as a whole. The district also has not broken down data to separate staff and student cases.
Salinas Super addresses racist social media posts
Salinas Unified High School District Superintendent Dan Burns says that disciplinary action has been taken against a Salinas High School student said to have initiated the posting of racist, “disturbing images and videos” on social media. The Instagram page called “shaniqua.shs,” created by Salinas High students, featured images of a Black baby doll named “Shaniqua," and included a video where two students are seen stomping on the doll. In another screenshot, an Instagram post is captioned with a misspelled version of a racial slur. Monterey County Supervisor Luis Alejo, whose district includes much of Salinas, tweeted that “racism has no place in our schools and community” and described the account as “outright hurtful.” “These acts remind us why we must better educate our students to be better citizens of our community and understand that racism must not be tolerated anywhere,” Alejo shared on his Twitter account. “Salinas is and must always be better than this!”
Bakersfield.com The Monterey Herald
SFUSD to spend $2.9mn on air purifiers
San Francisco USD has announced a plan to spend $2.9m on air purifiers, to keep staff and students from inhaling unhealthy smoke from wildfires, and also reduce the risk of coronavirus transmission. According to district officials, about 10% of its 3,000-plus classrooms currently have portable air cleaners. By contrast, some other school districts in the Bay Area, including Oakland USD, already have air purifiers in every room. “With increased concerns about managing indoor air quality in light of wildfires and COVID and given our early tests, we have been preparing to purchase even more portable air cleaners,” said SFUSD Superintendent Vincent Matthews. If the school board approves the purchase, up to 3,750 machines would be distributed on a rolling basis as soon as possible, according to district spokesperson Laura Dudnick, covering all classrooms but not all offices.
----- CLASSROOM -----
New study examines reasons for racial disparities in suspensions
Racial disparities in disciplinary suspensions of students from school have acquired greater significance given the substantial disruptions, including widening gaps in achievement, caused by COVID-19. In a piece for Education Week Richard O. Welsh, assistant professor of education leadership and policy studies at the Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development, New York University, examines why this may be so, pointing to an analysis he co-wrote with Shafiqua Little of Research for Action suggesting that discipline disparities can be explained by the behavior of teachers, assistant principals, and principals in schools. When Black students have a Black teacher, they have lower rates of suspensions and expulsions, but despite growing student diversity, the teaching workforce remains largely white. Teacher responses to misbehavior may be attributable to teachers’ racial perceptions and bias. Teachers as a group are more likely to deem students’ behavior harmful or indicative of a harmful pattern when those students are Black. Similarly, misconduct from Black students is punished more harshly than the same misconduct from white students. He notes that several alternative approaches to exclusionary discipline policies and practices have emerged, including Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports, and Restorative Practices.
----- LEGAL -----
Ed. Dept. reaffirms importance of IDEA
The U.S. Department of Education's Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS) has written to state and local education agencies, asserting that schools can expect to continue being held accountable for providing early intervention and educational services to infants and toddlers with disabilities, children with disabilities and their families, in line with requirements under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Districts should "re-examine the efficacy of their existing child find practices and initiate new activities" in light of COVID-19 disruptions, like additional screenings, an accompanying document says. Though students were remote for quite some time, officials noted, districts should not rely solely on referrals by parents as the primary vehicle for meeting IDEA’s child find requirements. "Serving all children and students with disabilities in our public schools isn’t just written into law – it's a moral obligation and strong equitable practice," Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona said in a statement.
Insurance companies could refuse coverage for COVID-related lawsuits
Insurance providers in recent weeks have warned school districts that they may not provide coverage for pandemic-related lawsuits this school year, according to district leaders and school board members in several states. Financial institutions are also threatening to entirely drop districts that fail to follow public-health mandates, such as states’ requirements that all students wear masks. In places where parents and state officials have different views on masks and other protocols in schools this year, superintendents and school board members are caught between risking severe financial risk for their district or ignoring the will of the community. “Everyone has an idea of what the guidance should be. But insurance companies have the power to say, ‘We won’t cover you,’” said Helio Brasil, the superintendent of the Keyes Union school district in California. “There’s a veto power there, and I’m back at ground zero.” Districts spend anywhere $130-$160 per student or 1%-5% of their annual budget on insurance coverage, which protects them financially in the event that property or equipment gets damaged, workers get injured, or the district gets sued. Premiums have risen nationwide in recent years as a result of increasing concerns over the risks of cyberattacks and the upswing of insurance premiums globally. Some school leaders believe parents have grown more litigious against school districts in the last decades, driving up legal expenses that could instead be directed toward the classroom.
----- HEALTH & WELLBEING -----
LA County tells schools to begin weekly COVID-19 testing for some sports
The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (LADPH) has updated its guidance for youth sports, informing school principals that beginning September 1st the county will require weekly COVID-19 testing for high school sports in the “moderate” and “high risk” categories. In the document, the LADPH said the guidelines were changing to “enhance safety for participants, coaches, and communities, and lower the risk of COVID-19 transmission within their teams.” Fall sports that are in the “moderate” and “high risk” categories, which will require testing of all athletes regardless of their vaccination status, are football, girls volleyball and boys water polo. Volleyball is in the moderate risk category, while football and water polo are labeled high risk. Cross country and girls golf are “low risk.”
Forty percent of parents have no plans to get child vaccinated for school
Almost 90% of U.S. parents plan to send their kids back to the classroom this fall, but fewer than 60% plan to get a COVID-19 vaccine for those who are old enough, according to a new poll from RAND. Though most middle and high school students are eligible for the COVID-19 shot, just 57% of respondents said they planned to get their child vaccinated, the survey found. The percentage was higher among vaccinated parents, with about 79% planning to have their kids get the jab. About 10% of unvaccinated parents said they planned to get shots for their children, the findings showed.
----- TECHNOLOGY -----
Pandemic digital learning tools to have a long-lasting impact, claims survey
The shift to remote learning in response to the COVID-19 pandemic in spring 2020 will have a lasting impact on the way curricula and learning materials are delivered as new digital tools and practices adopted for that environment are adapted for classroom use, according to a survey of teachers and administrators by Bay View Analytics. The top techniques educators reported planning to continue use of post-pandemic include online polling or quizzes (41%), on-demand instructional videos (32%), one-on-one video meetings (25%), online tools to ensure academic integrity (24%) and project-based learning (23%).
Schools prepare to defend systems from cyberattacks
NBC’s Tom Costello reports on an increase in cyberattacks on schools and colleges as the new school year is set to begin. Cyber security firm Check Point Software Technologies says that attacks on schools and school districts in the U.S. are up 17% this year, with 443 attacks per organization per week. Districts to have suffered from the incursions include Baltimore County Public Schools, Toledo Public Schools, and Broward County Public Schools in Florida. IBM Cybersecurity reports that the average school attack costs $3.78m.
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CSU courses with high failure rates prompt calls for reform
California State University students are failing or withdrawing at high rates from many courses, including chemistry, calculus, English, and U.S. history, prompting renewed efforts for systemwide reform. New attention is being placed on classes that for years have shown failure or withdrawal rates of 20% or more, sometimes reaching as high as half the students. Efforts to overhaul the courses and improve teaching are now seen as a crucial way to help more students pass and graduate. CSU, which is focused on improving courses with a lot of students, reported 686 high failure courses systemwide last fall with enrollments of at least 100. Challenging course material, ineffective teaching, and unprepared or overwhelmed students contribute to the rise in high failure/withdrawal rates, experts say. Failures and repeated attempts to pass can add semesters to students’ time on campus because many of the courses are required for majors. Worse, failing a class can send students into a tailspin that leads to abandoning majors or dropping out altogether.
Latino astronaut among 7 Latinos named by Newsom to higher education boards
Among the 10 Californians that Gov. Gavin Newsom appointed Friday to the governing boards of the state’s three public institutions of higher education, seven were Latino. “These leaders bring a wide array of knowledge and experience from across the state’s diverse regions, including the Central Valley, to our world-class colleges and universities, and share a deep commitment to serving our state,” said Newsom. Those selected include: former astronaut José M. Hernández of Manteca, who was picked for a 12-year term on the University of California Board of Regents; Yammilette Rodríguez of Fresno, who as senior director of the Youth Leadership Institute has molded area youth into becoming leaders and problem solvers, has been appointed to the California State University Board of Trustees; and Irma L. Olguín Jr. of Caruthers, co-founder, and CEO at Bitwise Industries, has been named to the California Community Colleges Board of Governors. Other Latinos appointed include Julia I. López and María G. Linares to the CSU Board of Trustees; and, Joshua Elizondo and Blas Villalobos to the community college board.
California community college adjuncts pushing for fairer pay
In early 2020, as the global pandemic shut down California, thousands of community college faculty members scrambled to shift to online teaching, reworking curriculums, rewriting lessons, and learning new software so they could keep classes going and students learning. Most of them were part-time instructors, commonly called adjuncts like Kwesi Wilson who works at multiple colleges; when COVID struck, he had to revamp six public speaking classes spread over two East Bay colleges, much of it on his own time. “The enormity of the work was overwhelming,” Wilson said. Nearly a year and a half later, he’s still waiting to get paid for some of it. The Oakland-based Peralta district eventually gave adjuncts $1,000 for each class they moved online. The Hayward-based Chabot-Las Positas district has tentatively agreed to a deal that would pay adjuncts $1,500. But how much, and even if, adjuncts got paid for the extra work is a district-by-district crazy quilt of haves and have-nots. “Thousands of part-time faculty did work they were not compensated for,” said Eric Kaljumägi, president of the Community College Association, a union representing full and part-time faculty members at 42 districts. “Asking underpaid people to work for free is a slight.”
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Paso Robles school staff member struck while trying to break up altercation
A Paso Robles Joint Unified School District staff member was injured Wednesday afternoon when he was struck while intervening to break up an altercation on the sidewalk outside the high school. The injured staff member was transported to the hospital, Principal Anthony Overton wrote in an email to the school’s staff. No information was available on his condition. Overton said the staffer was trying to disperse the crowd when an individual who was not a student “confronted and struck” him. The suspect, 18, was arrested on suspicion of battery causing serious bodily injury in connection with the incident, according to Paso Robles Police Commander Caleb Davis.
Assistant superintendents driving inclusion, curriculum, and learning efforts
Recent years have seen a breaking of silos between departments in school district central offices as an influx of new tools, evolving learning models and other factors necessitate greater cooperation. Assistant superintendents and other cabinet-level positions overseeing areas like instruction, technology, and student services have become arguably more critical to district success than ever. K-12 Dive has recognized 10 of these figures in its inaugural Rising District Leaders. Among those named are: Nkenge Bergan, director of student services at Kalamazoo Public Schools in Michigan, who helped the district win a $1 million grant to create the Social Emotional Learning Professional Development Center, which will provide SEL resources and coaching to the staff and community members in the future; Terry Harris, executive director of student services at Rockwood School District in Missouri, who co-founded The Collective STL, a nonprofit dedicated to bringing free yoga and wellness programs to African American communities in St. Louis; and Rebecca Toetz, director of Instruction at DeForest Area School District in Wisconsin, whose work involves a focus on improving representation and cultural inclusivity in curriculum to make sure students are provided a broader portrait of Black history beyond slavery and persecution
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 online. 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 online.
Please contact Leann Blaisdell at any time either by phone or email.
562-822-5004
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