ABCFT YOUnionews for October 29, 2021
KEEPING YOU INFORMED
Personal Necessity Days Update by Tanya Golden
You may have read an email from Human Resources sent earlier this week addressing an “important substitute update” with a request of when teachers use their personal necessity (PNs)days. Recently, in the October 15th YOUnionews there was an article about the use of PNs and sick days. Although the email requested that teachers refrain from using PNs on Fridays and Mondays you are under no obligation to adhere to this request. We returned to the 2021-22 school year, hopeful that being in-person would be a return to some type of normalcy only to be metaphorically punched in the gut and stomped upon. Progress is being made with the downturn with cases of the delta variant and approval of vaccines for children ages 5-11 are weeks away. These milestones are important paths to taming COVID-19 the fight is far from over.
As educators and nurses in the front lines, it’s vital we each find time for self-care and I hope you have been able to do so. If taking PNs on Mondays or Fridays or any other day of the week is a part of that self-care or to take care of any personal business you have then please do just that. It is the district’s responsibility to find solutions to the lack of substitutes and not your burden to carry. In case you need permission, use your PN days, you’ve earned them!
MEMBER VOICES - Short Term Independent Study Survey - Let Your Voice Be Heard
Thank you to the over 300 ABCFT members who have already completed the brief short-term independent study (STIS) survey but there are more members we’d like to hear from. The survey was sent again this morning to your work email and will remain open until Monday, November 1st at 3:00 p.m. Please take the ten minutes or so to complete the survey and let your voice be heard.
We were made aware last week of the district rolling out a pilot of an online short term independent study pilot which creates a change in the working conditions. ABCFT is in the process of negotiating solutions to address the additional work and time teachers take to support the students on STIS. The results of the STIS survey not only give guidance to ABCFT leadership and the negotiating team but gives us power when we have the data from hundreds of voices to support our demands.
SPOTLIGHT ON MEMBERS
Celebrating Halloween with YOUnity
Bragg elementary school teachers get in the spirit of Halloween by “sticking together” in YOUnity. From left to right is Corrine Marcus, Karin Rose, Monica Harrison, Karri Clampitt, Dulce Catzin, and Lili Gallegos. Their costumes do have some good advice, stick together and have fun!
MEMBER-ONLY RESOURCES
Luke (they/he/she), a 15-year-old Human Rights Campaign youth ambassador from Texas, says, “Pronouns are important because they give individuals validation and a safe environment to be themselves.” We all know that classrooms need to be safe environments for students to thrive, but are educators brave enough to create that safe environment? Something as simple as a Student Introduction Card could make a student feel seen and affirmed. Stephanie Salem, a high school English teacher from AFT Local 1274 in suburban Chicago created the card. This strategy is similar to models seen across the country that allow for students to self-identify at the start of the year. Gender pronouns, while not always stagnant throughout the year, can be equally important to a student's identity as the pronunciation of names, language of origin, race, or nationality.
So why are some educators having trouble with acknowledging students’ pronoun preferences? Part of the answer is that we are often missing key information and qualitative data about what a pronoun is, why it’s important, and the impact of not acknowledging it.
Find the complete article here
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.
October is in the bag and for some teachers and nurses this has been a month of challenges that rivaled and in many cases surpassed last year’s online October. This…...year…….is…...tough. Executive VP Tanya Golden and I have noticed a dramatic increase in the number of phone calls we are receiving at the union office, the increase in email questions and the overall increase in frustration, fatigue, and despair we are hearing directly from members at site union meetings. Teachers are reaching a breaking point due to the increased demands of students, the impact on teachers time by the lack of substitutes, the increased short term independent study workload, the decrease in planning time, and the overall increase across the district of parents who are exhibiting a lack of etiquette.
This week, I attended an in-person union meeting with members at an elementary school to hear firsthand how teachers are feeling, what are the challenges they are facing, and to get teachers thoughts on what ABCFT can do to find solutions to these looming issues that are affecting most teachers. I hope that you were able to fill out the ABCFT member survey concerning the short term independent study program and how it is impacting your daily workload. As Tanya mentioned in her article up above, the ABCFT leadership and negotiating team are working to find solutions to address this change in working conditions. By law, whenever there is a change in working conditions the union has the right to bargain on behalf of the members to address those changes. ABCFT will keep you updated on any progress in our negotiations but I want to say thank you in advance for filling out the survey because it provides us the opportunity to use data at the negotiating table to make our point that the increase in workload is having a deleterious effect on teachers.
A common theme I am hearing in my conversations with members in group settings is how many members feel isolated and it isn’t until they meet with other teachers across the district that they realize how isolated they are feeling. I am encouraging you to please come to the YOUnion Chat next week especially if you are feeling this way. You are definitely welcome and you are not alone in feeling a bit overwhelmed. We are all humans and we all have limits but when we stick together, (like Bragg teachers literally illustrated up above) we are stronger. To reflect this need for YOUnity, ABCFT will announce a date soon for an ABCFT after-school YOUnion social where members can gather and talk in a comfortable setting. Prior to the pandemic, ABCFT was still holding in person gatherings at the local BJ restaurant for those who wanted to get together to talk about work, fun, or to just relax. I hope that you will come an join me at the next meet up so that everyone gets a chance to reconnect. Let’s break this sense of isolation and stick together.
Lastly, the ABCFT Executive Board spent last Friday discussing the major issues that are challenging teachers and nurses this year. Together, your executive board developed a plan of action to address the many changes we have experienced as classroom teachers and nurses through the PARTNERSHIP process or indirect negotiations with the District. Furthermore, yesterday, the ABCFT Executive board participated in a half-day PAL conference with Superintendent Dr. Mary Sieu and the ABCUSD Executive Cabinet to discuss the status of the ABCFT/ABCUSD Labor Management in ABC. I believe that there were many important discussions that occurred at this meeting that directly impact and represent the needs of ABCFT members. As I was saying to a group of elementary school teachers during a union meeting this week, the PARTNERSHIP does not mean the union is “in bed” with the district. Labor-management collaboration is merely a tool to find solutions to address the needs of ABCFT members. When we are in labor-management discussions with district administrators, WE NEVER FORGET WHO WE ARE REPRESENTING and that our members deserve to have their voices heard and their needs met. Communication and unity are what make a union strong at the negotiating table and as the ABCFT president, I have worked with members, the ABCFT Executive Board, and ABCFT site representatives to build a communication system that will allow ABCFT to demonstrate our union power if and when needed. Your voices at the bargaining table are strong and everything we do as a union is to make sure that everyone is VALUED. As always, thank you for reading the YOUnionews. I hope to see all of you in person soon. Have a great Halloween weekend!
In YOUnity,
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
AFT President Weingarten Welcomes News of FDA Approval of Pfizer Vaccine for Children
American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten issued the following statement after Pfizer-BioNTech received approval by the Food and Drug Administration for their COVID-19 vaccine for children ages 5-11. This is the first FDA-approved COVID-19 vaccine for children in the U.S. Next, vaccine experts from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will meet in early November to discuss the FDA authorization; if the CDC agrees with it, the 28 million children in that age group could become eligible for shots in the first week of November:
“This is huge news in our ongoing effort to keep our kids safe from COVID-19. For nearly two years, parents have been living in fear, worried that their child could get sick at school, day care, or in daily life, but now they finally have FDA-approved protection to add to the long list of vaccines we use to keep our children protected from transmissible diseases.
“Indeed, vaccines have been key throughout history in combating communicable disease, and while there has been skepticism with the introduction of any vaccine, this one like so many others is necessary, especially with the delta variant posing an ongoing risk to kids both contracting and transmitting the virus. This vaccine approval will be critical to keeping our kids safe and healthy, and making sure our schools stay open and remain safe and welcoming for all.
“Vaccines remain our best defense to protect people and prevent the spread of this virus, and educators, school staff and healthcare professionals are eager to work together with parents to help get America’s kids vaccinated in the places they trust, including public schools and community centers.”
Follow AFT President Randi Weingarten: http://twitter.com/rweingarten
----- NEWS STORY HIGHLIGHT-----
Charter school fires staff for refusing COVID vaccine
Seven employees from Granada Hills Charter School who were fired this week for refusing to get their COVID-19 shots are believed to be the first public school employees in California to lose their jobs over such vaccination mandates, an attorney representing some of the workers said on Thursday. The San Fernando Valley school’s board of directors voted unanimously the day before to fire the employees, who were denied exemptions, including ones based on religious beliefs, according to attorney James Lloyd. “As a charter school authorized by and subject to the oversight of the Los Angeles USD … and which is located on LAUSD facilities, GHC must also comply with LAUSD’s vaccine mandate that all charter school employees be fully vaccinated,” the statement said. “…No testing alternative is available under LAUSD’s vaccine mandate. Failure to comply with authorizer requirements, such as the vaccine mandate, can result in charter revocation.” The statement also said that while the school accommodated employees who needed extra time to get vaccinated because of medical reasons, it “cannot accommodate any employees who refused to ever get vaccinated.” Mr. Lloyd said he plans to file a lawsuit on behalf of at least four of the terminated employees.
----- FINANCE -----
Will federal education dollars bring increased federal control?
U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel A. Cardona is urging Congress to approve $103bn in new discretionary budget authority for the Department of Education in the next fiscal year, a 41 percent increase over the current year’s budget. The proposal would increase the amounts available for public preschool, mental health counselors, special education services and teacher training, among other educator priorities. However, opposition to the plans has been expressed by those who see them as federal overreach. “We’re talking about extraordinary increases,” said Rick Hess, the director of education policy studies at the American Enterprise Institute, a conservative think tank. “I’m an observer who has very little confidence that new dollars have historically been spent wisely or well.” “Most of these dollars are budgeted and allocated in a way which I generally don’t believe works in the interest of kids,” he added. Advocates on both the left and the right see Cardona’s move to dramatically increase funding as a potential step toward increased federal control of education.
----- NATIONAL NEWS -----
U.S. limits immigration arrests at schools and ‘protected’ areas
U.S. immigration authorities will be restricted from carrying out arrests and other enforcement actions at schools, universities, hospitals, and a range of other “protected” areas under a new policy issued by the Department of Homeland Security. They will be prohibited from making arrests, conducting searches and serving subpoenas at areas where immigrants “receive or engage in the essential services or activities,” according to a memo about the policy. “We can accomplish our law enforcement mission without denying individuals access to needed medical care, children access to their schools, the displaced access to food and shelter, people of faith access to their places of worship, and more,” said DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. “Adherence to this principle is a bedrock of our stature as public servants.”
COVID vaccine for 5-11 year-olds headed for emergency approval
COVID-19 vaccines for children five to 11 have cleared a major hurdle from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), with a key advisory committee recommending that the agency grant emergency use authorization to the vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech. Trial data found that the COVID-19 vaccine for younger children is 91% effective at preventing symptomatic infection. Side effects were similar to those in adults including fatigue, fever, chills, muscle pain, and redness and swelling at the injection site. The dose for younger children will be one-third that of adults and will be administered as a two-dose regime, three weeks apart. Should the FDA authorize the vaccine for 5- to 11-year-olds, the CDC will then weigh in on whether to recommend the vaccine for this age group. The FDA will continue to track the safety of the vaccines after emergency use authorization.
Social media execs face Senate grilling
Senators questioned executives from YouTube, TikTok and Snapchat on Tuesday, focusing on what they’re doing to ensure young users’ safety on their platforms. Citing the harm that can come to vulnerable young people from the sites, ranging from eating disorders to exposure to sexually explicit content and material promoting addictive drugs, the Senate Commerce subcommittee on consumer protection also sought the executives’ support for legislation bolstering protection of children on social media. “The problem is clear: Big Tech preys on children and teens to make more money,” Sen. Edward Markey, (D-MA) said. "Now is the time for the legislative solutions to these problems," he added. Bills that would protect the online privacy rights of children, ban ads targeting young users and eliminate core features of social media, including "like" buttons, autoplay and push alerts were put to company officials, although the executives made no firm commitments on any of the proposals.
State K-12 spending is 'inequitable' and 'inadequate', claims new report
In close to two dozen states, high-poverty schools get less money per student or just the same amount as low-poverty schools, a new report shows, despite abundant evidence that high-poverty schools benefit from more robust investment. The annual “Making the Grade” report published Thursday by the Education Law Center, the findings of which are based on U.S. Census Bureau data, found that schools in more than half of U.S. states get fewer dollars per student than the national average. In 12 of those states, average school funding is more than $3,000 below the national average. The report’s authors, Danielle Farrie and David Sciarra of the Education Law Center, argue that these massive disparities reinforce the need for more federal support for the nation’s public school system. They are calling on Congress to pass President Joe Biden’s fiscal year 2022 federal budget proposal that includes $20bn in “equity grants” for states that take steps to make their school funding formulas more equitable.
NSBA apologizes for 'domestic terrorism' letter
The National School Board Association (NSBA) has apologized for a letter to President Joe Biden calling for help from federal law enforcement to assist with “threats and violence” from parents and protesters, some of whose actions it said could be classified as "domestic terrorism." In a Friday letter to NSBA members, the group stated that while the safety of its members and schools in general was its top priority, “There was no justification for some of the language included in the letter. We should have had a better process in place to allow for consultation on a communication of this significance.” Many of the NSBA’s state-level affiliates have expressed confusion or anger about the letter to Biden, with affiliates from states including Louisiana and Pennsylvania cut ties with the NSBA in the wake of the letter
Education Week Washington Examiner
----- STATE NEWS -----
Community colleges unable to justify placing students in remedial classes
Almost all of California’s community colleges are still placing at least some students into remedial math classes - and none of them can justify doing so. A study published Monday by the California Acceleration Project, an organization advocating for the elimination of remedial classes in community colleges, details the reports that were submitted by 114 of California’s 116 community colleges to the statewide chancellor’s office, examining outcomes for students who were placed into remedial classes, which are courses that cannot be used for credit to transfer to a four-year university. Under the law, colleges can only place students into remedial classes if they are more likely to complete a transfer-level class in a year than if they were to enroll directly in the transfer-level class. According to the Acceleration Project, 93% of colleges did not meet that standard for statistics and liberal arts math classes, while 92% did not meet the standard for business programs or math-intensive programs such as science, technology and engineering. The analysis also found that Black and Latino students are especially being harmed because they are not completing transfer-level classes within one year of enrolling.
California rejected 6% of medical exemptions for school vaccinations
As California moves toward requiring all students to be inoculated against COVID-19, state officials have revoked more than 180 medical exemptions granted to families for other required school vaccinations since the start of the year. The revocations came under a new law that seeks to crack down on suspected abuse in the process for forgoing the immunizations that every California student must get. The California Department of Public Health told The Chronicle that as of early October, it had revoked 182 medical exemptions through a new administrative review process because they did not meet federal guidelines for immunization practices — representing nearly 6% of the 3,136 exemption requests the department had reviewed. Those waivers were submitted to a state database by the families and physicians of children entering kindergarten or seventh grade, a new school or child care in the 2021-22 academic year. Catherine Flores Martin, executive director of the California Immunization Coalition, a nonprofit public-private partnership to promote vaccination, said a rise in permanent medical exemptions was of greatest concern. While some children may be allergic to a component in a specific shot or have a condition that makes it risky for them to get vaccinated until they further develop their immune system, she said “it would be highly unusual” to need an exemption from any vaccine for the rest of their lives, as some doctors have asserted in waivers.
Thurmond announces new Black Student Achievement Task Force
California Superintendent Tony Thurmond has announced an initiative that aims to inform legislation to fill opportunity gaps in education. The Black Student Achievement Task Force's members include Dr. Pedro Noguera, Distinguished Professor of Education at the Graduate School of Education and Information Studies UCLA, and Desiree Carver-Thomas, Researcher and Policy Analyst, Learning Policy Institute. “In reviewing recent data and reports, it is clear to me that over time we are seeing progress in math and reading for California students and for most sub-groups, but it concerns me deeply is that despite our efforts, the gap persists and is widening between students of color and their white and Asian peers,” Thurmond said. Of the more than 300,000 Black students in California, 67% of California Black children do not read or write at grade level; 86% of Black students are not at grade level in science; 31% of Black students have completed their A-G requirements, (necessary for admission to a California State college or university) as opposed to 49% of White students and 70% of Asian students; and 77% of Black students graduate high school, in contrast to 88% of White students and 93% of Asian students.
Quarantine absence policies threaten state funding for California schools
Two overlapping attendance policies in California could contribute to a decline in funding for the state's schools. The state reverted to its pre-pandemic average daily attendance policies for the 2021-22 school year, meaning schools will no longer use attendance from 2019-20 to calculate funding as in the previous academic year and will instead rely on average daily attendance of the 2021-22 school year. However, it will also be marking students in quarantine as absent, albeit excused, for the purposes of calculating attendance. "In this situation, quarantines would count as excused absences and would result in lower ADA calculations," said Hedy Chang, who lives in California and is the executive director of Attendance Works. "Given the high levels of absenteeism that we are seeing in districts across California, it will be important for policymakers to revisit this decision," said Chang, whose organization advocates for improved school attendance.
----- DISTRICTS -----
LAUSD: Survey pushes superintendent search into 'new phase'
Los Angeles USD said yesterday that its search for permanent superintendent has entered a “new phase” with the release of a community engagement report detailing the opinions of some 30,000 students, parents, staff and community members on what they’re looking for in a new district leader. According to a district release, respondents had “clear preferences” for qualifications — including experience as a teacher and/or administrator (90% of those surveyed); experience working in and with diverse communities (90%); and experience managing a very large organization (89%). The district's Board of Education will integrate the results of the survey into subsequent phases of the selection process, including the full job description and selection criteria.
Ex-Long Beach school safety officer charged with murder
A murder charge was filed Wednesday against a former Long Beach USD school safety officer who shot an unarmed 18-year-old in the head near a high school last month, prosecutors said. Eddie F. Gonzalez fired into a fleeing vehicle in late September after a fight between Manuela “Mona” Rodriguez and an unidentified 15-year-old girl one block from Millikan High School. Video from the scene appears to show Mr. Gonzalez fire at least two rounds after screaming at the vehicle as it speeds off. Ms. Rodriguez, who was in the vehicle’s passenger seat, was struck in the head, police said. Her 20-year-old boyfriend, Rafeul Chowdhury, and his 16-year-old brother were inside the car when Gonzalez opened fire, but were not hit. In a statement, school district officials thanked the Police Department and the district attorney’s office for their “diligent work and swift action on this case.” “We acknowledge the impact of this tragedy and we again extend our sincerest condolences to everyone who has been impacted, especially the family, friends and loved ones of the shooting victim, Manuela Rodriguez,” they said.
East Bay Times Los Angeles Times San Diego Union-Tribune
Pomona brings police back to school campuses
Pomona USD board members have voted unanimously to bring police back to campuses, three months after they removed law enforcement from school grounds. During a special meeting on Wednesday, the board approved a service agreement with the Pomona Police Department to employ two campus safety resource officers, as they are known. Superintendent Richard Martinez said the district is “looking at reimagining and retooling” the role of police in the school system. Under the agreement, school police will be required to receive ongoing training through the Pomona Unified School District on topics such as restorative justice, trauma-informed practices, de-escalation, diversity, inclusion and equity, Martinez said. Police officers will also perform their duties in plain clothes, he added.
----- CLASSROOM -----
Student engagement critical for academic, emotional recovery
As schools aim to help students recover academically and emotionally from learning disruptions due to the pandemic, school leaders should give more weight to students' experiences and perspectives when making instructional and programming decisions, according to a pair of separate reports on student engagement. A State of Engagement survey from the GoGuardian Research and Insights Team found opportunities for student creativity and self-expression had the highest positive effect on student engagement at all grade levels. The survey also found 81% of teachers said an emphasis on social-emotional well-being has a positive effect on engagement in their classrooms. Meanwhile, Project Tomorrow's Speak Up Research Project emphasized how educators can improve learning experiences by boosting student agency, engagement and equity. It found that regardless of whether instruction was in-person or remote last school year, human connection is important for student engagement and achievement. This is particularly vital in remote learning environments where there are often barriers to engaging students in traditional ways.
Pandemic changes conversation about class sizes
While average class sizes in K-12 grades have remained constant since 2016, a new review of state policies has found that new federal relief funding gives school districts the opportunity to fulfill long-desired aims to reduce the numbers of students in classes. The study, from the National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ), concluded that targeted class-size policies, such as those for core academic courses, high poverty schools or English learners, may yield more support for students most impacted by pandemic hardships, rather than system-wide class reductions. “As school districts begin to spend down their ESSER funds, and assuming there are available teachers to hire, devoting a portion of funds to this kind of targeted class size reduction is very much in the spirit the funding was formulated, and would achieve a less congested learning environment, something both students and teachers would welcome,” wrote Patricia Saenz-Armstrong, a senior economist with the NCTQ.
----- LEGAL -----
Fresno teachers to file grievances against district
Union officials representing Fresno USD teachers announced yesterday that they will file grievances against the district for longstanding issues that they say have grown worse amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The three grievances relate to losses in personal time, preparation time and forcing teachers to act as substitutes for their colleagues, according to Manuel Bonilla, president of the Fresno Teachers Association. “These are contractually protected rights,” he said Thursday. “These are not only rights, but educators need this time to serve students.” “We continue to bargain in good faith with our labor leaders, and there is concern expressed by the Fresno Teachers Association about their need for prep time and making sure that teachers have adequate time to prepare,” Fresno USD Superintendent Bob Nelson said in response. "What we’re trying to do is find a solution that doesn’t reduce instructional minutes for our kids, and that doesn’t disrupt schedules for families and doesn’t take supervision responsibilities and shift those burdens to site leaders or classified staff.”
San Diego student sues over school vaccine mandate
A Scripps Ranch High School student has sued San Diego USD in federal court, arguing that the student vaccination mandate constitutes religious discrimination. The complaint asserts that, because COVID-19 vaccines were tested on stem cell lines originally derived from aborted fetuses, accepting the vaccine runs counter to the student’s Christian beliefs. The lawsuit says the district is violating her 1st Amendment right to freely exercise her faith. The vaccines do not contain any fetal stem cells; but stem cells cultivated from samples originally obtained in elective abortions in the 1960s and 1970s were used in “proof of concept” research early in the research process for the Pfizer and Moderna mRNA vaccines. The lawsuit also asserts that the student should not be required to get vaccinated since a COVID-19 antibody test showed that she had been previously exposed to the virus and acquired some natural immunity.
Riverside teacher on leave after mimicking Native Americans in video
A Riverside USD high school teacher has been placed on leave after a viral video recorded by a student showed her hollering and dancing around a classroom in a fake feathered headdress. In the video, the teacher appears to be chanting, “SOH-CAH-TOA,” a mnemonic device used to help remember trigonometric functions, as she dances and jumps around the front of the classroom, waving her arms in a chopping motion. The teacher is wearing a black and red feather headdress, and a black face mask. Dee Dee Manzanares Ybarra, the director of the American Indian Movement‘s Southern California chapter and tribal chair of the Rumšen Am:a Tur:ataj Ohlone, said: “People are upset, people are a little angry with what happened because it’s just so disrespectful to our youth.” Community members organized a protest Thursday afternoon in response to the video, she said.
Palm Springs Desert Sun Los Angeles Times San Francisco Chronicle
----- SCHOOL SPORTS ----
Unvaccinated LA school athletes could be removed from competition
An October 31st COVID-19 vaccine deadline could force thousands of Los Angeles USD high school athletes to the sidelines, district officials confirmed on Monday. About 70% of students participating in sports, band and drill had submitted documentation of at least one vaccine dose as of Monday. Those under 18 will need evidence of two doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine by October 31st and the doses must be three weeks apart. If they are 18, they could receive the one-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine. Officials also said Monday that the district has changed its policy, which previously required all students involved in any extracurricular activity to be vaccinated by the 31st. The extracurricular mandate no longer applies to middle schools and it no longer applies to high school activities that are not sports related, officials said. “The decision was made to focus just on athletics because of the competitive nature of those sports and because they’re traveling,” said Sara Mooney, the district’s coordinator of civic engagement. “And because, both in county data and our own data, when we see outbreaks happening, it’s in those competitive sports.”
Where U.S. states stand on transgender student sports participation
Debates over transgender student rights, once centered largely on restrooms and pronouns, have taken on a new focus in the last two years: Whether transgender students can play on sports teams that align with their gender identity. As the Biden administration asserts that transgender students’ access to single-sex sports teams is protected by federal law, states have taken up dozens of bills seeking to restrict access according to “sex at birth.” Since Idaho passed its first-in-the-nation Fairness in Women’s Sports Act in 2020, nine other states have followed. In addition to Texas, which passed its House Bill 25 in a special legislative session this month, Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Idaho, Mississippi, Montana, South Dakota, Tennessee, and West Virginia restrict transgender students’ sports participation through law or executive order. Meanwhile, 17 states and the District of Columbia have state-level nondiscrimination laws that apply to sexual orientation and gender identity, according to a tracker from the LGBTQ student advocacy group GSLEN, and 16 have LGBTQ-inclusive student athletics policies. Bills like in Texas could set the stage up for a clash with the federal government over student rights. In a June 2021 memo, the U.S. Department of Education said schools violate the prohibitions against sex discrimination in Title IX when they discriminate against students based on their sexual orientation or gender identity.
----- HEALTH & WELLBEING -----
How schools can prepare for child vaccine rollout
As the U.S. Food and Drug Administration debates granting emergency use authorization of a COVID-19 vaccine for children ages 5-11, school systems across the country are in various stages of planning for a potential rollout, including hosting vaccine clinics on campus, hiring additional staff, issuing communications to families, and handling parental permissions for students to get a shot. Some states may require in-person parental consent for the COVID-19 vaccine for younger students, while others may accept written permissions. Schools will also need play a role in promoting vaccine confidence to families and addressing misinformation. A poll in September by KFF found while only 34% parents of children ages 5-11 plan to have eligible children vaccinated “right away,” that number was an increase from 26% who said in July they would get their child immediately immunized.
----- TECHNOLOGY -----
Advocacy group calls for broadening of E-rate program
Federal policymakers should reduce inequities by expanding the E-rate program to cover in-home internet usage, and by promoting new models of technology-driven teaching, a report from the Aurora Institute argues. The education research and advocacy organization says policymakers should fully subsidize the cost of in-home broadband for rural, low-income, and disabled students, as well as other student populations “disproportionately affected by the homework gap.” To help close this divide, it says the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), which oversees the program, should expand the list of eligible expenditures under E-rate to cover Wi-Fi hotspots, the report says, an expense that the federal program currently doesn’t cover. The Aurora Institute also called on policymakers to invest in an FCC and U.S. Department of Education’s research and development agenda aimed at advancing new models of technology-steered teaching and learning that show promise for improving education opportunities for all students.
----- HIGHER EDUCATION -----
U.S. college enrollment continues to slide
Many colleges and universities are still reporting a decline in people pursuing degrees this semester, especially schools serving large populations of low-income students. The National Student Clearinghouse Research Center says that undergraduate enrollment is down 3.2% since fall 2020, a slight variance on last year's 3.5% drop. The data capture head counts through September 23rd at half of the institutions that report to the Clearinghouse, roughly 1,800 schools, and are a closely watched indicator of sector-wide trends. From the fall of 2019 to this semester, the number of undergraduate students has now fallen by a total of 6.5%, according to the Clearinghouse. “It seems like a lot of young people are going to work instead of college, especially … students from low-income families who’ve been lured away by this temporary hitch in the labor market where wages are increasing,” Doug Shapiro, executive director of the Clearinghouse, said on a call with reporters. “Trying to understand how those students might ever get back into the college path is really important. It’s important to our future workforce.”
----- OTHER -----
How schools can address student 'ghosting'
In Los Angeles, high numbers of students tend to do a little "ghosting" the day after Halloween, with November 1st often the day with the district’s second-highest count of absent students, according to Michael Romero, the regional superintendent of Local District South, which serves more than 85,000 students. “Kids are out later, they’re eating a heck of a lot of candy, and there is a likelihood that if a kid is struggling or griping about going to school, that maybe the family says, ‘Hey, stay home today,’” Romero said. “And if it is a kid who struggles with attendance, with chronic absenteeism, it’s just more likely that they don’t come back.” Romero’s region uses a three-pronged strategy to address absenteeism: Calling attention to the importance of coming to school in most communiqués, phone calls, and outreach to parents whenever a child is absent, and a tailored subset of approaches to students who have racked up numerous absences. Administrators amplify those, especially the first one, around Halloween. “What we’ve done for the last couple of years—and it’s helped a bit, but it doesn’t solve the problem—is consistent messaging to parents, like a drumbeat,” he said. “We send flyers, we send reminders, we send messages through Blackboard Connect,” a course-management software.
NTA Life Insurance - An ABCFT Sponsor
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
Leann.Blaisdell@horacemann.
Click here to schedule an appointment
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