KEEPING YOU INFORMED - Negotiations Update By Ruben Mancillas
Election day is this Tuesday, November 8. Please remember to vote. There are a number of offices and ballot measures whose outcomes will have a direct impact on education and it is crucial that educators let their own voices be heard regarding these important decisions.
As a civics teacher, I can attempt to see every current event as a teachable moment but as a citizen the anti democratic rhetoric of election deniers has me alarmed. Public education and public educators have been the targets of well orchestrated misinformation campaigns. The professionalism of teachers and nurses has been under direct attack in other states and this unfortunate but intentional narrative has permeated throughout the national electorate. I tend to see these assaults on public education as driven primarily by a corporate agenda to privatize schools and bust unions but the insidious effects of eroding the meaning and value of education can be seen in many facets of our public life. Early in his career, Dr. King wrote, “education must enable one to sift and weigh evidence, to discern the true from the false, the real from the unreal, and the fact from the fiction.” I fear that it is precisely these critical abilities that are most at risk when we allow conspiracy and grievance to dominate our political discourse.
I recently watched Luchino Visconti’s film, The Damned, a depressing lurid melodrama about a corrupt family of industrialists in 1930’s Germany. I am not recommending you sit down for the experience. Roger Ebert’s review is apt, “surely no one else could have made this film; surely no one at all should have.” But one line of dialogue in the film felt particularly relevant regarding the Nazi party’s rise to power, “we must win this election so that we will never have to have another” The idea that elections are only valid if a chosen side wins is a chilling reminder that the right to vote is assured only so long as we are vigilant enough to keep it.
I apologize for the doom and gloom. I am encouraging you to remain civically engaged and then being Captain Bummer! There are many positives to celebrate. Our own COPE committee is helping ABCFT support our endorsed candidates for school board. CFT lobbies for us at the state level and has an endorsement list to support those candidates and issues. AFT is an influential voice for educators and workers in general on the national stage. Our members are involved in their communities in a myriad of ways and that commitment demonstrates our continued willingness to be part of the solution. For this recent empty nester one of the few silver linings has been seeing my now adult children cast their own ballots. So I am hopeful as we move forward and grateful to stand in solidarity with my colleagues. Please wear your “I Voted” sticker with pride!
In Unity,
ABC SCHOOL BOARD PRESIDENT IN THE NEWS AFTER TUESDAY BOARD MEETING
This week, the ABC School Board had its only meeting for the month of November, which unfortunately turned out to be a political battleground that only created further division among the ABC Community. ABCUSD Board President Soo Yoo set the tone of the night in her president’s report, which ranged over a number of highly charged political campaign topics that have little or nothing to do with students or the educational mission of our school district. Yoo was again critical of State adopted curriculum and a teacher's academic freedom to cover the state standards.
ABCFT includes these articles and links to highlights of the school board to keep you informed about the behavior and decisions of school board members who have a direct impact on our classrooms, our students, and the climate of our school district. Below are links to specific moments at Tuesday’s board meeting that were key moments of the evening. ABCFT encourages you to review the articles and live footage to come to your own conclusions; however, the leadership of ABCFT is concerned that the demonization of social-emotional supports for students and state-adopted curriculum will have a direct impact on ABC students and the academic freedom of teachers to provide a balanced perspective for our students so that they can develop their own sense of identity and their own perspectives.
Over the last two weeks, there have been a number of educators who have written to the Los Community News to express their reactions to what has been taking place at the ABC school board meetings. If you feel compelled to share your thoughts with the ABC Community in a public forum, you can write an editorial for the Los Cerritos News @ editor@cerritosnews.net
Here are links to the school board meeting:
Soo Yoo’s board president report (last week's article referenced in Yoo’s speech)
WHS Student’s report - Highlights and statements on the importance and impact of the California Conference for Equality and Justice (CCEJ) program at Whitney High School.
Public Comments - worth watching
CCEJ Action Item voted to be tabled till the next meeting.
Other informational presentations:
KEEPING YOU INFORMED - Well-Being Support
Dear ABC Teachers and Nurses:
This is traditionally a fatiguing time of the academic year, and this year is particularly challenging. As you know, we are experiencing unprecedented needs in our students, communities, and ourselves as staff members. This has been one of the most trying times in education, and some of us are reaching the limit of what we can manage. As we continue to adapt and work to ensure our schools are safe for students and staff, we encourage you to take care of yourselves and look out for each other.
ABC Unified School District partnered with Care Solace to support the well-being of our staff and family members. Care Solace is a complimentary and confidential care coordination service that can help you quickly find mental health or substance use treatment options matched to your needs regardless of circumstances.
If you or a family member needs help and would like to use Care Solace to help you find a provider:
Call 888-515-0595. Support is available 24/7/365 in any language.
Visit www.caresolace.com/abcusd and either search on your own OR click “Book Appointment” for assistance by video chat, email, or phone.
Please get in touch with Jessica.Boles@abcusd.us for questions or further assistance.
Kindly,
Jessica Boles
ABCFT PRESIDENT’S REPORT - Ray Gaer
Consistent and regular communication is a union’s most important tool for advocating for its members at the bargaining table. Every conversation with members is focused on the end result of negotiating for the future prosperity and well-being of ALL ABCFT members. The goal of this weekly report is to keep members informed about issues that impact their working/learning conditions and their mental well-being. Our work as a Union is a larger conversation, and together we make the YOUnion.
“Welcome to the Jungle” - GnR - Staffs took on Red Ribbon week at the same time as Halloween and still had fun. Thanks to all of those teams and individuals who sent in their full size pictures which you can see here.
It’s taken me a few days to analyze and process the Tuesday night board meeting and some of the disturbing politically motivating topics that came to the foreground. It seems that a vocal minority has worked hard to create a divisive climate that pits parents against each other and ultimately negatively impacts students. When the adults in the room cannot focus on the common good and the educational mission of our school district it is always our students who ultimately lose access to supporting resources or opportunities for personal and academic growth.
Hearing some community members during the public comments section of the board meeting claim that our school mental health Wellness staff and any social-emotional curriculum are part of an “indoctrination” strategy is asinine in my personal opinion. ABCFT fought hard to support the inclusion of mental health workers in our schools because we assessed that many of the outlying behaviors were largely due to the lack of coping skills and emotional maturity of our students. Without social-emotional support, there is no doubt in my mind that our district would be swimming in expulsions and students who would find unhealthy ways to express their frustrations or concerns. I fear that our school board lets a small minority of parents and outsiders manipulate them into voting away some of our most important supports for our students and teachers. Without the tools for success, we would be doomed for the alternative. The school board's decision to table the items of CCEJ and Tier 2 supports for students only prolongs a systematic failure to meet students where they are and with what they need. I hope that all of you will watch the school board recordings for this week's board meeting to make your own choices. One thing is for sure, elections matter, and they are more critical for the survival of our public school system than ever before.
This week we had about 50 members join us in the YOUnion Chat. I didn’t have much of an agenda to share this month, so our conversations were more organic and covered several topics that may seem small in the big picture but matter to ABCFT members. One of those topics was the purpose and function of the push-bar gates that are being installed throughout the district. Push-bar gates should never be padlocked because they are designed to be an escape route in the event of an emergency. Teachers expressed the concern that students would use the gates to elope and suggested using alarms similar to what you would see in a store setting. On Wednesday at the ABC Safety committee meeting, I was able to gather additional information about push-bar gates and suggested the use of alarms to ensure student accountability. I’ll have more information on push-bar gates in the future.
In other news….last month had half as many COVID cases as September at 118 cases (86 students. 32 staff). The district is still attending the Los Angeles County Health Department meetings to continue to monitor policies and changes in health data that could impact school districts. ABCFT is working closely with district administrators to address the concerns of having intercom systems in a small number of schools that allow the ability to use the intercom as a way to listen into classrooms. At this time, we don’t think any administrators or staff are using the intercom system in a way that intentionally invades privacy or is being used to evaluate teachers. However, ABCFT firmly believes that there needs to be a common legal understanding of how our intercom system is being used at ABC school sites. As a district, we need to foster a climate of trust and transparency, and district administrators are also interested in outlining ground rules for their use. More on this as it develops, but I want you to feel confident that there is no abuse of this system and that we are working with the district to get in front of this before it does become a bigger concern.
In YOUnity,
Ray Gaer
President, ABCFT
CALIFORNIA FEDERATION OF TEACHERS
November election is an opportunity to vote our values
Once again, the stakes are high in yet another pivotal election. We have the opportunity to vote for candidates who support our public schools and who will be there for working families. Thanks to all those who are working tirelessly volunteering for candidates and ballot measures that support our schools, including the cheery crew from Morgan Hill Federation of Teachers (pictured above). Your efforts to reach voters are crucial.
Make sure to vote on or before November 8. And before you do, take a look at the CFT Educators Choice Voter Guide. Ready to volunteer? Sign up for a shift with your local labor council.
The latest CFT articles and news stories can be found here on the PreK12 news feed on the CFT.org website.
AMERICAN FEDERATION OF TEACHERS
Follow AFT President Randi Weingarten: http://twitter.com/rweingarten
----- NEWS STORY HIGHLIGHT-----
School Shootings are Already at a Record in 2022 – with Months Still to Go
Seven more people died in mass shootings at U.S. schools between 2018 and 2022 – a total of 52 – than in the previous 18 years combined
As a Michigan teen pleaded guilty on Oct. 24, 2022, to killing four students in a December 2021 attack, America was learning of yet another school shooting. This time, it was a performance arts high school in St. Louis, where a former student opened fire, killing two and injuring at least seven others before dying in a shootout with police.
The fact that yet another school shooting took place within hours of a gunman in a separate case appearing in court underscores how often these events take place in the U.S. As criminologists who have built a comprehensive database to log all school shootings in the U.S., we know that deadly school gun violence in America in now a regular occurrence – with incidents only becoming more frequent and deadlier.
----- POLITICS IMPACT STUDENTS DIRECTLY -----
Organizations denounce politicization of family engagement in schools: Political narratives pushing classroom censorship and exclusion under the guise of ‘parental rights’ misrepresent family engagement, the groups say.
Vito Borrello, executive director of the National Association for Family, School, and Community Engagement, says that the term "parental rights", often used to close race discussions or impose bias against LBGTQ communities, has become so politicized that it misrepresents what it means to practice family engagement in schools. “From our standpoint, families can make lots of decisions for how their kids are educated, but when it comes to public education, we’re going to stand up if people are suggesting that public education should be exclusionary, if public education should be censoring. That is not a right,” he said. As of June, 84 bills looking to expand parents’ rights in schools, such as Florida's "Don't Say Gay" law, had been pre-filed or introduced in 26 states this year, according to an analysis from FutureEd. Mr. Borrello said family engagement should foster a strong relationship between parents and teachers that ultimately maximizes student learning at home. “Family engagement is not about whether you are a Republican or Democrat. It transcends the political aisle,” Borrello said. “On both sides, I think some people have gotten it wrong. I don’t think you can ever say that parents don’t have a say. Of course, parents have a say.” His organization has released a statement with 20 others saying the current political climate does not accurately reflect effective family engagement practices. Co-signees include the Council for Accreditation of Education Preparation, and the Federation for Children with Special Needs.
----- NATIONAL NEWS -----
Students with disabilities continue to lag behind peers on NAEP
In the newly released 2022 National Assessment of Educational Progress, reading and math gaps narrowed between grade 4 and 8 students with and without disabilities, as scores for students with disabilities stayed level with 2019 by one measure and dropped on the others. Special education educators and advocates said the drops in NAEP performances for students with disabilities were no surprise given the overall lower scores for 2022 compared to 2019 — the last time grade 4 and 8 students took the math and reading tests. The biggest drop in average scores for students with disabilities came in 8th grade math, which declined from 247 in 2019 to 243 in 2022. Grade 4 math scores declined by 2 points, from 214 to 212, and grade 4 reading declined one point, from 184 to 183. The 8th grade reading score of 229 stayed the same between 2019 and 2022. The situation has led to special education experts calling for actions and solutions, including personalized instruction, high-dosage tutoring, increased funding and professional development. “I think the dramatic drop in scores is something that highlights the need for us to do more — and in particular, to do more for particular groups of students like students with disabilities,” said Lindsay Kubatzky, director of policy and advocacy for the nonprofit National Center for Learning Disabilities. Laurie VanderPloeg, associate executive director of the Council for Exceptional Children and former director of the U.S. Office of Special Education Programs, said local administrators can look at NAEP and other performance data to review the disparities between students with and without disabilities to help guide improvements. Closing performance gaps will entail consistently monitoring the progress of individual students with disabilities and adjusting instruction and supports accordingly, she added.
----- STATE NEWS -----
We are not trying to scare you.’ In California, fentanyl now behind 1 out of every 5 youth deaths
Jan Blom knew little about fentanyl when his 17-year-old son, Linus, went to take a nap in their Los Gatos home in July 2020.
By mid-morning, Blom discovered Linus’ lifeless body in bed. The cause of death? A Percocet pill laced with the powerful synthetic opioid that has fueled an unprecedented rise in drug-related deaths across California, and now is targeting its young people. Last year, fentanyl was responsible for an astounding one-fifth of the deaths in the 15-to-24 age group, with a total more than six times the number it killed a mere three years earlier.
For most of his life, Linus had been a stellar student and avid high school wrestler who aspired to compete for the national team in his native Finland. But he started taking pills he found online, his father believes, as a way to handle the intense pressure to succeed academically in Silicon Valley.
Suddenly, Linus had become a casualty of a drug 50 times stronger than heroin that has exploded across the country in the last half-decade but largely spared the West Coast during its initial surge.
----- DISTRICTS -----
S.F. schools face $1.4bn bill to maintain aging buildings
Over the next five years, San Francisco USD schools need about $1.4bn worth of work to address malfunctioning boilers, electrical issues, plumbing problems, floor repairs and other facilities issues. The district assessed all sites in recent months, determining whether the various parts of the buildings were in excellent, good, fair, poor or deficient condition at each location. Based on the assessment, electrical, as well as heating and ventilation, received the lowest marks, with 72 sites in poor or deficient condition. Plumbing followed in third, with 43 sites in the same category. The report, presented to the school board earlier this month, will pave the way for a facilities master plan, as well as a ballot measure next year or the following to raise money through a new facilities bond, officials said.
S.F. teachers stage ‘sickout’ to protest missing paychecks
Teachers at multiple San Francisco schools called in sick Wednesday to protest the district’s ongoing payroll issues that have, over a number of months, seen some employees receive partial pay, or even none at all. At least 115 teachers at three high schools participated in what they are calling a “sickout” to bring attention to the problem, said Chris Clauss, a teacher and union representative at George Washington High School. The educators planned the day of protests independent of their union, United Educators of San Francisco The district has acknowledged the problems, which have also affected medical insurance, and apologized. The San Francisco school board voted in September to spend more than $2.8m to repair the $14m payroll system. Superintendent Matt Wayne said in a letter to the SFUSD community Wednesday that he understood the seriousness of the payroll fiasco and that fixing the system is a priority. “It is unacceptable that many of our employees continue to experience issues with the pay they deserve for their hard work,” he wrote.
SLO administrators reject claims of litter boxes for 'furry' students
Rumors that San Luis Obispo County school districts are placing litter boxes in restrooms to accommodate students who identify as “furries” are false, school district administrators say. The administrators' response came after the Paso Robles Joint Unified School District received an allegation that the high school was receiving requests from students identifying as furries — someone who has an alternate animal persona — to have litter boxes provided in the restrooms. “It is an unfounded allegation,” said Paso Robles Superintendent Curt Dubost. Officials at San Luis Coastal, Lucia Mar and Atascadero USDs similarly rejected such reports. Reuters noted in an October 18th fact-check of the claims that the latest surfacing of the rumor appeared to originate from an episode of “The Joe Rogan Experience.” “Joe Rogan told former U.S. Representative Tulsi Gabbard a story about litter boxes at an unidentified school,” Reuters reported. “However, there is no publicly available evidence that proves schools are providing litter boxes to self-identified ‘furries' anywhere in the U.S.”
----- CLASSROOM -----
High teacher expectations can boost long-term student outcomes
A new study from the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, a conservative think tank that promotes school choice and academic rigor, has found that when teachers have high expectations for students, those students do better in the long term. The study analyzed nationally representative survey data from the federal 2002 Educational Longitudinal Study and the 2009 High School Longitudinal Study, which track cohorts of 10th graders over time. Every student in the ELS was assessed by at least two teachers who were asked, “How far in school do you expect this student to get?” Without adjusting for those characteristics, the study found that teachers in traditional public high schools expected slightly fewer than half of their students to complete four-year college degrees. Private school teachers expected about 80% of their students to complete such degrees, and in charter schools, there was a sizable difference between math and English teachers’ beliefs - 63% of charter math teachers believed their students would earn a college degree, compared to 53% of charter English teachers. “In general, teachers are optimistic, in that they expect more students to complete college than actually do,” said Seth Gershenson, a professor of public policy at American University and the author of the report. “That’s OK—it’s actually more than OK, it’s good. That optimism in the form of high expectations does improve outcomes.”
----- LEGAL -----
Supreme Court signals readiness to ending affirmative action in college admissions
The Supreme Court is set to say that colleges and universities can no longer take race into consideration in admissions programs, with conservative justices repeatedly expressing doubt that institutions would ever concede an “endpoint” in their use of race to build diverse student bodies. During a session lasting almost five hours, the justices heard from a total of five lawyers. Three argued on behalf of Harvard and the University of North Carolina. Two others – both former clerks to Justice Clarence Thomas – argued for the conservative group Students for Fair Admissions behind the challenge. The University of North Carolina and Harvard admissions cases were initially consolidated, meaning that the court had intended to hear a single argument and issue a single decision covering both of them. But Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, who had served on one of Harvard’s governing bodies, recused herself from the Harvard case, causing the court to separate them. The court will now almost certainly issue separate opinions in the two cases. The justices will cast tentative votes at a private conference in the coming days. The senior justice in the majority will then assign the majority opinion to a colleague or, just as likely, keep it. On average, it takes the court about three months after an argument to issue a decision. But rulings in a term’s biggest cases tend not to arrive until late June, no matter how early in the term they were argued.
CNN New York Times Washington Post
Schools’ Facebook posts may violate student privacy
A new report from the American Educational Research Association warns districts and schools that Facebook posts that include students’ photos and names may violate the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act by allowing third parties to access data about the children and teens. Researchers looking at publicly available school system posts from 2005 through 2020 estimated that a small percentage of Facebook messages, nearly 726,000 out of 18m, identified students by photo and first and last names. The report’s authors recommend schools not only take a legal approach to protecting student data by using media release forms, but an ethical one where school and district leaders follow specific steps to reduce privacy risks. “Given what we know about how social media data is accessed by a range of actors, we think it raises some serious questions about what’s right, and that’s where that ethics lens comes in,” said Joshua Rosenberg, co-author of the report and assistant professor at the University of Tennessee. “It’s not saying we should never do this.” While the report offers takeaways for schools on safeguarding student data, it makes other suggestions, including for Facebook to have a default setting for school and district profile pages that would require a district to approve anyone who wants to view their pages.
----- WORKFORCE ----
New guide pairs research and policy on recruiting and retaining teachers of color
The American Educational Research Association has published a new guide offering insights for engaging in evidence-based policies and other actions that can be taken to meet the urgent need to recruit and retain teachers of color. The Handbook of Research on Teachers of Color and Indigenous Teachers, co-edited by education scholars Conra D. Gist and Travis J. Bristol, is organized into 11 domains of inquiry, breaking down each of the factors involved when implementing successful programs and policies for recruiting and retaining local educators of color. These domains include program design in teacher preparation and other training, the role of minority-serving institutions, human resource development and induction, mentorship, and more. “It points to teacher development system changes that need to take place,” said Gist, an associate professor of teaching and teacher education in the College of Education at the University of Houston. She added that it aims to blend research and policy together in a way that helps more localized, evidence-based conversations take hold.
----- HIGHER EDUCATION -----
Violation of state's race-related instruction laws could see professors lose tenure
According to a proposal that higher education officials will discuss next week, a contentious law intended to limit how some race-related themes can be taught in Florida schools may be taken into account in a new tenure-review procedure for university teachers. The proposed regulation connects two laws that the Legislature and Gov. Ron DeSantis approved this year. One of the statutes gave the Board of Governors of the state university system the authority to adopt a rule requiring tenured teachers to go through a "complete post-tenure" evaluation every five years. On November 10, the board is slated to consider a draft of the regulation. The proposal lays out criteria that would be included in professors’ reviews and makes clear that compliance with the race-related instruction law would be considered. One of the most divisive topics of the 2022 legislative session was the race-related instruction bill (HB 7), also known as the "Stop WOKE Act" or "Stop Wrongs to Our Kids and Employees Act" and was challenged in federal court. The law lists a number of ideas that, if included in instruction, would be discriminatory. he proposed tenure-review regulation would make “any violation” of the Stop WOKE law one of seven criteria that would be considered. If faculty members’ performance is deemed unsatisfactory, they could face termination.
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.com
Click here to schedule an appointment
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