Reopen Questions
For Immediate Release
Washington DC Teachers, Families and Students Rally to Express Concerns About City’s Plan to Reopen Schools to In-Person Learning
WASHINGTON — Washington DC teachers, families, and students joined at the John A. Wilson Building today to share their concerns about the city’s plan to reopen schools to in-person learning. While many expressed their desire to reopen our city’s schools, they expressed concern about the lack of transparency in city planning and the impact of proposed staffing changes on students. Speakers also expressed concerns for the health of elementary students, teachers, and communities as 21,000 students plus thousands of staff return to DC school buildings in the coming weeks while COVID-19 cases increase across our nation.
“We saw many elements of the DCPS plan for the first time during yesterday’s press conference and we still haven’t seen concrete details,” Elizabeth Davis, the Washington Teachers’ Union (WTU) president stated. “Our demands are for common sense protections for our communities including but not limited to access to testing, licensed nurses on-site at every school, verification that our HVAC systems work properly to circulate air and prevent the spread of the coronavirus. DCPS must treat teachers and community members as full partners in developing and in verifying plans to keep everyone safe.”
While the community hearing was occurring outside, the DC Council held an oversight hearing on the city’s plan to reopen schools. Only representatives from the Deputy Mayor for Education and DC Public Schools were invited to speak. Questions parents, teachers and community members submitted to have answered by DC Public Schools about the city’s plan to reopen schools to in-person learning are attached.
“Listen to my kid’s teachers,” said Greg Wahl, a DCPS parent and a professor at Montgomery College. “Their dedication during the pandemic has been amazing. I know they would like nothing better than to be back in the classroom with their students, but they see that it's not safe for themselves, it’s not safe for the kids, it’s not safe for the families, and it’s not safe for the community. They are the ones who would know. As parents, that is also what we demand from DCPS, from the Council and from the mayor: LISTEN TO THE TEACHERS.”
During a press conference yesterday, DC Mayor Muriel Bowser and DC Public Schools Chancellor Lewis Ferebee presented many elements of their plan for the first time to citizens and teachers. The presentation included information on learning loss for our youngest students.
The proposal being put forward by DC Public Schools would reassign many staff members from middle and high schools across the District to supervise CARES classrooms to support early education and elementary school students. In the proposed CARES classrooms, serving approximately 14,000 learners, students would continue to receive their lessons via Distance Learning. Staff being reassigned from their current duties supporting middle and high school students would not be providing direct instruction. Additionally, DCPS’ proposal would provide live, in-person instruction for 7,000 elementary school students. This will result in many teachers being reassigned to new classrooms and, possibly grades. Students who remain in Distance Learning environments, whether at home or in CARES settings, could see their class balloon to up to 40 students.
“It’s clear that DCPS has a different definition of collaboration than Washington’s Teachers and parents do,” Davis continued. “We want to ensure parents, teachers, and community members are involved not just in the decision on when to reopen our school buildings, but throughout this crisis.”
“Trust in leadership is critical in a crisis,” said Sandra Moscoso-Mills, the Home School Association (HSA) president at School Without Walls High School. “Refusing to share data and picking and choosing what data you share undermines trust. Removing trusted leaders creates chaos. Parents and students are scared. When a trusted leader we depend on to act in our students’ best interests is suddenly removed, how can we then trust the Mayor, the DME, and the Chancellor are working to protect us?”
In early October, School Without Walls principal Richard Trogisch was removed from his position. Many reports indicate he had raised concerns about the safety of students and staff should the School Without Walls Francis-Stevens campus reopen to in-person learning.
Earlier in the week, in response to complaints filed by the Washington Teachers’ Union (WTU), the Public Employees Relations Board (PERB) Hearing Examiner on Tuesday October 20 ruled that DC Public Schools (DCPS) violated the law by refusing to bargain with WTU regarding reopening planning and granted WTU’s renewed request for preliminary relief. The PERB found that there is reasonable cause to believe that DCPS has violated the law by not bargaining with WTU regarding reopening and ordered that DCPS bargain with WTU over health and safety matters as they relate to reopening within 5 days of the ruling. DCPS must also rescind the Intent Form that it sent to teachers on June 30, and the Staffing Assignment Survey it sent to teachers on September 29.
# # #
The Washington Teachers’ Union (WTU) represents more than 5,000 active and retired teachers. It is dedicated to social and educational justice for the students of the District of Columbia and to improving the quality of support, resources, compensation and working conditions for the public servants and proud teachers who educate our students in D.C. Public Schools.
Bill 23-515
COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE & COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION PUBLIC HEARING
Bill 23-515, Statewide Educational Data Warehouse Amendment Act of 2019
The WTU strongly supports Bill 23-515, Statewide Educational Data Warehouse Amendment Act of 2019, and I am here today to testify in support of the legislation. The bill would amend the State Education Office Establishment Act of 2000 to authorize the Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE) to expand the Statewide Educational Data Warehouse to include additional information on teachers. We believe this effort is long overdue.
As I testified to last December, teacher turnover is a significant problem in the District of Columbia. Our schools and classrooms lose a high-percentage of highly-qualified teachers each year, a level of churn that is higher than other large jurisdictions. In its October 2018 report and its report update the D.C. State Board of Education (SBOE) found that average annual teacher attrition at the school level in both District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS) and public charter schools is—and has consistently been—about 25 percent. This is significantly higher than the national average and is higher than other urban jurisdiction.
Read President Davis' full testimony here.
Oct 21 Statement - PERB Ruling
For Immediate Release:
Washington DC Teachers Release Statement on Public Employee Relations Board (PERB) Ruling Against DCPS Reopen Plan
WASHINGTON — In response to complaints filed by the Washington Teachers’ Union (WTU), the Public Employees Relations Board (PERB) Hearing Examiner on Tuesday October 20 ruled that DC Public Schools (DCPS) violated the law by refusing to bargain with WTU regarding reopening planning and granted WTU’s renewed request for preliminary relief. The PERB found that there is reasonable cause to believe that DCPS has violated the law by not bargaining with WTU regarding reopening and ordered that DCPS bargain with WTU over health and safety matters as they relate to reopening within 5 days of the ruling. DCPS must also rescind the Intent Form that it sent to teachers on June 30, and the Staffing Assignment Survey it sent to teachers on September 29.
President Davis' statement and the PERB rulings are available here.
Headlines - Week of October 19
Headlines
WAMU - DCision 2020: Your Guide To Every Candidate Running For An At-Large D.C. Council Seat This Year
Washington Post - Meet 15 candidates running for the D.C. State Board of Education
Washington Post - Negotiations stall between D.C. teachers union and the city over school reopening plans
WJLA 7 - City council's committee on education to hold roundtable on reopening D.C. schools
NBC 4 – DC Teachers Rally Against In-Person Instruction
City Paper - Despite COVID-19 Case Increases in Phase 2, Mayor Declines to Scale Back Any Activities
WAMU - A Quarter Of People Who Got COVID-19 In D.C. Recently Attended A Social Event, New Data Show
Washington Post - School reading classes still in a slump without more social studies
Washington Post - D.C. families demand answers after veteran principal’s sudden exit
City Paper - Injured Employees, Attorneys, and Labor Advocates Testify About D.C.’s Public Sector Worker’s Compensation System
October 15 Statement on MOA
October 15, 2020
Washington DC Teachers’ Release Statement on
Reports of an Agreement to Reopen Schools to In-Person Learning
Calls on Council of the District of Columbia to Open Upcoming Hearing to Public Witnesses
WASHINGTON — The Washington Teachers’ Union (WTU) President Elizabeth Davis released the attached statement regarding today following reports that the Union had agreed to a framework for reopening schools to in-person learning.
Read the full statement here.
Headlines - Mon, Oct 12
WAMU, Kojo Nnamdi Show - Area Schools To Start In-Person Instruction, But Is It A Good Idea?
WUSA9 - DC Nurses Union: 'Your children are not safe returning to schools'
WUSA9 - 'It’s not time to go back' | DC teachers protest outside mayor's home over reopening concerns
WUSA9 - 'Trust the process' | DC teachers given until Oct. 5 to decide if they’re willing to teach in person
DCist - What Do In-Person Classes Look Like In A Pandemic? These D.C. Schools Are Finding Out
Washington Post - School Without Walls Principal Richard Trogisch leaves
Washington Post – Opinions - Sure, send our kids back to unsafe schools, even though it isn’t ‘in the best interest of anyone’
Hill Rag - Meet the New Ward 6 Principals
Greater Greater Washington - Walk to School Day participants are looking for a little “good trouble” this year
WAMU - DCision 2020: Your Guide To Every Candidate Running For An At-Large D.C. Council Seat This Year
Statement on In-Person Learning, Oct 2020
Washington DC Teachers Union Releases Statement on Mayor Bowser’s Plan to Reopen Schools to In-person Learning
Reiterates Union calls for transparency and public engagement
WASHINGTON — Washington Teachers’ Union (WTU) President Elizabeth Davis the attached statement on the Mayor’s decision to reopen schools to in-person learning on November 9.
“While our teachers want to return to our classrooms and resume in-person learning, we can only do so when it is safe and when the Mayor and Chancellor have come to the table to work with us and other Union leaders to ensure the safety of our students, school –based staff, and communities.
“The Mayor and Chancellor Ferebee have failed to share the details of what COVID 19 safety measures have been instituted in each school. Their secrecy is a major part of our concern. In a survey of teachers the WTU conducted last week, less than 3% believed our schools will be safe to reopen for in-person learning on or before November 9. Fewer said that DCPS has shared detailed information on proposed schedules and staffing plans. Nothing announced today will change these numbers.
On our brief tour on Friday of schools that are currently open to students, I saw no evidence of progress being made to ready the buildings for in-person teaching and learning before our group was asked to leave the school. Signage was virtually non-existent and needed upgrades to restrooms and installation of hand sanitizing equipment were not complete. Teachers, rightly, feel as if they are playing Hunger Games with the Mayor and Chancellor. If our schools are truly ready or in-person learning, as the Mayor and Chancellor suggest, then why would they not want parents and school workers to see the evidence for themselves?
“In recent days, we’ve seen how quickly a public gathering can turn into a ‘super-spreader’ event. Research and news articles continue to document growing concerns around student exposure to this virus and its spread in school setting. We ask that the Mayor and Chancellor work with us to accomplish the following before they move forward with plans to reopen our schools to in-person learning:
- Agree to a safety checklist for school facilities. The WTU has adopted this checklist from national best practices to ensure our school buildings are equipped and safe for students, teachers, and school staff. We also want to ensure public reporting of any deficiencies and a public process for ensuring conditions are corrected. In partnership with Local School Advisory Teams (LSATs) and all Unions represented in our schools, tours shall be scheduled and approval of conditions for reopening must be agreed upon by all partners;
- Agree to a Memorandum of Agreement that covers school operations and develop specific staffing plans and guidance for teachers at each school, without compromising teacher privacy. While we appreciate the decision to extend the deadline for staff to respond to the DCPS staff survey, we believe the survey should be rescinded due to technical issues and concerns with provisions requiring teachers to share personal health information;
- Work in partnership with the Union to establish clear and specific protocols for cleaning and sharing information on COVID exposure in school communities. Multiple school –based staff have entered buildings since the school year began, yet school communities have not been notified; and
- Provide details on the purchase and distribution of PPE for school communities and clear, agreed upon, protocols for their uses in a school facility.
“The WTU will stay the course on ensuring that teachers, parents and other education stakeholders are provided the evidence that the schools are ready for safe return. Teachers, students, other school workers and our students are not disposable pawns to be used as a part of an experiment.”
Last Friday, President Davis joined Council of School Officers (CSO) President Richard Jackson, and Walakewon Blegay from the DC Nurses Association (DCNA) in visiting a school. During their visit to Cardozo Education Campus, school officials asked them to leave because the school was “unsafe.” The Union leaders, who represent the majority of school-based staff, were not allowed to enter the other schools, Noyes ES and Phelps ACE HS, they’d planned to visit. On their visit, the Union leaders saw limited evidence of an investment in signage and improvements to the physical school plan designed to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in our school system.
The WTU has created a Checklist for Safely REOPENING Schools outlining the protections that need to be in-place before opening our buildings to students. We encourage school communities to REPORT UNSAFE CONDITIONs Here.
# # #
You can download the full statement here.