From a DCPS Teacher

[Anonymous]

No, I don't feel sorry for teachers anymore. I did in the spring, but no more. DCPS is trying to put kids back in the classroom without the support of its teachers. This is why we are going back to school with these stupid CARES classrooms and one class per grade for in-person learning. BECAUSE WE DON'T HAVE ENOUGH TEACHERS WILLING TO COME BACK TO SCHOOL.

Don't like the Term 2 structure? THEN COME BACK TO SCHOOL.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Sample letter for your listserve or parent email with a summary of DCPS plan to reopen. Feel free to use:

Dear Friends and Neighbors,
I’m sharing this info because you may have a child at a DCPS school or know someone who does. This information is public, but has not been shared widely. I am sharing it because I think the district has not been transparent with teachers, parents and the community at large.
This week, more details about DCPS' plan to reopen were released, and to say that teachers were shocked at what they heard was an understatement. Despite DCPS' claims that teachers should "trust the process" for reopening, the plan is detrimental to students-- both those who will continue virtual learning and those who will return to school. We learned:
1. Teachers, staff and students who are to return to school in-person are not required to take a Covid test prior to entering the building.
2. DCPS is making staffing decisions that go against my school’s dual language program. The decisions also go against the programs of other schools that have bilingual programs.
3. DCPS could require teachers to teach grades and subjects they have never taught before. In addition, those teachers will not get additional planning time to teach those subjects or grades.
3. DCPS' plan to return would require that many students will have to switch cohorts. They might be in 2B or 4A now, but might have to moved to 2A or 4C if their teacher gets pulled into in-person classes.
This means that the teachers and classmates your student has been developing relationships with could be affected.
4. Students will likely lose one of their teachers if that person is pulled to cover another grade where fewer teachers are coming in due to having health restrictions or other justifications for not coming in-person (and we have been told this is a distinct possibility).
5. DCPS will also be pulling some high school and middle school teachers to cover elementary classes in some cases.
6. Beyond that, these staffing decisions are out of the hands of our Principals and the admin teams meaning someone who does not know your child’s school and students might be in charge of assigning who goes where when the shift happens.
The Washington Teacher's Union has been working tirelessly for months to negotiate a new contract for teachers for virtual learning, and DCPS has refused to negotiate.

Teachers want to go back, but only when it is safe and when we have a plan that won't disrupt student learning on such a massive scale. The current “plan” neither respects best practices in education nor the health and welfare of students and teachers.
If you are interested in supporting students and teachers, there is a rally this Friday October 23rd at 3 pm at the Wilson Building (1350 Pennsylvania Avenue NW). If you're unable to attend please share the invitation information with other parents, community members, teachers and students. There will be a live stream and social media storm happening as well.

Please consider contacting our Ward 4 council rep Brandon Todd or At-large rep Phil Mendelson (Twitter handles @chmnmendelson and @CMBrandonTodd). The DCPS chancellor’s Twitter handle is @LewisDFerebee and the DCPS handle is @dcpublicschools.

I think its a stupid plan, but the only items I think are worth fighting for are the bolded.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sample letter for your listserve or parent email with a summary of DCPS plan to reopen. Feel free to use:

Dear Friends and Neighbors,
I’m sharing this info because you may have a child at a DCPS school or know someone who does. This information is public, but has not been shared widely. I am sharing it because I think the district has not been transparent with teachers, parents and the community at large.
This week, more details about DCPS' plan to reopen were released, and to say that teachers were shocked at what they heard was an understatement. Despite DCPS' claims that teachers should "trust the process" for reopening, the plan is detrimental to students-- both those who will continue virtual learning and those who will return to school. We learned:
1. Teachers, staff and students who are to return to school in-person are not required to take a Covid test prior to entering the building.
2. DCPS is making staffing decisions that go against my school’s dual language program. The decisions also go against the programs of other schools that have bilingual programs.
3. DCPS could require teachers to teach grades and subjects they have never taught before. In addition, those teachers will not get additional planning time to teach those subjects or grades.
3. DCPS' plan to return would require that many students will have to switch cohorts. They might be in 2B or 4A now, but might have to moved to 2A or 4C if their teacher gets pulled into in-person classes.
This means that the teachers and classmates your student has been developing relationships with could be affected.
4. Students will likely lose one of their teachers if that person is pulled to cover another grade where fewer teachers are coming in due to having health restrictions or other justifications for not coming in-person (and we have been told this is a distinct possibility).
5. DCPS will also be pulling some high school and middle school teachers to cover elementary classes in some cases.
6. Beyond that, these staffing decisions are out of the hands of our Principals and the admin teams meaning someone who does not know your child’s school and students might be in charge of assigning who goes where when the shift happens.
The Washington Teacher's Union has been working tirelessly for months to negotiate a new contract for teachers for virtual learning, and DCPS has refused to negotiate.

Teachers want to go back, but only when it is safe and when we have a plan that won't disrupt student learning on such a massive scale. The current “plan” neither respects best practices in education nor the health and welfare of students and teachers.
If you are interested in supporting students and teachers, there is a rally this Friday October 23rd at 3 pm at the Wilson Building (1350 Pennsylvania Avenue NW). If you're unable to attend please share the invitation information with other parents, community members, teachers and students. There will be a live stream and social media storm happening as well.

Please consider contacting our Ward 4 council rep Brandon Todd or At-large rep Phil Mendelson (Twitter handles @chmnmendelson and @CMBrandonTodd). The DCPS chancellor’s Twitter handle is @LewisDFerebee and the DCPS handle is @dcpublicschools.

Yeah, sorry no. This mostly sounds like concerns teachers have for teachers. This isn't really about students and getting back to school. No matter what plan DCPS comes up with, the union is going to dispute it because really, teachers basically don't want to go back to work in person.

This. Thousands of teachers are in the classroom everyday in this country. Most privates are doing at least hybrid in this area. DCPS teachers are somehow different?

[Anonymous]

But is testing everyone really helpful? A COVID test only tells you that you didn’t have COVID the day you took the test. If you go anywhere or come into contact with anyone who went anywhere between the time you were tested and the time you go to the building, you could get COVID.

I mean, perhaps it could identify asymptomatic people, but otherwise I don’t see the point in testing tens of thousands of students and teachers. Also, DC doesn’t even offer testing to children under 6, you have to seek out your own source to get little kids tested.

[Anonymous]

requiring daily testing of students and teachers is a non starter. I support teachers but this isn't the way to a safe return. Other districts/independent schools are doing temp checks and self-screening (I know of students turned away if their parents don't do it). that's the best we can do until there is mass testing available -- and people are still staying safe with it and other protocols in place such as masking.

[Anonymous]

OP,

From another DCPS teacher.

Don't speak for me; what the union has done is a travesty.

Every time I leave my house I am taking a risk and until there is a vaccine it will never be safe.

The union's kool-aid is poisonous.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:requiring daily testing of students and teachers is a non starter. I support teachers but this isn't the way to a safe return. Other districts/independent schools are doing temp checks and self-screening (I know of students turned away if their parents don't do it). that's the best we can do until there is mass testing available -- and people are still staying safe with it and other protocols in place such as masking.

I think you do it as random testing. That's what NYC is doing. Idea is to do enough samples that you catch outbreaks, but not that you prevent anyone who is positive from entering the building.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:requiring daily testing of students and teachers is a non starter. I support teachers but this isn't the way to a safe return. Other districts/independent schools are doing temp checks and self-screening (I know of students turned away if their parents don't do it). that's the best we can do until there is mass testing available -- and people are still staying safe with it and other protocols in place such as masking.

I think you do it as random testing. That's what NYC is doing. Idea is to do enough samples that you catch outbreaks, but not that you prevent anyone who is positive from entering the building.

that's what Ferebee just said they will be doing. "surveillance testing" but this letter seems to indicate wanting testing for all students and teachers who go back to the building.

[Anonymous]

Nothing will ever be good enough for teachers.

No matter what Bowser agrees to, teachers will still refuse to go to work. There will always be some excuse.

It's time to put teachers' completely unreasonable objections aside, and get kids back in the classroom.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:requiring daily testing of students and teachers is a non starter. I support teachers but this isn't the way to a safe return. Other districts/independent schools are doing temp checks and self-screening (I know of students turned away if their parents don't do it). that's the best we can do until there is mass testing available -- and people are still staying safe with it and other protocols in place such as masking.

I think you do it as random testing. That's what NYC is doing. Idea is to do enough samples that you catch outbreaks, but not that you prevent anyone who is positive from entering the building.

that's what Ferebee just said they will be doing. "surveillance testing" but this letter seems to indicate wanting testing for all students and teachers who go back to the building.

“surveillance” is to assess the positivity rate, not to create a bubble like the NBA.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:requiring daily testing of students and teachers is a non starter. I support teachers but this isn't the way to a safe return. Other districts/independent schools are doing temp checks and self-screening (I know of students turned away if their parents don't do it). that's the best we can do until there is mass testing available -- and people are still staying safe with it and other protocols in place such as masking.

I think you do it as random testing. That's what NYC is doing. Idea is to do enough samples that you catch outbreaks, but not that you prevent anyone who is positive from entering the building.

that's what Ferebee just said they will be doing. "surveillance testing" but this letter seems to indicate wanting testing for all students and teachers who go back to the building.

Well then that's just dumb. Surveillance testing is what is appropriate in this case.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:requiring daily testing of students and teachers is a non starter. I support teachers but this isn't the way to a safe return. Other districts/independent schools are doing temp checks and self-screening (I know of students turned away if their parents don't do it). that's the best we can do until there is mass testing available -- and people are still staying safe with it and other protocols in place such as masking.

I think you do it as random testing. That's what NYC is doing. Idea is to do enough samples that you catch outbreaks, but not that you prevent anyone who is positive from entering the building.

that's what Ferebee just said they will be doing. "surveillance testing" but this letter seems to indicate wanting testing for all students and teachers who go back to the building.

Well then that's just dumb. Surveillance testing is what is appropriate in this case.

Also there are a lot of innovations we could be using. Wastewater testing! Random rapid testing at higher frequency! Pooled samples!

[Anonymous]

This is really sad. At this rate, kids won't be in school until Fall 2021. Shame on the WTU.

[Anonymous]

Yeah, I have a feeling that even with a vaccine on the market, DC teachers won't feel things are "safe." At what point does this get to be ridiculous?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP,

From another DCPS teacher.

Don't speak for me; what the union has done is a travesty.

Every time I leave my house I am taking a risk and until there is a vaccine it will never be safe.

The union's kool-aid is poisonous.

Then leave, oh wait you stay for the bonus don't you?

F*ckin hypocrite. Work at a charter school.