Will DCPS require desks 3 feet or 6 feet apart in the Fall?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DCPS is losing students fast. Watch it continue. Haven’t been to church in 7 years but now we considering catholic school to get OUT!

+1. We moved our kids to catholic school this year to avoid this mess. Keeping them there next, if we stay in DC (may move altogether to be somewhere open with activities etc)

And there's probably a long waitlist of kids that will happily take your spot. We'd leave our charter for the right DCPS elementary seat, DL, hybrid, or in person.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP that is a lot of wishful thinking. 6ft and max 3 days a week in the fall is my bet.

Someone needs to lead us out of this mass hysteria now that we have extremely effective vaccines.

Yes! THis! My kid missed most of middle school.(I know some people will say it's a blessing, lol)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can someone speak to how teacher contracts factor into this? All I know is that teachers who are returning sign contracts in the spring for the following year - this lets schools figure out how many slots they have to fill for the following year. Is it possible for DCPS to make in-person teaching a requirement in the 2021-22 contracts? At least this way schools would know in the spring if they have a staffing problem for opening in the fall.

I fear that DCPS is going to leave this issue to the summer and then start negotiating a new MOU with the WTU. At that point the WTU holds significant leverage because they can refuse to show up when school opens and the prime window for hiring teachers has closed. Wouldn't it be better to know that earlier?

This is why it is pivotal to start agitating for next Fall now. Because in the summer essentially nothing will happen. So we've got 3.5 months to make a plan for Fall.

100%.

Agree. The talks about coming back to school need to focus on 100% in person full-time in fall. That will only happen if all students are back in hybrid ASAP.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP that is a lot of wishful thinking. 6ft and max 3 days a week in the fall is my bet.

Someone needs to lead us out of this mass hysteria now that we have extremely effective vaccines.

Yes! THis! My kid missed most of middle school.(I know some people will say it's a blessing, lol)

Which middle school is only one year?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can someone speak to how teacher contracts factor into this? All I know is that teachers who are returning sign contracts in the spring for the following year - this lets schools figure out how many slots they have to fill for the following year. Is it possible for DCPS to make in-person teaching a requirement in the 2021-22 contracts? At least this way schools would know in the spring if they have a staffing problem for opening in the fall.

I fear that DCPS is going to leave this issue to the summer and then start negotiating a new MOU with the WTU. At that point the WTU holds significant leverage because they can refuse to show up when school opens and the prime window for hiring teachers has closed. Wouldn't it be better to know that earlier?

This is why it is pivotal to start agitating for next Fall now. Because in the summer essentially nothing will happen. So we've got 3.5 months to make a plan for Fall.

100%.

Agree. The talks about coming back to school need to focus on 100% in person full-time in fall. That will only happen if all students are back in hybrid ASAP.

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP that is a lot of wishful thinking. 6ft and max 3 days a week in the fall is my bet.

Someone needs to lead us out of this mass hysteria now that we have extremely effective vaccines.

Yes! THis! My kid missed most of middle school.(I know some people will say it's a blessing, lol)

Which middle school is only one year?

I assume that pp means they have a 6th grader who only went in person for 6 months, and has been virtual this past year. Not to mention their MS is unlikely to welcome back their child for full time school this school year, so their child would only go for around half a year out of 2 years. That's missing most of it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP that is a lot of wishful thinking. 6ft and max 3 days a week in the fall is my bet.

Someone needs to lead us out of this mass hysteria now that we have extremely effective vaccines.

Yes! THis! My kid missed most of middle school.(I know some people will say it's a blessing, lol)

Which middle school is only one year?

I assume that pp means they have a 6th grader who only went in person for 6 months, and has been virtual this past year. Not to mention their MS is unlikely to welcome back their child for full time school this school year, so their child would only go for around half a year out of 2 years. That's missing most of it.

Sorry, I meant had a 6th grader last year/7th grader this year. So that child is missing most of MS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Can someone speak to how teacher contracts factor into this? All I know is that teachers who are returning sign contracts in the spring for the following year - this lets schools figure out how many slots they have to fill for the following year. Is it possible for DCPS to make in-person teaching a requirement in the 2021-22 contracts? At least this way schools would know in the spring if they have a staffing problem for opening in the fall.

I fear that DCPS is going to leave this issue to the summer and then start negotiating a new MOU with the WTU. At that point the WTU holds significant leverage because they can refuse to show up when school opens and the prime window for hiring teachers has closed. Wouldn't it be better to know that earlier?

Teachers do not sign yearly contracts in DCPS. The last contract is 2 years old. DCPS would have to have negotiated a new contract (which they aren’t doing ) then it would be voted on by the union and the council.

If you are talking about the MOA, that’s different. The MOA runs through the end of this school year or as long as the public health emergency lasts. So I guess that DCPS should be negotiating that, but that isn’t how DCPS works. They wait until the last minute to do everything

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can someone speak to how teacher contracts factor into this? All I know is that teachers who are returning sign contracts in the spring for the following year - this lets schools figure out how many slots they have to fill for the following year. Is it possible for DCPS to make in-person teaching a requirement in the 2021-22 contracts? At least this way schools would know in the spring if they have a staffing problem for opening in the fall.

I fear that DCPS is going to leave this issue to the summer and then start negotiating a new MOU with the WTU. At that point the WTU holds significant leverage because they can refuse to show up when school opens and the prime window for hiring teachers has closed. Wouldn't it be better to know that earlier?

Teachers do not sign yearly contracts in DCPS. The last contract is 2 years old. DCPS would have to have negotiated a new contract (which they aren’t doing ) then it would be voted on by the union and the council.

If you are talking about the MOA, that’s different. The MOA runs through the end of this school year or as long as the public health emergency lasts. So I guess that DCPS should be negotiating that, but that isn’t how DCPS works. They wait until the last minute to do everything

I think what PP is talking about is some kind of intent-to-return form, which isn't a contract. Just used for staffing purposes and planning class sizes for the next year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can someone speak to how teacher contracts factor into this? All I know is that teachers who are returning sign contracts in the spring for the following year - this lets schools figure out how many slots they have to fill for the following year. Is it possible for DCPS to make in-person teaching a requirement in the 2021-22 contracts? At least this way schools would know in the spring if they have a staffing problem for opening in the fall.

I fear that DCPS is going to leave this issue to the summer and then start negotiating a new MOU with the WTU. At that point the WTU holds significant leverage because they can refuse to show up when school opens and the prime window for hiring teachers has closed. Wouldn't it be better to know that earlier?

This is why it is pivotal to start agitating for next Fall now. Because in the summer essentially nothing will happen. So we've got 3.5 months to make a plan for Fall.

100%.

Agree. The talks about coming back to school need to focus on 100% in person full-time in fall. That will only happen if all students are back in hybrid ASAP.

+1

This question of timing is a big deal, I think. It's like once summer rolls around, the entire school system is just out to lunch until Labor Day and no one wants to think or plan or do anything at all.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can someone speak to how teacher contracts factor into this? All I know is that teachers who are returning sign contracts in the spring for the following year - this lets schools figure out how many slots they have to fill for the following year. Is it possible for DCPS to make in-person teaching a requirement in the 2021-22 contracts? At least this way schools would know in the spring if they have a staffing problem for opening in the fall.

I fear that DCPS is going to leave this issue to the summer and then start negotiating a new MOU with the WTU. At that point the WTU holds significant leverage because they can refuse to show up when school opens and the prime window for hiring teachers has closed. Wouldn't it be better to know that earlier?

Teachers do not sign yearly contracts in DCPS. The last contract is 2 years old. DCPS would have to have negotiated a new contract (which they aren’t doing ) then it would be voted on by the union and the council.

If you are talking about the MOA, that’s different. The MOA runs through the end of this school year or as long as the public health emergency lasts. So I guess that DCPS should be negotiating that, but that isn’t how DCPS works. They wait until the last minute to do everything

Yep and over my dead body would I agree to that as a teacher
If another pandemic rolls around and I could be thrust into IPL just because of a contract.

DCPS should have just done their job and told teachers if you have no accommodations you’re going back, the end.

Literally the WTU is so freaking unorganized, they could have 100% put them in their place. Teachers don’t even know what’s going on half the time.

Honestly if they had bribed some with money that probably would have been cheaper than the enrollment money they lost. Ah but ego is a big B.

Now that teachers know they have this power given to them by DCPS they’ll use it. Not because they are lazy, though I’m sure some of my teacher peers are. But because they feel it’s unsafe for whatever reason.