Open letter from DCPS chancellor. Just too little too late. Though I hope we can make it happen.

[Anonymous]

Dear DCPS Community,

When I joined DC Public Schools two years ago, I made a commitment to the students and families of the district to ensure every student receives a quality education while also meeting our shared commitments of equity and transparency. While the COVID-19 pandemic required adjustments to how DCPS delivers academic instruction at our 117 schools for 50,000 students, we never strayed from our mission to provide rigorous and joyful learning experiences for every student, every day.

Together, with educators and families, we made a concentrated effort over the past 10 months to maximize learning opportunities for students both at home and in school. Throughout all of this we had a clear goal in mind: to safely reopen school buildings and welcome students and staff back to the classroom.

We know that despite the work done to strengthen the student experience in this new learning environment and support our talented educators who show incredible innovation in the virtual classroom, opportunity gaps persist. Too many of our students are in a COVID-19 learning slide, and a key solution to accelerate learning recovery is to provide students who learn best in the physical classroom the opportunity to do so.

That is where we are now. On Monday, after months of planning and millions of dollars, DCPS will safely reopen all schools with tailored in-person learning opportunities across every grade level. We got here guided by the feedback and advice from educators, school leaders, students, and community members across the District. We followed the guidance from public health officials, consulted with air quality specialists, and met with child health and wellness experts.

We know our students are ready, we know our buildings are ready, we know our staff is ready, and we cannot wait to see you in the classroom on Monday.

It’s not an exaggeration to say schools worked overtime to prepare for every building to reopen for Term 3 on February 1, and we want to make sure you know all that was accomplished. I am so grateful to our educators, administrative staff, custodians, and other members of our #ReopenStrong staff for your dedication to students.

It was always our commitment to prioritize safety by putting in place robust health and safety protocols for staff and students in order to reopen. Please take a moment to find your school on this page to learn more about its reopening building readiness plans. On each page, you can download an operational reopening plan for that school, review the school readiness checklist, and find other health and safety resources for the school community around reopening. Elementary schools are also sharing special videos that highlight health and safety measures in place, while secondary schools are completing building walkthroughs with community members.

Schools are leading this work with a determined charge. They organized supply drives and technology distributions to support learning at home, worked closely with community partners to help families in need, and placed students’ needs above their own. We recognize sacrifices were made and extraordinary asks were requested of staff, and with that you have our immense gratitude.

We acknowledge that positive cases are reported in our school buildings and our response protocol is built around keeping you informed on public health notices. Additionally, our health and safety commitments exist to ensure that any chance of community transmission is reduced to the smallest probability. Just this week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) provided evidence that confirms with the proper mitigation efforts and health and safety measures in place, like those deployed by DCPS, there is minimal risk to the transmission of COVID-19 at school. These findings echo previous guidance from the American Academy of Pediatrics on school safety amid the pandemic.

We would be remiss to not address that the COVID-19 pandemic has touched each and every one of us. We had colleagues fall ill and have family members we still grieve. For our families considering whether to have their student return to school or not, we recognize it’s a personal choice that is situated to their unique circumstances. That is why in-person learning is not our sole strategy; DPCS will continue to invest and enhance our virtual learning opportunities. We look forward to sharing more around these developments while still staying true to our commitment to safely reopen schools for Term 3.

In partnership,

Lewis D. Ferebee, Ed.D.
Chancellor

I mean, the words are fine but this comes just a few days before reopening.

As someone who has worked with DCPS Central Office and the Chancellor's office, I can say:

I have *zero* trust in the Chancellor to do this right.
There's been effectively no engagement with parents or teachers and very little with principals.

It's never been more clear that the mayor's focus in on the charter sector, where it's plainly true that she gets substantial campaign dollars from the charter sector.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Dear DCPS Community,

When I joined DC Public Schools two years ago, I made a commitment to the students and families of the district to ensure every student receives a quality education while also meeting our shared commitments of equity and transparency. While the COVID-19 pandemic required adjustments to how DCPS delivers academic instruction at our 117 schools for 50,000 students, we never strayed from our mission to provide rigorous and joyful learning experiences for every student, every day.

Together, with educators and families, we made a concentrated effort over the past 10 months to maximize learning opportunities for students both at home and in school. Throughout all of this we had a clear goal in mind: to safely reopen school buildings and welcome students and staff back to the classroom.

We know that despite the work done to strengthen the student experience in this new learning environment and support our talented educators who show incredible innovation in the virtual classroom, opportunity gaps persist. Too many of our students are in a COVID-19 learning slide, and a key solution to accelerate learning recovery is to provide students who learn best in the physical classroom the opportunity to do so.

That is where we are now. On Monday, after months of planning and millions of dollars, DCPS will safely reopen all schools with tailored in-person learning opportunities across every grade level. We got here guided by the feedback and advice from educators, school leaders, students, and community members across the District. We followed the guidance from public health officials, consulted with air quality specialists, and met with child health and wellness experts.

We know our students are ready, we know our buildings are ready, we know our staff is ready, and we cannot wait to see you in the classroom on Monday.

It’s not an exaggeration to say schools worked overtime to prepare for every building to reopen for Term 3 on February 1, and we want to make sure you know all that was accomplished. I am so grateful to our educators, administrative staff, custodians, and other members of our #ReopenStrong staff for your dedication to students.

It was always our commitment to prioritize safety by putting in place robust health and safety protocols for staff and students in order to reopen. Please take a moment to find your school on this page to learn more about its reopening building readiness plans. On each page, you can download an operational reopening plan for that school, review the school readiness checklist, and find other health and safety resources for the school community around reopening. Elementary schools are also sharing special videos that highlight health and safety measures in place, while secondary schools are completing building walkthroughs with community members.

Schools are leading this work with a determined charge. They organized supply drives and technology distributions to support learning at home, worked closely with community partners to help families in need, and placed students’ needs above their own. We recognize sacrifices were made and extraordinary asks were requested of staff, and with that you have our immense gratitude.

We acknowledge that positive cases are reported in our school buildings and our response protocol is built around keeping you informed on public health notices. Additionally, our health and safety commitments exist to ensure that any chance of community transmission is reduced to the smallest probability. Just this week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) provided evidence that confirms with the proper mitigation efforts and health and safety measures in place, like those deployed by DCPS, there is minimal risk to the transmission of COVID-19 at school. These findings echo previous guidance from the American Academy of Pediatrics on school safety amid the pandemic.

We would be remiss to not address that the COVID-19 pandemic has touched each and every one of us. We had colleagues fall ill and have family members we still grieve. For our families considering whether to have their student return to school or not, we recognize it’s a personal choice that is situated to their unique circumstances. That is why in-person learning is not our sole strategy; DPCS will continue to invest and enhance our virtual learning opportunities. We look forward to sharing more around these developments while still staying true to our commitment to safely reopen schools for Term 3.

In partnership,

Lewis D. Ferebee, Ed.D.
Chancellor

I mean, the words are fine but this comes just a few days before reopening.

As someone who has worked with DCPS Central Office and the Chancellor's office, I can say:

I have *zero* trust in the Chancellor to do this right.
There's been effectively no engagement with parents or teachers and very little with principals.

It's never been more clear that the mayor's focus in on the charter sector, where it's plainly true that she gets substantial campaign dollars from the charter sector.

+1 but she's failing with charters too

[Anonymous]

The video is a hoot. Wiping down railings is hygiene theater. I mean now kids won't get the flu.

The kids in the cares classroom have on coats. Why? Why is is to cold they are wearing coats? Also why are there no charts, or posters, etc. These schools look like prisons.

I don't hate my kid that much.

[Anonymous]

I sort of get the point of making a video for each school, but it seems like that had to be a huge time sink.

[Anonymous]

Wait I’m confused. Are kids going back on Monday?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The video is a hoot. Wiping down railings is hygiene theater. I mean now kids won't get the flu.

The kids in the cares classroom have on coats. Why? Why is is to cold they are wearing coats? Also why are there no charts, or posters, etc. These schools look like prisons.

I don't hate my kid that much.

Because the windows are open for fresh air.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The video is a hoot. Wiping down railings is hygiene theater. I mean now kids won't get the flu.

The kids in the cares classroom have on coats. Why? Why is is to cold they are wearing coats? Also why are there no charts, or posters, etc. These schools look like prisons.

I don't hate my kid that much.

Because the windows are open for fresh air.

I thought DCPS put in special systems to clean the air and circulate the air. They couldn't get these kids $20 space heaters.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I sort of get the point of making a video for each school, but it seems like that had to be a huge time sink.

The videos were all the same except like five slides. A high schooler probably made that video.

It’s 90% the same for each school only the opening and closing images are different smh


All theater. That video changed my mind and all the not finished work orders. Standing down now

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The video is a hoot. Wiping down railings is hygiene theater. I mean now kids won't get the flu.

The kids in the cares classroom have on coats. Why? Why is is to cold they are wearing coats? Also why are there no charts, or posters, etc. These schools look like prisons.

I don't hate my kid that much.

Because the windows are open for fresh air.

Lucky, my kids classroom doesn’t have windows.

I think my daughter would be cold and miserable #notworthit

[Anonymous]

I found this email so annoying! I was honestly shocked. In my school it is such a small handful of kids going back while the rest of us lose teachers and face increased class sizes. I thought it was so weird to disparage distance learning and take a victory lap when most of us are still faced with no options.

I have been patient and support safe reopening but found the tone incredibly annoying. Yes schools are 'open' but most students are not able to attend in-person.

[Anonymous]

It’s like a band aid on a gaping wound.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I found this email so annoying! I was honestly shocked. In my school it is such a small handful of kids going back while the rest of us lose teachers and face increased class sizes. I thought it was so weird to disparage distance learning and take a victory lap when most of us are still faced with no options.

I have been patient and support safe reopening but found the tone incredibly annoying. Yes schools are 'open' but most students are not able to attend in-person.

This! I was very confused because Deal has just a small group returning. He made it sound like all the kids were back for in-person learning. Extremely misleading!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I found this email so annoying! I was honestly shocked. In my school it is such a small handful of kids going back while the rest of us lose teachers and face increased class sizes. I thought it was so weird to disparage distance learning and take a victory lap when most of us are still faced with no options.

I have been patient and support safe reopening but found the tone incredibly annoying. Yes schools are 'open' but most students are not able to attend in-person.

This! I was very confused because Deal has just a small group returning. He made it sound like all the kids were back for in-person learning. Extremely misleading!

It’s a repeat of October in that sense. They keep sending out press releases about schools “reopening” even though it was just a fraction of just elementary.

It’s annoying. At least this time, the plan includes more students overall (2x as many?).

[Anonymous]

My school has 2 classes of 11 per grade. The DL classes are now at around 40 for my kid's grade. And we never received a call for a seat, so it's not like we had the option anyway. The whole thing is ridiculous.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I found this email so annoying! I was honestly shocked. In my school it is such a small handful of kids going back while the rest of us lose teachers and face increased class sizes. I thought it was so weird to disparage distance learning and take a victory lap when most of us are still faced with no options.

I have been patient and support safe reopening but found the tone incredibly annoying. Yes schools are 'open' but most students are not able to attend in-person.

This! I was very confused because Deal has just a small group returning. He made it sound like all the kids were back for in-person learning. Extremely misleading!

Agreed. Please email the Chancellor and Mayor to request schools to fully reopen for all students. If we don't push for this now, it won't happen for the Fall. WTU doesn't want teachers to return to work at all and they're lobbying hard. We need to push from our end as parents.