DAY-TO-DAY SUBSTITUTES DECLARED ESSENTIAL EMPLOYEES; CHANCELLOR'S EMAIL TO PRINCIPALS; PRINCIPAL DIES OF COVID-19

The two documents below were sent my way yesterday. The first is the email to day-to-day substitutes declaring they are "essential" employees. These subs are UFT members who have no health benefits or access to unemployment pay but they are being asked to go on the front line to take care of the children of first responders who can't obtain childcare. If they do not go, no pay as far as I know.

The second document is an email from the Chancellor to principals. Note that Carranza says there is teacher flexibility in figuring out if students have interacted with the school.

I would not take what is stated overly seriously. If your computer goes down or you have to share it with your own kids for their schooling, there is only so much you can do. Are you folks really worried about getting a letter for your file now? You can go crying to the UFT all day and all night. Last week, the Union should have told UFT members that school buildings were not safe so do not enter them. Do you really think that a union that didn't have the guts to tell you to avoid going into unsafe buildings has the power to stop DOE micromanagement?

Interact carefully with the students (watch what you say). Other than that, just show you care. Your teaching license more than likely does not have on it that you are a tech specialist. Do your best. There are so many bigger problems to concern ourselves with now. We are in the middle of a pandemic.

From Chalkbeat NY:

A Brooklyn principal has died due to complications of the coronavirus, the first known death of a public school staff member connected to the epidemic, the principals union confirmed Monday evening.

The principal, Dezann Romain, ran the Brooklyn Democracy Academy, according to the Council of School Supervisors and Administrators. 

“It is with profound sadness and overwhelming grief that we announce the passing of our sister, CSA member Dezann Romain, Principal of Brooklyn Democracy Academy, due to complications from Coronavirus,” the union wrote in a statement. 

Thoughts and prayers go out for Ms. Romain and her family.

STAY SAFE!



Dear Substitute,

Your cooperation and flexibility during this sensitive time is appreciated.

Please note the following important information:

- Substitute staff are considered "Essential" so the Governor's Executive Order does not apply to you in regards to staying home - you are needed to support other essential workers

- If a site has an overage of staff and another site in the area (district and/or borough) has a need, you may be asked, on a voluntary basis, to change assignments. This could include same-day movement. This would be VOLUNTARY only.

- If there is a need for additional staff in the late shift, you may be asked if you can stay later. Again, time other than what you have been scheduled for would be based on a need at that site. However, it is not mandatory that you work for more than what you have been scheduled. If you are asked to work additional hours and you choose to do so, you WILL be additionally compensated for the extra time.

- If you report to an assignment and student turnout is lower than expected, you will NOT be turned away and you will be guaranteed work for the full week as long as you report to the assigned location.


Dear Principals,

Thank you for your leadership and your commitment to our students and families during this unprecedented time. We understand that transitioning to a remote learning environment has presented unique challenges and we appreciate the hard work your teams have put in to ensure a seamless transition for our students and families. As we prepare to implement remote learning today, we wanted to offer guidance about the system for monitoring student engagement and interaction, which will constitute attendance during this period.

The tracking and follow-up of attendance is one of the Department of Education’s most important responsibilities as it relates to the safety, welfare, and educational success of the students of New York City. Chancellor’s Regulation A-210 sets forth standards for school attendance programs and establishes the policies for school attendance services, attendance reporting, and follow-up procedures. As we transition to remote learning, it is critical that we maintain regular contact with students to ensure they can engage in meaningful ways in their new online learning environments and to support their general well-being.

As shared in the initial guidance on this topic provided in the Guidance and Expectations document, schools are responsible for having a mechanism for tracking student engagement and interaction. Schools must develop attendance policies and procedures that are designed to ensure regular student engagement and that address attendance-related objectives and responsibilities, including, but not limited to: maintaining accurate records of student attendance; monitoring patterns of student absence; and using effective intervention strategies to improve student engagement/attendance.

Our central team has been hard at work creating a solution for schools that will enable your teachers to monitor daily student engagement using a familiar online system, STARS Classroom, that is easily accessible from home and that is simple to use. We are proud that we were able to make the decision to proceed with the system in partnership with your union and incorporate their advocacy surrounding your concerns.

The Student Remote Interaction Tracker will be available starting Thursday, March 26, 2020, for all teachers to get a look at the system. The start date for citywide implementation will be March 30, 2020. We will be asking groups of schools and teachers to provide us feedback over the course of the week to gain feedback to ensure a successful roll-out. We hope that the initial week will allow us to make appropriate adjustments and revisions that reflect your feedback.

As schools transition to using this tool, we ask that you make note of the following:
To make the tracking of this information easier, the functionality to collect student interactions was developed in a web-based system you already use: STARS Classroom.
For the immediate future, schools will not have the ability to track daily or period attendance in ATS using the normal procedures they would follow when schools are in session. Starting today, Monday, March 23, days will remain on the ATS calendar. This will allow you and your staff members to complete necessary transactions (e.g. capturing interventions (ILOG), running reports, entering student discharges, etc.).

There is flexibility for teachers to work with their school leaders and teams in defining what daily meaningful contact with students looks like. Student interaction can include but is not limited to:
Student submission of an assignment
Student completion of an online assessment
Documented student participation in an online forum, chat log, or discussion thread
Student-initiated email or responses to teacher email
Phone communication with teacher or other school staff
Other evidence of participation as determined by the principal

Please ensure that staff monitor the daily attendance of students with child welfare involvement and take appropriate action in response to the unexplained absence of such students in a remote learning environment. We must remain connected to our most vulnerable students as we transition to remote learning.

We will share more information, guidance, and training materials for using the Student Remote Interaction Tracker feature on Wednesday, March 25.

The system will be available for use beginning Thursday, March 26. The start date for citywide implementation will be March 30, with all schools asked to begin using the feature on STARS Classroom on this date.

It is important to note that STARS Classroom will only capture interactions with K-12 students. We are working to ensure that there will be a system for capturing the interactions between teaching staff and 3-K and Pre-K families and children. Additional guidance on students under 5 is forthcoming.

Thank you for all you do to support our students and families as we continue on this journey together. It is important that you take care of yourself, your family, and your teams as we get ready for this transition. Please continue to share your questions and concerns about remote learning guidance and contact us at remotelearning@schools.nyc.gov for more information. Additionally, continue to monitor the InfoHub Coronavirus Communications page for ongoing updates.

In unity,

Richard