Michael Mulgrew's latest email is below. Please read it closely. Mulgrew is on board with a new DOE health screener that threatens legal action against staff, parents, and even students. Are they planning on going after my 7 year old son if he sneezes at school for lying on the health screening or am I going to jail?
The UFT's position is basically to keep schools fully open at all costs and just hope for the best with a few mitigations. If you think I'm misrepresenting the Union's view, besides reading Mulgrew's email, check out this comment on the NYC Teachers and other UFT Members Only Facebook page from Brian Gibbons, an Assistant to President Mulgrew:
Now take a look at this pinned Tweet from Gibbons, since removed, that a teacher sent us:
Scientific experts disagree.
In areas of very high transmission, it might be too early to resume in-person learning, pediatrician Dr. Peter Hotez said.
"I wouldn't do it now," said Hotez, dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine.
"You have got a screaming level of transmission in the Northeast, in New York City and Washington, DC. Trying to open schools at this point, it's hard to imagine how things will go well."
Teachers, parents, students,
and even many administrators from around the country would probably agree with Dr Hotez and disagree with the DOE-UFT.
Mulgrew's email:
Dear _______,
We are writing with the latest updates in a rapidly changing situation. The final details of the city’s health and safety plans for schools will be worked out over the weekend when the administration formally changes hands; however, we have confirmation of the following new safety measures. |
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| 1. Priority testing for DOE employees with 24-hour results | | The city has agreed to provide priority PCR testing at city-run testing sites for all 160,000 DOE employees with results in 24 hours. These tests will be available at 11 city hospitals, all Gotham health centers and 10 test-and-trace locations. In addition, there will be one testing site in each borough exclusively for DOE employees. At-home rapid tests will also be made available at these sites for DOE staff who wish to take a test at home. |
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| 2. At-home test kits distributed to schools | Before schools open on Monday, every school will have received its first batch of FDA-authorized rapid tests. A testing kit will be made available to every staff member, and kits will be distributed to students as needed.
Our independent medical experts have confirmed that Omicron has changed the game completely. Since Omicron’s emergence in late November, doctors have learned a great deal about how this variant differs from its predecessors. Omicron’s shorter incubation and infectious periods have made rapid tests more important. These rapid tests help minimize transmission by immediately detecting whether or not a person is infectious so they can isolate right away.
There will also be expanded in-school PCR testing of both vaccinated and unvaccinated students as well as staff, but the DOE will be utilizing these FDA-authorized at-home rapid test kits to avoid the wait associated with lab testing and the backlog of Situation Room results.
We will provide more details on the use of the testing kits before Monday. |
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| 3. KN95 masks for every staff member | | The DOE is distributing 1 million KN95 masks to schools for staff to use on a regular basis starting next week. These masks have proven to provide the most protection against this virus. The masks will be replenished regularly. |
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| 4. An updated health screener that includes legal attestation | | The city has updated its daily health screener to provide a way for students and staff to upload at-home rapid test results. The screener will now serve as a legal attestation, meaning any staff member, parent or student who falsifies information on this screener can now be subject to legal action. |
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Please tell your chapter leader immediately about any shortages of at-home rapid tests or KN95 masks at your school. Your chapter leader will have access to a safety hotline number to use to report those issues to the union for immediate response.
Other policy changes are still in flux. We are working every day with both administrations, but until the new mayor officially takes office, we won’t have finalized plans. We will be in touch again on Sunday with more details about what to expect. |
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| Sincerely, |  | | Michael Mulgrew | | UFT President |
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31 comments:
Hope none of you die. We don't have a union, folks.
What would we be legally attesting to? Legally attest that you're not lying about not having a runny nose or cough! I'm officially embarrassed by Mr. Mulgrew. Is that just his way of telling us not to go in?
MULGREW'S LATEST EMAIL; AM I WRONG SAYING UFT HAS BASICALLY GIVEN UP AND EXPECTS EVERYONE TO GET INFECTED?
Yes you are wrong as that headline implies they at one point tried to stop us from getting infected.
No, you are correct. this is an organization deeply hostile to the most basic interests of its membership. It is not the exception but the rule for the organizations frequently but mistakenly called "unions." It cannot be reformed and it must be replaced by organizations that promote a COVID elimination program. There was never a better -- more a more necessary -- time for the formation of new organizations of struggle hostile to the UFT and its sponsors in the Deomcrotatic Parry of Adams, de Blasio, Hochul, Biden, and Delta Airlines.
This message from the current leadership of the UFT if a clear indicator that we need new leadership. We do not share their beliefs. They just want to play nice, nice with mayor etc and continue to collect their large salaries at our expense of both our safety and money.
Horrible
All across the land in fact. The fight has been given up. Coronavirus has absolutely exploded yet back in we go. It makes no sense.
0 students fill in the forms or app at my d75 cesspool. Legal consequences? Even bus Paras just walk in. Oops
Nobody reads forms.names not required either
As educators, we should be focused on matters we control. Like curriculum. Enough of this freaking out about a cold called Omnicron.
Let’s follow our Californian comrades lead:
An approved state wide curriculum in California for elementary and high school students attempts to “decolonize” American society with an “ethnic studies” course.
In the course, children are instructed in Aztec chants to various gods of human sacrifice and cannibalism, asking the gods to make them warriors for social justice.
This is all to help the children “challenge racist, bigoted, discriminatory, imperialist/colonial beliefs” rooted in “white supremacy, racism and other forms of power and oppression.”
For example, Huitzilopochtli, the Aztec god of war, was traditionally worshipped with human sacrifice. The school children will ask the deity to instill in them “a revolutionary spirit.”
The curriculum’s vision statement admits this is not about education, but rather a “tool for transformation, social, economic, and political change, and liberation.”
If mulgrew wins, we all pull dues. James narrative on covid and the UFT is weak he fear mongers and is complacent with paying for a weak union. Want change we all pull dues if the bastard wins and demand new regime. The opposite of what James thinks is right will work and this is all we are left with, the voting is corrupt like the election.
9:04, That argument was ended. This is a pro-union blog that does not like the UFT leadership. Take the union busting elsewhere.
Is Chicago on the verge of a sickout?
Yonkers remote.
Students in one New York school district will get another taste of remote learning next week due to the surge in COVID-19 cases.
Officials in Yonkers announced plans Friday to keep the entire district home for at least one week starting Jan. 3, the date students were expected to return to their school following winter break.
Timezones are so weird. Australia is in 2022, Canada is in 2021, and the United States is in 1935.
Jame swrites "That argument was ended. This is a pro-union blog that does not like the UFT leadership. Take the union busting elsewhere."
While every single one of his posts is how bad the union is...
And how we, the dues payers, are traeted like shit...
And how we can literally die because the union isn't helping us...
And after mulgrew wins again, probably by a landslide, is it still a pro union blog, or will you give up?
How about if more teachers die in January?
What will it take? Let us assume unity will continue winning...
You showed us a couple weeks ago, mulgrew talking from his living room as we are in infested buildings...What a sham. I'm starting to think james is on the take and just puts up this anti unity stuff knowing they can't lose. What will make you see the light? Isn't Mike Sill Mr. Personnel? Where is he? Oh, at home. As if this could possibly get worse. As every city closes schools except the one with the strongest union in the country. I smell a rat.
The union “leadership”is what he doesn’t like that is different than the union. How do you not understand this?
From UFT's Brian Gibbons, who isn't a teacher and doesn't work in a school building: "We're all going to get it (or get it again); just the nature of this thing, unfortunately." Thanks Brian for letting us know how UFT leadership really feels about dues-paying members.
That turd Brian Gibbons does not teach in a classroom so he should shut his pie hole right now.
90% of those eligible for vax in NYC already got at least 1 shot. How many already had COVID once or twice...even kids.
Think about it, choose the # that fits what you believed the last 2yrs.
So pretty much we've done all we can. Most interventions beyond this have shown to be ineffective. You can't hide.
We need to only do what prevents harm. We are not bone marrow patients.
Remember when the UK variant last Dec was going to result in major hospitalizations in kids. Nope. Ditto for Delta.
Now it is winter holidays again so we are being human and around people in small closed room so transmission spiked.
I've never had covid and don't go out except to work. I'm strange had S4 cancer and care for 2 elderly at home. I'm ok with continuing my no life beyond work.
Most staff and kids can't tolerate my type of life anymore. I at least go for hour walk almost every day.
Yes UFT DOE Mayor gov presidents made bad choices and continue to.
We got lucky with having a vax and really not as bad covid as many feared.
This failure of leadership and not honestly following what sci data shows and keep adapting is alarming.
No mandatory boosters or vac for kids. No good data that shows it helps.
No mandatory masks for under age 12 or 10 whatever WHO/EU recommended.
If kids or adults already had covid just give one shot.
We can do this. Help your colleagues stay mentally and physically healthy.
You make a positive difference in students and colleagues days. Stay positive, be careful but don't magnify the fear.
LOL @ 9:55.
https://nypost.com/2021/12/31/nyc-private-schools-preparing-for-covid-19-surge-after-holidays/
WHY NOT US?
Can't wait for your first take on David Banks. This guy is something else. He's not changing a thing in my opinion as most NYC don't. Just a figure head bobble head. Dude created a segregated chain of schools for a certain race and gender. Wow! OK. Good luck Dave! Another fake who will spread the wealth amongst friends. All talk Zero reality. That's my prediction.
How can you be held legally responsible for that screener. Can't you develop symptoms while you are at school. I have been sneezing a lot but it's because of allergies. Also, don't forget, it says in the contract that we can refuse to go in if we feel it is unsafe. If kids are constantly pulling their masks down, and the administration is not doing anything about it, that is an unsafe environment. The UFT said that if a student continually refuses to wear their mask, that they are supposed to be picked up from school, but the schools don't enforce that. Instead they just talk to the students which does nothing.
Calling out. I will be sure not to lie on the health screening that we don't even put our names on. Not safe for school staff nor is it safe for kids.
Our school and many others are having a mass call in all next week. We are forced not to lie on the health screening and we will be sure to tell the truth. I have already received requests from parents for work to be emailed.
I'll be on day 8 of isolation on Monday. Admin is already contacting me - not asking if I'm coming in Monday, but the question is implied. Still feel shitty, and I'm not going in, as I still have no smell or taste (didn't know that was a thing with Omicron) and I'm still congested. The woman from Test and Trace said we need two weeks of remote to let this subside.
Look. All we need is a Danielson Rubric. Measure of Principal effectiveness at keeping all of us safe. Wait, we can't have that because most schools would be Highly Ineffective. At least our students are in groups for group work. That is the best way to ensure teacher and student safety.
4:23: we're not kidding anyone with all the group work. Is there any hard evidence to show kids learn better in groups? What about being able to read and write on your own. The only benefit of group work is kids can copy off one another and turn in the work and therefore pass the class and increasing the graduation rate.
Teachers, Hello Teachers, Please put work for all students in Google Classroom for students to complete. I know I am expected to send my kids to school, but it is not safe. There is no reason to keep kids in school and put them in danger.
are sabbaticals still available. can your couse work be remote?
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