CHICAGO TEACHERS UNION VOTES FOR SAFETY STRIKE

 These tweets came from the CTU:

This strike would not be legal.

PERSONNEL MEMORANDUM 1 UPDATED

Please refer to this update and not prior versions of Personnel Memorandum NO. 1. Follow it to the letter.

ADAMS ON CNN: MULGREW AND I ARE LOCK-STEP, WE ARE ON THE SAME PAGE

Please watch the CNN interview with Mayor Eric Adams from this morning and judge for yourself where Michael Mulgrew and Eric Adams are coming from. Thanks to Shelley for sending it to us.

CHICAGO TEACHERS UNION VOTING TUESDAY TO WALK OUT WEDNESDAY DUE TO COVID SAFETY CONCERNS; JUDGE ASSIGNED AND CITY RESPONDS TO SOLIDARITY LAWSUIT SEEKING REMOTE LEARNING; CAMILLE ETERNO ON CBS TV TALKS STAFF SHORTAGES

This information is from WBEZ in Chicago:

The Chicago Teachers Union is setting the stage for all teachers and other members to refuse to work in-person beginning Wednesday in conditions they deem unsafe.

The union has scheduled a vote for its more than 25,000 members on Tuesday during the day, asking if they support refusing to work in-person starting Wednesday but to work virtually instead. Tuesday’s vote will be followed by a vote that afternoon by the union’s elected House of Delegates on the refusal action.

At a CTU virtual town hall Sunday evening, 80% of the 8,000 members on the call said they did not want to work in-person in Chicago Public Schools classrooms under current conditions, according to CTU members at the event. CPS classes resumed Monday after a two-week break amid the largest COVID-19 surge yet.

CPS teachers can only work remotely if it’s sanctioned by the Chicago Board of Education. And in an email to families Sunday evening, CPS CEO Pedro Martinez said he stands “firmly behind the decision to protect our student’s physical and mental health and promote their academic progress by keeping CPS schools safely open for in-person learning.”

This action is triggering a showdown between the union and the school district, which could lock teachers out of their remote classrooms and prevent them from teaching. This would effectively shut down the school district.

Mayor Lori Lightfoot on Monday made clear where she stands.

“What we have learned from this pandemic is that schools are the safest place for students to be: we have spent over a $100 million to put mitigations in place, most CPS staff members are vaccinated, and we generally see little transmission in school settings,” she said in a statement. “Keeping kids safely in school where they can learn and thrive is what we should all be focused on.” Lightfoot also stressed the academic and emotional damage impact of remote learning.

This is what real unions do. They listen to their members. Meanwhile back in NYC, UFT President Michael Mulgrew's strategy looks as if it is to grovel to the new Mayor which will basically get us nowhere but an opposition caucus leader has filed a lawsuit to get the system to go remote.

We have news from Lydia A:

Case Update:

1. Corporation Counsel, representing NYC and the NYC DOE, has been assigned case.

2. CC called me on my prep to politely say, "I was assigned your case. By the way, the City says your case is meritless." 

3. I told him, "I'm really not surprised you would say this but ok."

4. NY Post called me and said that they couldn't find my papers in the court system.

5. I called the Ex Parte Office and had this long back and forth conversation to find out that my case was assigned to a judge who is currently out on vacation!!!!! Thankfully I was able to convince the clerk to reassign my case.

We understand a judge has been assigned and the City is taking this seriously as they have already completed their response to the Article 78. You can sign a letter to the judge by clicking here. Lydia informed me this evening that 4,000 have signed on.

As for the United for Change, Presidential candidate Camille Eterno was interviewed  on CBS News nationally.

Here is the soundbite quote they used:

Educators like Camille Eterno, a high school English teacher, are urging the mayor to listen.

"I recognize the need for students to be present in the buildings, but I'm also cognizant of the fact that if we're all bunched up together and we get sick, we're not going to be there anyway," said Eterno, who's been teaching for 24 years.

CDC SCHOOL GUIDELINES SAY ISOLATE FOR 10 DAYS IF YOU TEST POSITIVE OR HAVE SYMPTOMS

Someone sent out the CDC guidelines for isolating in schools for staff and students. Follow them. 10 days of isolation for students and staff who have symptoms or test positive. This includes those who are fully vaccinated. 

COVID-19

 Back to COVID-19 Home

Overview of COVID-19 Isolation for K-12 Schools

Updated Dec. 29, 2021

CDC has updated isolation and quarantine recommendations for the public. These recommendations do not apply to healthcare personnel and do not supersede state, local, tribal, or territorial laws, rules, and regulations. Read CDC’s media statement.

What is isolation?

Isolation is separating people who have COVID-19 or symptoms of COVID-19 from those who are not infected or showing symptoms in order to prevent transmission of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.You isolate when you show symptoms of COVID-19 or are infected with the virus that causes COVID-19, even if you don’t have symptoms.Isolation is different from quarantine. Quarantine is used by someone who has been exposed to the virus that causes COVID-19 but has not tested positive for COVID-19 and does not have symptoms.  Quarantine is important because even before a person has tested positive for COVID-19 or has symptoms, they could spread the virus that causes COVID-19 to other people without knowing.  Quarantine is used to prevent transmission of the virus by ensuring that unvaccinated people who have been in close contact with someone with COVID-19 stay apart from others.  If people have symptoms and/or have a positive viral test for COVID-19 while in quarantine, they should immediately begin the process for isolation.

Who needs to isolate?

People who are confirmed to have COVID-19 or are showing symptoms of COVID-19 need to isolate. This includes people who are not fully vaccinated and fully vaccinated people. More specifically,

• People who have a positive viral test for COVID-19, regardless of whether or not they have symptoms, need to isolate.
• People with symptoms of COVID-19, including people who are awaiting test results or are not tested, need to isolate. People with symptoms should isolate even if they do not know if they have been in contact with another person who has COVID-19.

How long should a student or staff member with COVID-19 isolate?

People can spread the virus that causes COVID-19 for a full 10 days from when they develop symptoms, even if they are feeling better. People who have tested positive, but do not have symptoms may spread the virus before they have symptoms or even spread the virus if they never have symptoms at all. For this reason, isolation should last at least 10 days. Day 0 is the day symptoms began or the day the person took a test that had a positive result.  Day 1 is the day after symptoms began or, if a person does not have symptoms, the day after the person tested positive (use the date the test was collected).

MULGREW'S BACK TO SCHOOL EMAIL: UFT ASKED FOR REMOTE TEMPORARILY BUT ADAMS SAID NO SO GOOD LUCK

Dear _______,

Omicron has had a major impact on our city this holiday, and many of us New Yorkers have already struggled with this variant. We advised the new mayor that it would be safest to allow our school system to go remote temporarily until we could get a handle on the staffing challenges that each school is about to face as we return. However, he feels strongly that schools need to remain open.

We are determined to do everything in our power to keep our school communities safe when schools are open, and our work with the city and the DOE over the break has resulted in more expansive testing protocols and other new safety measures. Here are the final details that we were able to work out now that the new administration has taken office.

Testing in schools Beginning on Jan. 3, the in-school surveillance testing program will double. Whereas 10% of all unvaccinated students in a school were tested through the end of December, now the number tested will equal 20% of all unvaccinated students, but the testing pool is expanding to include both vaccinated and unvaccinated students. In addition, at least 10% of school staff who express an interest will be tested each week. School communities should work together to determine a common-sense process for determining who will be tested if more than 10% of staff want to be tested. More than 10% of the staff may be tested if the testing team at the school can accommodate them.

At-home test kits Some 2 million at-home test kits have been distributed to schools over the break. Each week in January, all school staff will receive an at-home rapid testing kit containing two tests that the FDA has authorized to determine if an individual is infectious. These tests can help minimize transmission by giving quick and accurate results that show when people are infectious. Kits will also be given to: All staff and students in a class where a positive case is identified. Staff and students in that class will need to take the test two times over the course of five days to monitor for COVID. One test should be taken that first evening and the second test on Day 5. If an exposed individual starts experiencing COVID-like symptoms before Day 5, they should take the second test sooner. Any staff member or student who is exhibiting symptoms of COVID-19. These individuals should be isolated at school, go home and take a rapid test at home. The first test should be used immediately upon returning home, and the second test should be used 24 hours later. The individual must stay home until they have two negative at-home rapid test results and have been fever-free for 24 hours without fever-reducing medication. These at-home rapid test kits should only be used at home and are not intended for use at school. The DOE’s daily health screening has been updated to include questions about at-home rapid test results. These test results will not be uploaded to the screener, but parents, students and staff will have to legally attest to the results in the screening.

When a staff member or student tests positive Anyone who tests positive from an at-home rapid test should immediately report it to the school and begin isolating. Principals have been told to report any positive results from an at-home rapid test to the Situation Room. Staff Staff members who test positive with an at-home rapid test kit should stay home and follow the DOE’s COVID-related absence policies. School staff who are considered fully vaccinated may return to work on Day 6 after testing positive for COVID-19 under the following conditions: The staff member must be symptom-free: Fever-free for 72 hours without the use of medication No runny nose A minimal cough and cannot be coughing up phlegm At work from Day 6 to Day 10, the staff member must consistently and correctly wear a well-fitting KN95 mask. Students Students will be sent home if they are experiencing COVID-like symptoms, including: Fever of 100 degrees F or higher or chills New cough New loss of taste or smell Shortness of breath Students who test positive must quarantine for 10 days from the day of the positive test or the day that symptoms appeared, whichever came first. These students may return to school on Day 11 (a negative test is not required). In a change in policy, both vaccinated and unvaccinated classmates and other close contacts of students who test positive can continue to attend school if they test negative on a rapid or PCR test and do not have any symptoms. Unvaccinated students who have been exposed outside school to someone who has tested positive must follow the guidance on the DOE health screening questionnaire and not enter the building. If you are caring for a child or other individual who must quarantine or a child whose school or place of care has closed due to COVID-19, you can stay home on excused leave at two-thirds of your regular rate of pay for up to 12 weeks. If you prefer, you can also use CAR days beyond the three days per year that is typically allowed for taking care of a sick family member.

If your school has a shortage of rapid tests or KN95 masks for staff, please alert your chapter leader, who has a safety hotline to call for rapid response. If your school is not following the new health and safety protocols,  you should speak to your chapter leader or contact the UFT at 212‑331‑6311 from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Friday. Public health experts looking at South Africa and Great Britain have told us that the new variant is not as dangerous as its predecessors and should peak by the end of January. It’s not going to be an easy month, but we will continue to work with our medical experts to closely monitor the situation and we will do everything we can to ensure that our schools are operating safely and effectively.

Sincerely, Michael Mulgrew UFT President

ANOTHER HIGH SCHOOL CHAPTER LEADER WRITES TO MULGREW

The email below was sent to UFT President Michael Mulgrew on Friday. No reply as of now from the President. The positivity rate is now over 30% as of Sunday. 

When the pandemic began you used to talk about your three Pillars, and safety was one of them. Last week I was telling friends and colleagues that I felt like my school was swimming in covid. I tested positive on the 29th. Look I hope omicron isn’t so bad, data from South Africa shows that. The only thing is, in South Africa kids are on summer vacation, and here school is in session. We have more cases than ever before, and no baseline testing after break. You would say safety is important, we have our own medical experts. So do they really say that the plan is safe with 28,000 new cases in NYC yesterday? 

I mean I get it, I’m not a fool. Keep kids in school no matter what. But if parents don’t feel safe doing it, teachers don’t feel safe, don’t you and the union lose all credibility?

We used to close schools for 3% positivity. Now we have 25% positivity, you can have covid and you still go in. Safety is not a part of the plan anymore. 

I know it’s tough. Eric Adams is the new mayor. And the last thing you want to do is come out and close school. But, and here’s the thing, the current plan is insane.

Everyone gets covid is the current plan. And maybe that works for most people, and maybe it’ll be just a cold for most, but when everyone in the city gets it that’s a bad thing.

Okay that’s what I wanted to say. Maybe this will change some minds, though probably not. Unions should fight for safe working conditions. Right? Isn’t that the main reason we have one?

Thanks,

Mike Muntner

Covid Positive Chapter leader at Nest +m

--

FOREST HILLS HIGH SCHOOL CHAPTER LEADER ADAM BERGSTEIN GUEST BLOGS

Adam wrote to UFT President Michael Mulgrew and then Chancellor Meisha Porter before the break and we printed it here. It was very well received by our audience. Adam strikes again. Enjoy.

Great (Un)Expectations!

What should the nearly 1.3 million staff and students anticipate, when classes resume in NYC, on January 3rd? Very few parents, students and staff truly feel safe or comfortable going back to their school. The reason, simply put, is that the DoE has consistently mismanaged the handling of Covid cases. They opened the schools in September with massively overcrowded buildings, and a crackerjack plan that consisted of opening windows, using some air filters and wearing masks. Now, the DoE has provided limited assurances that our schools will be safe when it comes to accurately reporting the true number of Covid cases. The track record for this bureaucracy’s handling of Covid is paltry. Essentially, the DoE has basically been embarrassed and pressured into enacting a questionable safety plan, moving forward.

I know that the DoE put out a plan, but I can’t help to wonder how effective is their seemingly reactive engagement to Covid. Why do they feign shock that a viral pandemic has overwhelmed an already fragile and poorly run school system? And how dare they tout a plan that is already a fortnight too late? Ask anybody who has ever worked for the NYC Department of Education, how reliable is the quality level of craftsmanship of anything the DoE purchases. They find three bidders and pick the cheapest. Implementing that same logic with a home Covid test kit is the textbook definition of negligence. Is there any parent or staff member who actually believes that the DoE is suddenly going to procure over two million high quality test kits, in less than a week? With that said, since schools are not closing, wouldn’t it be easier and smarter to just test everyone while they are in the building? Then, everything will get reported under one streamlined agency. The logistics will initially prove challenging to set up, but once it is fully implemented the system will be much more manageable and organized. However, yet again, this would entail a pro-active approach to problem-solving.

It is also quite deplorable that the DoE and UFT now agree that the Situation Room has to be adequately staffed. Where was the rage that this central hub to report and monitor Covid was understaffed. I heard whispers from the union, but no outrage; no frustration, just an acknowledgment that the Situation Room lacked staff. How many DoE employees will actually be manning the Situation Room, because if you double or triple a trickle, you still only have a weak stream. At my school, when nearly 50 people a day were calling out (not all positive, thankfully) and hundreds of students were being kept home, the Situation Room only had us with single-digit Covid confirmations. Add to that, they didn’t answer the phones nor would they call back administrators trying to report active, confirmed Covid cases. Such gross mismanagement, by a joint city agency, should warrant a federal investigation of Bill de Blasio. And now we should just trust the DoE, because they are saying we really fixed it this time. Here’s an example of how the DoE fixes things, look at their new slogan, Stay Open, Stay Safe! Really? Shouldn’t this have been the mantra since before September, not mid-debacle December?

Let’s consider what else they are going to do to keep the students and staff safe. Doubling the testing in all schools sounds great, but now we go from 1.5% to a whopping 3%. School staff are on the front lines and their personal safety, up until a few days ago, did not seem to matter. As for the students, who are very vulnerable to Omicron, they seem to matter even less. Countless schools finished December, running on fumes. The sheer number of staff out, was overwhelming. Classes were collapsed and staff were offered massive overtime to cover all of the absent teachers. In the end, the kids got cheated out of instruction, and again the DoE was completely clueless. Where was the UFT, even in mid-November? They were certainly not screaming from every school building, calling for universal testing. If anything, they were complicit with the 10% staff testing threshold set by the DoE, back in early December.

My angst with UFT and DoE leadership is predicated upon their hubris directed towards the rank and file; a disregard for the students, and a consistently flawed decision-making process when it comes to safety and educational policies. My umbrage with the UFT, should not be misconstrued as misguided union animus. If anything, I think that a teachers union is the most important form of organized labor in this country. I just refuse to accept dysfunctional leadership in times of true crisis.

If you have never worked in a NYC public school, then please think twice before you attack school staff who are simply asking for all precautions and plans to be in place. That type of basic safety has not happened yet, not even close. If anything, we should want the highest level of safety measures in place so kids can learn and everyone can go home without the fear of spreading Covid like some Haight-Ashbury viral free-for-all.

Sincerely,

Adam C Bergstein

MEET THE UNITED FOR CHANGE CANDIDATES SUNDAY WHO WILL MAKE THE UFT A BETTER UNION WITH YOUR HELP

Happy New Year!

United for Change is hitting the ground running. The group is serious about building a better Union. Get to know the top officer candidates on Zoom Sunday at 4:00 p.m.

Here is a link to register.

Here's the link to submit a question.

MULGREW'S LATEST EMAIL; AM I WRONG THINKING UFT HAS BASICALLY GIVEN UP AND EXPECTS EVERYONE TO GET INFECTED?

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.

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.

See the locations

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.

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.

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.

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.

Sincerely, Michael Mulgrew UFT President

YOU CAN SIGN LETTER TO JUDGE TO SUPPORT LAWSUIT TO GO REMOTE IN NYC FOR JANUARY 3-17

Yesterday, a candidate for United for Change, Lydia A, filed an Article 78 proceeding in NYC Civil Court protesting the reopening of NYC schools without adequate testing, mitigation measures, and allowing for a pivot of instruction to remote for January 3 to January 18, 2022. We have submitted the legal documents- a petition, a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO), an affidavit, an Order to Show Cause (OSC), and a Request for Judicial Intervention (RJI)- and we are waiting for a judge to be assigned to our case.

Many folks have been reaching out to us and want to know how you can help support us. We think that a collective letter that we can send to the court with as many signatures as possible would be the best next step for members who want to support.

Please click here and complete this form to e-sign the letter.

Important note- No teacher has been disciplined for signing a petition or letter when they are not on contracted time. It is not illegal to sign a letter or petition either. Your signature will only be seen by Lydia, the judge, and the City’s Corporation Counsel.

--

NEWARK, NJ GOES FULLY REMOTE

Newark, NJ is another district going fully remote for January.

Eventually, the pressure will start to build on the new mayor of NYC to move to full remote instruction. 

I still can't understand why the UFT is not loudly leading the charge for safety. The UFT is letting down its members as usual while many within the opposition to Michael Mulgrew's Unity Caucus are fighting by planning actions and filing a lawsuit for remote instruction.

From Chalkbeat:

Newark schools will switch to fully remote learning after the holiday recess ends Jan. 3 and keep students home for at least two weeks as COVID cases continue to climb in the city, officials said Thursday evening.

Superintendent Roger León said the district made the decision after consulting with the city health department about the recent surge in infections. Students were told to prepare for the possibility of remote learning before leaving for winter break and are expected to return to classrooms on Jan. 18.

“This is not the news I want to be sharing with students and their families at this time because we need to continue in-person instruction,” León said in a statement, “but the health and safety of students and staff remains the top priority.”

Newark became the largest school district in New Jersey to announce the shift to a fully remote plan for students, a consequential decision likely to affect attendance, learning loss, and student mental health. It joins several other districts that recently decided to revert to at-home learning, including Paterson, East Orange, and Jersey City.

A UFT SOLIDARITY LEADER SUES DOE TO GET REMOTE TEACHING FOR JANUARY 3-18 DUE TO UNSAFE CONDITIONS

UFT Solidarity and United for Change Executive Board candidate Lydia A is not waiting around to see what the UFT does with the omicron surge now up to close to half a million US cases in one day on Wednesday. Lydia was in Manhattan today filing an Article 78 court case against the City-Department of Education to get remote teaching from January 3, 2022 through January 18, 2022.

Here is the Order to Show Cause she is asking the judge to sign:

We hope to have more soon as this story develops. 

CHICAGO TEACHERS UNION POLLING ITS MEMBERS ON WHAT UNION RESPONSE TO OMICRON SHOULD BE INCLUDING POSSIBLE WORK STOPPAGE (Update: 91% CTU Ready for Remote Work Action)

When was the last time the UFT polled its members? CTU shows the way on how a union should react to a crisis: Find out where the membership is at and what they are collectively willing to do.

A NYC reaction:

Update: We have the CTU poll results.

 

Note: We do not endorse the views of the source for this information. AFT's Leo Casey is attacking us because of the source. We were posting union news that was accurate. We cite the NY Post too. It does not mean we con ur with the Post's editorial positions.

MULGREW CALLS FOR FULL IMPLEMENTATION OF LATEST CITY SCHOOL SAFETY PLAN

Michael Mulgrew's latest email is below. Mulgrew states: "But we won't stop pushing until we are confident that this new plan has been implemented fully by Jan. 3." In all likelihood it won't be fully implemented and then what does Mulgrew intend to do? You know the answer.

Dear _______,

Last week we told the city to fix its safety system for schools that was undeniably broken before the break. Mayor de Blasio and Mayor-elect Adams held a press conference today announcing their new slogan for our schools — stay open, stay safe. That’s a great thing to say, but if we want to stay open and safe, the city has to do the work to make that happen.

Governor Hochul has provided New York City public schools with two million at-home rapid tests, and today Bill de Blasio and Eric Adams announced new elements of a safety plan designed to meet the challenges of this new phase of the pandemic. But we won't stop pushing until we are confident that this new plan has been implemented fully by Jan. 3.

De Blasio and Adams announced three changes that, if implemented correctly, will be a promising improvement to our school system’s safety program:

The staff of the Situation Room will double in size, making it bigger than ever before and able to handle the current surge.

The city will double in-school PCR testing in every school every week. These tests will now include both vaccinated and unvaccinated students as well as staff. The city will make another push to get parents to consent for their child to be tested regardless of vaccination status.

Close contacts and classmates of positive cases will now have immediate access to two at-home rapid tests that they can take to monitor themselves for the days after exposure.

City officials also told us that every school staff member will get a testing kit containing two tests, and more testing kits will be available for them as needed.

Thanks to all of us working together to tell the city we will not accept unsafe schools, our city and state leaders have started to address the myriad issues that we identified. We, as educators, are always prepared to do our jobs. The real issue is whether the city can do its job — ensuring that ample testing is available in every school and an improved Situation Room is actually in place by next week.

We are moving closer to a safe reopening of schools. But we are not there yet. We will continue to work through this week to advocate for you and our school communities and will update you on all the details of the new safety program before Jan. 3.

Stay safe.

Sincerely,

Michael Mulgrew

UFT President

SCHOOLS OPEN JANUARY 3 WITH MORE TESTING, INCLUDING KIDS TAKING THE TEST KITS HOME FROM SCHOOL

 This is from silive:

New York City launched a new anti-coronavirus (COVID-19) program that officials said will help schools stay safe, so that they can stay open.

When schools resume on Monday, Department of Education (DOE) facilities will see double the PCR testing, and a new effort utilizing take-home tests that Mayor Bill de Blasio said would help keep the city’s students safe.

“This is how we’re going to look at schools from this point on — keep them safe and keep them open,” de Blasio said. “We have a lot of evidence now that’s told us this is the approach that’s going to work for the future."

Whenever there’s a positive case in a classroom, each child will take home two at-home test kits over the course of seven days. Those who test negative and are asymptomatic can go back to school causing less disruption to their education, de Blasio said.

An increased state and federal supply of take-home test kits allowed the city to launch the new program, the outgoing mayor said.

Compared to what was previously available, two times the PCR tests will be available each week in every school throughout the city for vaccinated and unvaccinated students along with staff, who de Blasio said have a 96% vaccination rate.

There will be no tests before schools reopen, because the mayor said he wants to ensure a smooth transition back to operation.

Gov. Kathy Hochul and Mayor-elect Eric Adams, who will be in office when the new programs are put inplace, joined de Blasio to support the announcement.

“We spent $11 trillion fighting COVID. It is time for us to realize that this is a resilient city and a resilient country,” Adams said. “We must reopen our city and we can do that.”

Teachers are already reacting.

From twitter:

The UFT statement:

On Dec. 28, 2021, Mayor Bill de Blasio (along with Governor Kathy Hochul and Mayor-elect Eric Adams) announced changes to COVID safety protocols in schools that will take effect in January 2022.

In response, UFT President Michael Mulgrew issued the following statement: 

Teachers are prepared to do their jobs starting Jan. 3rd. The real issue is whether the city can do its job — ensuring that new testing initiatives are available in every school and an improved Situation Room is actually in place by next week.

We want to thank Governor Hochul for listening to our request, and for providing city schools with 2 million instant tests so that anyone with close contact with a positive case will be able to know immediately if they are infectious and must quarantine.

We’re also glad that after weeks of lobbying both the current and the incoming administrations, the Situation Room is being rebuilt, after basically coming apart in the last several weeks, and that the system will increase its ability to provide PCR tests to more adults and children every week.

We are moving closer to a safe re-opening of school next week. But we are not there yet.

TAKE THE UFT SOLIDARITY COVID TESTING SURVEY

This came our way this evening. Please take the UFT Solidarity survey on COVID testing.

Testing in NYC Public Schools- A Survey by UFT Solidarity (with the support of folks in the UFC Coalition)

Per an email sent out by UFT President Mulgrew on December 2, "the city will now allow the testing of school staff on a voluntary basis. Beginning on Monday, Dec. 6, school staff can request to be tested on their school’s scheduled test day. 

"According to the new policy:

1. Student testing must be completed before any adults can be tested.

2. Test providers must maintain their schedule and may not extend their time at the school to accommodate staff who want to be tested.

3. Test providers may test up to 10% of staff.

4. All COVID-19 testing of DOE staff is voluntary, but staff must give consent via the DOE’s daily health screening form. It may take up to five days for the DOE to process your consent so please submit it as soon as possible."

We have been hearing troubling reports from schools. Some staff have not been informed of what days testing is scheduled to arrive at school. In other schools, we are hearing of staff members being turned away. 

What is happening in your school? 

Remember, we keep each other safe. 

This information will only be shared with a small group of people so including your name and email is optional.

Start the survey.

WE HAVE ACHIEVED BIPARTISAN CONSENSUS ON FEDERAL GOVERNMENT NOT SOLVING COVID

From Republican President Donald J Trump:

From Democratic President Joseph R Biden:

We have bipartisan passing the buck, or rather, bipartisan failure.

MERRY CHRISTMAS WITH A SHOUT-OUT TO NASSAU POLICE

Yesterday, my kids and I were continuing our last-second Christmas shopping tradition. We bought a whole load of gifts from Target online and did their curbside pickup in Westbury. It was all good.

We then headed for home in Queens in our 2018 Toyota Camry Hybrid and the car literally went dead on the Meadowbrook Parkway. It looks like it was a fuel pump problem that the car was recalled for that we never had a problem with before the recall. We brought it in and Toyota replaced the fuel pump two weeks ago and now this. It's kind of scary when the car dies at 55 MPH on the highway and then displays a dashboard message to visit the dealerhip. No kidding.

We managed to get to the shoulder safely and the car restarted once so we were able to get off the highway and onto the middle of Old Country Road where the engine went bye-bye for good. 

I called the local Nassau police. A car came within ten minutes and the officer helped my kids get safely to the sidewalk to wait and then he worked with me to push the car off the road and into a parking lot. He then offered to drive us home but by that time my wife was on the way to rescue us. Thanks to the Nassau Police for the professional service.

As for the American Automobile Association, they must be short-staffed for December 24 as they took three hours to come for a tow so our kids got their dream Christmas Eve dinner: Mcdonalds. 

Toyota will be hearing from us next week for sure for botching up the recalled fuel pump repair that left me stuck on Christmas Eve but for now I am happy to be home enjoying Christmas with family.

 

Be safe everyone as we are setting COVID case records in NY. Hospitalizations and deaths are lagging indicators so don't tell me how they are still relatively low. I hope and pray they stay low.

Merry Christmas to all!

Update: Toyota took the car in on Monday and it was a minor fix. I am going to give it a good ride today to test it.

LABOR LEADER SARA NELSON'S VISION FOR THE NEXT 50 YEARS

 As UFters head into vacation, I saw this tonight on Facebook and thought it was appropriate. It is from Sara Nelson, the President of the Association of Flight Attendants, CWA. 

In NYC public schools, we can add UFT management to our employer telling us we are lucky to have a job.

To the commenter who called me a dreamer, Sara's vision for the future of labor is what I dream about and have been working for since I became an activist in 1994 and continue doing. Here is a little of Sara's bio:

The New York Times called her "America's most powerful flight attendant" for her role in helping to end the 35-day Government Shutdown and InStyle Magazine placed her on their Top 50 Badass Women list.

2022 is the year where enough UFters are going to come together to start turning Sara's vision into reality for NYC teachers and other UFT members.