PRINCIPALS HAVE DISCRETION TO OFFER ACCOMMODATIONS TO WORK REMOTELY ACCORDING TO DOE'S REOPENING PLAN

After hearing about the oral arguments in the Article 78 case UFT Solidarity helped start on behalf of five teachers seeking an accommodation to work from home, I decided to review the NYC Department of Education's School Reopening Plan. You should do this too today.

One of the city lawyer's main points in oral arguments in court was that DOE employees can receive an accommodation to work from home even if the employee does not have one of the CDC diseases that places one at additional risk of COVID-19 or is at least 65 years old. He said it was principal's discretion. He cited the DOE's School Reopening Plan. 

This is what the DOE says on Page 22 of the DOE School Reopening Plan:

Schools and offices may consider the needs of individuals who may not feel comfortable returning to an in-person educational environment when making assignments and modifying  work settings and/or schedules where possible.

The term "where possible" seems to be a concern of many who want an accommodation to work remotely. It shouldn't be an issue. If we just do some simple math, it is possible for many more DOE employees to be approved to work remotely. It is my understanding that roughly 40% of NYC students have opted for fully remote learning. The other 60% who are in blended learning will be remote at least half of the time. That means a minimum of 70% of instruction will be remote. In court on Friday, it came out that there have been around 27,000 DOE employees who have been granted accomodations to work from home. I believe there are over 100,000 DOE employees. When over 70% of instruction is remote but only about one quarter of the staff is remote, it seems very possible that the DOE could offer thousands of additional accommodations to work from home.

• Why doesn't the UFT emphasize what the DOE's own document says to help many more UFTers get accomodations to work remotely?

•Why did plaintiffs have to pay to hire a private attorney,  Bryan Glass, to represent them to receive accommodations to work remotely?

•Why did UFT Solidarity have to set up a GoFundMe page to support this case when we pay union dues? (Full disclosure, I contributed)

There are now well over 17,000 page views on our Wednesday post which was about teachers seeking accommodations to work from home. It is a major topic of emails we get too. Clearly, there is a demand for remote only work amongst the rank and file. UFT Solidarity, this blog and to some extent MORE are becoming a truly shadow union doing the work the UFT should be doing. UFT policy to me is basically to delay, delay and delay doing anything on just about everything  hoping the city does better.

My non lawyerly advice for all of you who wish to work remotely from home is to send an email to your principal making that request. Cite page 22 of the DOE's School Reopening Plan. The language in italics above is right from the plan.

For those who prefer to cut and paste, how about this as a possible email?

Dear Principal I Am Great,

Page 22 of the New York City Department of Education School Reopening Plan states in part:

Schools and offices may consider the needs of individuals who may not feel comfortable returning to an in-person educational environment when making assignments and modifying work settings and/or schedules where possible.

I do not feel comfortable returning to an in-person educational environment as (state reason here- for example: multiple COVID-19 cases were reported in the last week from over 20 DOE schools which makes me uncomfortable being in a school building; or I have an ailment not on the CDC list that would make me uncomfortable working in a school building [try anxiety]; or I have to care for an elderly relative so I am uncomfortable coming home after work where I would be putting him/her at greater risk of catching COVID-19; or I have to care for a child who cannot attend school so I cannot be comfortable leaving my child at home alone.  [Federal Department of Labor guidelines give employers the option to provide telework for the last two categories].)

Since a huge number of our students will be learning remotely fulltime and the remainder of the pupils will be working remotely for many of their school days, there is certainly a need for fully remote teachers. Therefore, my request to telework fom home meets the DOE's "where possible" standard.

Please adjust my schedule so I can work remotely from home.

Sincerely,

Humble Teacher

MULGREW'S SCHEDULING EMAIL

 Dear________,

Staffing and scheduling in many of our schools are becoming a nightmare. The city did not hire enough teachers to staff the new on-site and blended remote teacher roles it agreed to. Now many of you are being given assignments that your schools have no right to give you.

This staffing dilemma is not yours to solve. The DOE must abide by its agreement with the union. You need a program that will enable you to do your best work.

We’ve asked your chapter leader to file an operational issue report on behalf of the members of your chapter if your school is violating our agreement. Please contact your chapter leader and let them know your program issues. These reports will show City Hall and the DOE just how pervasive the problems are.

In August, we negotiated with the DOE a flexible system in which a team of educators would work with students who are dividing their time between in-school and remote instruction. On-site teachers will work together with a blended remote teacher who will provide instruction, curricular resources and assignments for blended learning students on the days they are remote. The team will share tasks such as assessments and family engagement.

The highlights of the agreement:

All efforts must be made to give teachers a program “exclusively of one type (in-person, fully remote or blended remote)

Teachers with full on-site programs are not also responsible for remote instruction

Teacher teams have the discretion "to determine how to share teaching responsibilities"

No schedules that create an "undue burden on any UFT member"

Creation of a Virtual Content Specialist position, who helps on-site and remote teachers by recording mini-lessons and curating assignments, rubrics and other instructional materials that align with curriculum

Limits on class sizes

Burdensome programs or violations of the agreement may be addressed through the UFT’s operational issues resolution process.

Read the full agreement »

Read this FAQ on instructional issues »

The DOE agreed to a team approach that required more teachers, yet it has not made any real attempt to staff it. In violation of our agreement, principals are asking on-site teachers to livestream to remote students, combining multiple grades in one class in elementary schools, assigning too many students to teachers, and giving teachers both remote and in-person responsibilities.

The mayor wouldn’t listen to medical experts until we forced him to, and he won’t listen to educational experts unless we force him to. So once again we must take collective action.

Stay safe and healthy.

Sincerely,

Michael Mulgrew

UFT President

DID YOU GET YOUR TRAINING FROM A UFT HOSPITAL NURSE THIS WEEK?

Last evening, Michael Mulgrew said the City was not on their A Game when it came to reopening the city school buildings for employees this past week. I am wondering if the UFT is on its A Game.

This is from Mulgrew's August town hall.

Question: How can we prevent kids from not turning around, not taking masks off and not sitting on top of each other?

Answer: We will train them. Hormones raging with middle school students. First couple of days are all about training the kids. Kids who can't follow safety procedures are going to have to go home for fully remote instruction. Our nurses from the hospitals will do the training for all of us. DOE happy to have our nurses do the training. We might have counselors and others needing face shields and other full PPE equipment. Everyone may need a shield.

Did a UFT hospital nurse provide training for your school last week? A video?

This is not a gotcha question. This should have been done on day 1, particularly since we have heard reports in comments (not confirmed) of staff not social distancing or wearing masks in buildings.

A leading pediatrician recently said how there is extensive training for medical workers on preventing COVID-19 but some still were infected.  The doctor didn't think that type of training was possible in schools. I want to know if UFTers are getting the minimal training from medical experts that Mulgrew assured us we would have.

There have been two answers when I ask friends and family if they got the training on the first week. One group laughs and asks if I am serious. The other group just says no. I am aware that my inner circle of family and close friends may not be representative.  Let me ask all of you: Did you get training from a hospital UFT nurse this past week?

BRYAN GLASS MAKES CASE FOR MORE ACCOMODATIONS FOR REMOTE LEARNING: "THIS IS NOT ABOUT KIDS AT ALL. THIS IS ALL ABOUT POLITICS AND MONEY"

 Lydia Howrilka's report from the Skype oral arguments in the case UFT Solidarity helped get started last week seeking an injunction to get more accommodations for UFTers to work remotely.

1. Folks from DOE Brass and DOE Legal were on the call.

2. The judge asked very fair and balanced questions. She gave us all a heads' up- standing arguments, status quo of education.

3. Judge was unwilling to take sides. Which may bode well for us.

4. The City attorney was VERY pro-DOE/DeBlasio. Kept on throwing "kids need in person learning" and "NYC has a low transmission rate" up again and again.

5. Judge asked us to send her an update on the petitioner's individual conditions and current status.

6. Bryan did exceptionally well arguing that the system is arbitrary for approving some and denying other accommodations. He asked the City: "So, who is the person who is charge of approving or denying accommodations?" The City refused to say.

7. What is the tipping point of not enough teachers? 27,000 were granted accommodations; what's 5 more?

8. City attorney said that principals have discretion to approve or deny accommodations. When questioned who is the man behind curtain, the City refused to say and they feinted.

9. None of our petitioners feel comfortable going back to school next week. 

10. City said, "Kids need school!" Bryan said, "Yes, how will kids feel when they get themselves, family or teachers sick?"

11. Several CECs are bringing up lawsuits against the NYC DOE. 

12. Bryan said: "Stop playing games! This is not about kids at all. This is all about politics and money!"

MULGREW FACEBOOK VIDEO MESSAGE IN BRIEF: CITY ISN'T FOLLOWING AGREEMENT ON SCHOOLS BEING SAFE BUT UFTERS SHOULD KEEP GOING IN

The UFT didn't urge members to walk out of dangerous school buildings in March and sent people into schools for useless staff Development that could have been done at home. Now, it is happening again in September. 

UFTers are truly the guinea pigs, canaries in the coal mine or whatever you want to call it.

Please watch President Michael Mulgrew's Facebook video address. He complains about how some of the schools aren't ready for students because they are in deplorable condition. Some are no better than in March. He then argues that PPE is missing in some schools. He also says the protocols after a positive COVID-19 test aren't being followed. There's not too much contact tracing going on.

His solution for UFT members: Go right back into the same buildings on Monday, under the same guidelines the DOE-City have not been adhering to but keep sending in pictures and reports.

Read the top of the Facebook page for yourself:

It is commendable that Mulgrew is looking out for the children but he is paid quite handsomely to represent UFT members. 

Newsflash Mike: The schools are already open for UFTers.

A PICTURE IS WORTH A THOUSAND WORDS

 The picture and caption below were taken and written by a young teacher. What gives me hope for the future is the young teachers seem to get it that the UFT is basically just another arm of the DOE. 

                  UFT-DOE Approved Ventilation

Meanwhile, the Chancellor addresses principals. Looks like he's at home. Only the plebeians have to report to schools it seems.

UFT SOLIDARITY LAWSUIT IS ASSIGNED A JUDGE

UFT Solidarity is a caucus (political party) within the UFT. They finished second to Michael Mulgrew's Unity Caucus in the most recent UFT election.

Last week, Solidarity with five teachers filed an Article 78 lawsuit in state court looking for an injunction to allow teachers to work remotely. The latest from Solidarity leader Lydia Howrilka on Facebook:

Updates from Article 78 lawsuit:

1. Judge has been assigned.

2. Court called lawyer.

3. Oral arguments are tomorrow at 4pm.

Its happening!

Lydia also told me that News12 and Politico have contacted her.

Update-UFT SAYS NO AGREEMENT ON TEACHERS BEING ALLOWED TO TEACH REMOTELY FROM HOME

Update: We have been told by the UFT there is NO AGREEMENT on teachers being allowed to do remote teaching from home. We apologize for any confusion our story (see below), that we said was based on a report we were given, may have caused.

We are not the NY Times, just a dissident union caucus blogger. We got this information from a CL who had it read to them by an administrator from a document they received and we talked to them again today.  It was repeated and we had permission to post.

I have no reason to start any rumors as I have been accused of in the comments. We were just passing on information that had been sent to us. We didn't editorialize or say anything about whether it was positive or negative. 

I am extremely sad about the state of the schools and the UFT but at the same time in awe that so many thousands of DOE-UFTers look to us for opinion and news.

Update 2: The City-DOE said on the bottom of page 13 in their response to the Solidarity lawsuit that "schools may also consider the needs of individuals who may not feel comfortable returning to an in-person educational environment when making assignments and modifying work settings and/or schedules where possible." 

Keep asking folks. Don't give up. 

The original post:

This came our way tonight from a very reliable source. 

In the morning, it will be announced that the UFT and City are going to allow remote instruction to take place at home. Administrators must grant preference to staff to do remote instruction based on the following three criteria (in order):

1 - Having a medically fragile family member at home

2 - Having childcare issues

3 - Seniority 

Arthur Goldstein has the story too. He had it a day before us. I have no idea why the DOE-UFT are not just sending this info out to all if they have agreed to something.

COVID-19 BACK IN NYC SCHOOLS; TEACHERS WALK OUT OF OTHER SCHOOLS; BY TONIGHT, IT'S NOW 6 SCHOOLS WITH COVID-19

It didn't take long for COVID-19 to make its comeback in the city school system.

From the NY Daily News:

Two staffers at Brooklyn public schools tested positive for COVID-19 — just a day after teachers and other school employees reported to school buildings to plan classes, the Daily News has learned.

Public School 1 in Sunset Park and Middle School 88 in Park Slope informed staffers of the positive tests on Tuesday, the Education Department confirmed. The schools are both a part of Community School District 15.

We hear there is another case in a different NYC school so unfortunately, we may have to add to this story. How many people were needlessly exposed to the infected individuals because school buildings are open when this work could easily be done remotely? I hope and pray there are no more new cases and the infected people are okay.

The NY Post also covered the story and wrote about a third possible case.

Update: CBS 2 has a news story on filthy conditions in NYC schools where teachers walked out and they also cover the positive COVID-19 tests. Thanks Bronx ATR. 

The scariest part is Michael Mulgrew saying, "Once the students come in, all these things have to click into place." After his sound bite, teachers are cited as asking why they have to be guinea pigs. Please watch for yourself to make sure I heard right.

Two teachers at two different schools in Brooklyn have tested positive for COVID-19. The city is not closing the schools, but giving colleagues the option to work remotely, pending contact tracing. It all comes as staff at other schools walked out, citing unsafe conditions; CBS2's Lisa Rozner reports.

Update 2:

We are now up to 6 schools with known COVID-19 cases. This is on MORE's Twitter:

UFT CTE VP ADDRESSES DODGE PROTESTERS

Thanks to my 11 year old daughter Kara for figuring out how to move a video from Twitter to post on YouTube. She is now the official ICEblog technical advisor.

UFT CTE Vice President Sterling Roberson addresses the protesters at Grace Dodge in the Bronx this morning but the protesters are not moved an inch.

One protester kind of says it all when she says that trust has been broken. 

We hope you can see it and can understand it. 

The UFT in my view is becoming a struggle between two main camps. On one side are members who are willing to openly fight back against the inept and often corrupt DOE and their UFT partners who need to unite on common ground. While on the other side are the UFTers who in spite of being sent into situations where they are being put at greater risk of catching a terrible virus are still good soldiers who follow orders. The passive aggressive types who send anonymous pictures where they are afraid to say what school it's from and write comments but in the end do not fight the system openly are unfortunately still with the latter group. (I do get that another group is okay with going in.)

ONLY 43% OF DOE BATHROOMS OPERATIONAL

This information is taken right from the DOE website. How can school buildings open when a majority of the bathrooms are not operational? Can anyone clarify this one for us?

Citywide Results Overview 

As of 9/7/2020

Location	Total Inspections	Operational	Rooms with Repairs Needed
Classrooms	64,550	61,668 96%	2,882
Bathrooms	23,353	10,105 43%	13,248
Office	28,029	22,407 80%	5,622
All Spaces	115,392	94,180 81%	21,752

PROTEST OUTSIDE A BRONX SCHOOL

 We have our first report of a day 1 picket from a high school in the Bronx.

Remember how President Mulgrew said no meetings in auditoriums?

UFT Solidarity is collecting information on the schools. You can fill it out anonymously but you do need to provide the name of the school. 

10 NYC SCHOOL BUILDINGS STARTING ALL REMOTE BUT HOW DO WE KNOW THE REST OF THEM ARE SAFE? (Updated)

 From Jillian Jorgensen's twitter. Some DOE buildings are going all remote for Professional Development.

What about the rest of the buildings? What criteria are the DOE and and probably their partners at the UFT using to close buildings? Does anybody know? The information is certainly not fully addressed in the safety reports. Some we have seen are full of gaping holes on air quality.

I wouldn't trust the DOE. Not much benefit of the doubt left toward the UFT either.

There is also the randomness factor. I have already seen reports on social media of principals outside of these ten buildings going all remote for the upcoming Professional Development days. Is this just another issue where the principal gets final say or are these reports mistaken?

Is this going to be a repeat of March 17-19 when UFTers were sent into school buildings at the height of the pandemic in NYC when the UFT knew some school buildings had cases of COVID-19?

In all fairness, we know a great deal more about COVID-19 now compared to March and there are social distancing, PPE, including mask requirements, today.

Nevertheless, is there anything the DOE wants done in these six days of PD that can't be done from home? If UFTers are going to have to social distance in rooms to do remote meetings, then wouldn't it be safer and keep tens of thousands of UFTers out of the public transport system if work could all be done from home? Why not at least ask for volunteers who want to come in first? 

In addition, the UFT email to chapter leaders from Friday (see below) was yet another head-scratcher. There is a six point checklist on what buildings have to have to open for staff that doesn't include anything on air quality when experts say COVID-19 is an airborne disease that can spread rapidly indoors. I am in no way an epidemiologist but this seems like a very strange omission. Ventilation is crucial according to this expert. However, the air quality only has to be fixed by September 21 when the students arrive, not when staff arrive on September 8.  

I will tell you now what I stated in March. If you don't feel it's safe, then don't enter a building. If it doesn't feel right to you, your health is much more important than the Taylor Law, or losing a CAR day or any possible discipline your principal could give you. It is much better to do this as a whole chapter as there is safety in numbers. Have your chapter leader call the UFT hotline at (212)701-9677 right away if you do not believe it is safe. If he/she won't call, call yourself but by no means walk in if you don't feel it is safe to do so. If you feel nauseous, follow DOE regulations and stay home or go home.  

What schools need for tomorrow according to the UFT:

Surgical masks for adults

Surgical masks for children

N95 respirators

Face shields for adults

Electrostatic sprayer

Cleaning supplies for daily and nightly cleaning

Supplies of gloves, disinfecting spray (or wipes), towels, hand sanitizer in each room

No-contact thermometers for temperature screening

Call the UFT hotline immediately at (212)701-9677 if your school is missing anything on this list. 

Mulgrew's Email to Chapter Leaders:

Dear _______,

Now that we have a safety agreement with the strongest COVID-19 protocols in the nation for schools, we must make those protocols real. It's time to put the plan into action to keep you, our members, and our students safe.

Working with medical experts, the UFT created a comprehensive school safety plan, including the presence of a school nurse, a six-foot separation between student desks, sufficient personal protective equipment, adequate ventilation and an isolation room.  More than 100 union safety investigators have visited most of the city’s more than 1,400 school buildings to see what has been accomplished and what work still needs to be done. 

Below, you'll find the results of the UFT COVID-19 safety inspection for your school. Please review it as soon as you can.  

Your school must have personal protective equipment  in place when staff return on Tuesday, Sept. 8. If PPE is not available, immediately discuss the situation with your principal, the custodian or the leader of your school’s COVID-19 building response team. If the issue cannot be resolved immediately, call the union’s hotline at 212-701-9677. The hotline operator will triage your call to a UFT staff member, who will promptly come to your building to confirm your report and take further action. UFT members should leave the building and wait outside. No one may be in a building without wearing a mask and following the social distancing rules.

Between Sept. 8 and Friday, Sept. 18, you, your principal and your school’s COVID-19 building response team will work to address the issues flagged in the UFT school safety inspection. Schools must pass all items itemized in the school safety plan by Monday, Sept. 21, the day students return for in-person instruction. If the school buildings do not pass, staff at that school building must remain remote.  

When you or your designee returns to the school building on Sept. 8, please do a follow-up inspection of outstanding school safety plan items. On or before Sept. 8, we will send you another email with a short survey we’ll ask you to return before or on Friday, Sept. 11. We'll ask you to update us on the conditions in your school.  

These are extraordinary times and I thank you for all your hard work in keeping your school safe.

Sincerely, 

Michael Mulgrew 

UFT President

Update: For those who think having adults only in a building preparing for the kids to come back makes it safe from COVID-19, this is from Newsday. These are Long Island districts:

Two employees in the Southold School District tested positive for the virus, Superintendent Anthony Mauro wrote in a letter to community members Sunday night. The staffers had been in a school building together preparing for the students’ return Tuesday, he wrote. Workers were disinfecting the building.

In another letter Monday, Mauro said the first day of in-person instruction will be pushed back to Sept. 18 so the "majority" of employees can quarantine.

On Sunday, Sewanhaka Central High School District Superintendent James Grossane announced a staffer at New Hyde Park Memorial High School tested positive for the virus, and had been in "close contact" — within six feet for 10 minutes or more — with nine other employees.

The infected staffer "will not be allowed to return to school for ten days and after a negative test result has been provided to the district," Grossane wrote in a statement posted on the district website. Those who had been in close contact with the staff member will quarantine for two weeks, the statement read.

SOME COMIC RELIEF ON THE SIMPLE HYBRID MODEL FROM DENA BLIZZARD AS UFTERS CONTINUE TO PREPARE FOR TUESDAY'S REOPENING FOR STAFF

Here is a video from Dena Blizzard who just might be the next Chancellor after this. I had a good laugh. I hope you will too.

My favorite part is the Poop Brown Cohort and of course the survey on surveys.

We will get very serious again and should have more concerning what to do about the opening on Tuesday. I heard of a school already going all remote. For now, please follow the instructions from yesterday's post and know your rights if you have any COVID-19 symptoms.

RUMOR HAS IT THAT NYC POLICE OFFICERS DON'T SEEM TO BE AFRAID OF THE TAYLOR LAW

 From NY1:

Bronx Councilman Ritchie Torres and Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams are calling on the city's Department of Investigations to determine why the police are taking longer to get to the scene of a crime.

"To examine if there is in fact a work slowdown and to what extend has the work slowdown driven the growth in violence in New York City," Torres said at a press conference Monday.

Last week, NY1 reported that response times by police for crimes in progress have risen all summer.

In July, average response times hit 9 minutes and 41 seconds — 1 minute and 12 seconds longer than the average response time last July.

This comes as the number of crimes spiked with 686 shootings in June, July, and August, an increase of 156 percent over the same three months last year.

From the earlier story, some more specific numbers from June:

Take June of 2019. It took 8 minutes and 31 seconds to get to a crime in progress. This June, it took 12 minutes and 17 seconds. 

NYPD sources say that almost 4-minute jump could be attributed to the protests and looting occurring simultaneously in the wake of the death of George Floyd.

Response times are up for June, July and August compared to last year.

Further down in the August 25 piece:

“A minute in policing is a lifetime, when you are wrestling with someone, when you are being robbed, that extra 60 seconds is the difference between an apprehension or even a person’s life,” said Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams when NY1 showed him the new numbers. "I think the police department has to drill down on that and see if something is taking place.”

Adams has questioned whether cops are responding slower — part of a rumor circulating that there is a slowdown in the city. The Public Advocate has requested data from police headquarters to look into it. 

For those who want to attribute slower response times to budget cuts and fewer officers being on the streets, once again back to NY1:

While the response time for crimes in progress may be longer, when you examine all of the calls cops respond to, that number is getting smaller this summer. 

In July 2019, it took the NYPD more than 20 minutes on average to respond to all of its 911 calls. This July, it was about 18 minutes.

The evidence shows something is going on. Police are taking their time getting to  crimes in progress. Why isn't there a call from the NY Post to invoke the Taylor Law and fine the police officers for their job action? 

The PBA wouldn't be stupid enough to say they are engaging in a slowdown, even if the officers are.  It is possible police are following the rules to the letter. UFTers might want to review Chancellor's Regulations and memos, as well as agreements between the UFT and the City-DOE and adhere to these directives and agreements very carefully.

UPDATES FROM UFT SOLIDARITY ON COURT CASE AND ONLINE MEETING SUNDAY

 From UFT Solidarity leader Lydia Howrilka:

Injunction News: Recently there have been a ton of people emailing Lydia Howrilka and Bryan Glass to see if they can get in on the suit. We are filing the petition but we can add additional facts and plaintiffs to an Amended Petition that we can submit afterward.

If you were denied an accommodation or are unable to receive one because you don't qualify, you might want to join.

If you want to join the fun, email Bryan Glass at bglass@ghnylaw.com 

He will be charging $500 per petitioner to cover with the filing fee and the long hours editing the Amended Petition and other legal documents.

UFT Solidarity will be holding an emergency meeting on Sunday, September 6, 2020 at 2:00 P.M. on Google Meet.

MULGREW SAYS SCHOOLS HAVE UNTIL SEPTEMBER 21 TO PASS FULL SAFETY INSPECTION BUT STAFF REPORT TO BUILDINGS SEPTEMBER 8

Below is an email a chapter leader sent to the chapter in a co-located school followed by an email President Mulgrew sent out to chapter leaders along with a copy of this particular school's Safety Report. Apparently UFT members are supposed to be the canaries in a coalmine next week.

For those wondering what must be in place by September 8 when staff arrive, there is a list from the UFT copied below. Other items on the 50 point safety checklist I guess are only for when the students arrive on September 21. Many of those items are exclusively for students but some of the other items do look like they impact adults. It needs to be clear what has to be in place when staff arrive besides equipment. 

From UFT:

Schools need the following equipment and supplies on Sept. 8, 2020.

• Surgical masks for adults
• Surgical masks for children
• N95 respirators
• Face shields for adults
• Electrostatic sprayer
• Cleaning supplies for daily and nightly cleaning
• Supplies of gloves, disinfecting spray (or wipes), towels, hand sanitizer in each room
• No-contact thermometers for temperature screening

My advice is to demand your face shields, masks, gloves and cleaning supplies for everyone upon arrival. Call the UFT right away if you don't get them.

 

Good Morning

I received the UFT Safety Report last night.  You will find it below in an email from Mulgrew.  As you'll see it is not great but the inspection team did not speak with our admin so some information is incorrect.  For example, we have protocols for entry, dismissal, circulation, isolation room, etc.  There are some concerning issues.  For example #11, 13 and 26.  According to [the UFT District Rep] the signage is for the kids so that needs to be in place by the 21st.  The broken windows don't seem to impact us as the classrooms listed are not ours [different school in the same building].  #26 is most concerning to me because that was the same issue in the report from 2018-19 so in 3 years the exhauster fan hasn't been fixed.  So is it safe?  Again according to [the UFT District Rep]  for Tuesday we need enough masks, social distancing, small meeting with teachers 6 feet apart, bathrooms that work, entry procedures for staff and properly ventilated rooms.  I believe we have all that but again the exhauster is concerning so [the UFT District Rep] is checking on that.  [The UFT District Rep's] initial response was that with windows and doors open the rooms will be properly ventilated.  I know nothing about ventilation so I don't know if that is true.  I'll continue to try and get information and keep everyone updated.

Mulgrew's Email to Chapter Leaders:

Dear _______,

Now that we have a safety agreement with the strongest COVID-19 protocols in the nation for schools, we must make those protocols real. It's time to put the plan into action to keep you, our members, and our students safe.

Working with medical experts, the UFT created a comprehensive school safety plan, including the presence of a school nurse, a six-foot separation between student desks, sufficient personal protective equipment, adequate ventilation and an isolation room.  More than 100 union safety investigators have visited most of the city’s more than 1,400 school buildings to see what has been accomplished and what work still needs to be done. 

Below, you'll find the results of the UFT COVID-19 safety inspection for your school. Please review it as soon as you can.  

Your school must have personal protective equipment  in place when staff return on Tuesday, Sept. 8. If PPE is not available, immediately discuss the situation with your principal, the custodian or the leader of your school’s COVID-19 building response team. If the issue cannot be resolved immediately, call the union’s hotline at 212-701-9677. The hotline operator will triage your call to a UFT staff member, who will promptly come to your building to confirm your report and take further action. UFT members should leave the building and wait outside. No one may be in a building without wearing a mask and following the social distancing rules.

Between Sept. 8 and Friday, Sept. 18, you, your principal and your school’s COVID-19 building response team will work to address the issues flagged in the UFT school safety inspection. Schools must pass all items itemized in the school safety plan by Monday, Sept. 21, the day students return for in-person instruction. If the school buildings do not pass, staff at that school building must remain remote.  

When you or your designee returns to the school building on Sept. 8, please do a follow-up inspection of outstanding school safety plan items. On or before Sept. 8, we will send you another email with a short survey we’ll ask you to return before or on Friday, Sept. 11. We'll ask you to update us on the conditions in your school.  

These are extraordinary times and I thank you for all your hard work in keeping your school safe.

Sincerely, 

Michael Mulgrew 

UFT President

Your School Safety Report:

1. How will waste be removed?

Unsure

2. Isolation room (waiting room for students with fever and symptoms) (Page 8 of 16) Is there a designated isolation room?

Custodian and/or principal is unsure

3. Are there supplies of the following in the school? (Page 2 of 16)

Supplies of gloves, disinfecting spray (or wipes), towels, hand sanitizer in each room

4. Is the main office properly ventilated?

Yes

5. Is the main office large enough to provide 6 feet distance between multiple people?

Yes

6. Protocol for breakfast and lunch (Page 6 of 16) How will meals be delivered to the classroom?

Unsure

7. Staff Eating Area (Page 15 of 16) Does the school have an area designated for staff meals?

Yes

8. Is there signage for placement of desks or tables in the classroom?

No

9. Are the sinks operational in the bathrooms?

Yes

10. Is there a dismissal protocol?

Custodian and/or principal is unsure

11. On signage, placement of furniture, directionals... (Page 5 of 16) Has signage been placed in all places students and staff will be, including, but not limited to, hallways, elevators, outside the building, staircases, main offices, lobbies and nurses office (inside and out) to help enforce social distancing?

No

12. Please provide the name and contact information of the school's custodial engineer.

Name Removed

13. Please add any additional notes you feel are relevant (Page 16 of 16)

No member of CSA present No chemicals for the ionizer; no one has been trained There are roughly 12-18 classroom windows that need to be repaired and they have been marked/identified in blue There are no batteries to operate the thermometers Several offices cannot be utilized due to social distancing guidelines: Rooms 105, 202, 212, 219, 272, 310, 312 The staff cafeteria is small and the school is quite large. Maybe social distancing for up to 5 adults. Nurse's Office may be problematic for social distancing, but there are numerous exam rooms. The nurse's office is managed by Northwell Health and serve all four schools If the blowers are to be used, every classroom locker must be left open However, that will be inaccessible because all additional classroom furniture will be left in the back of the classroom, as per the DSF directive.

14. Ventilation (Page 4 of 16) (Consult with the custodial engineer. The intent is not for us to certify the building's ventilation system but to verify the following questions with the custodial engineers.) Does the building have windows?

Yes

15. Is there proper ventilation in the nurses' office?

Yes

16. Is there protocol in place for when students need to wash hands?

No

17. Does the school have a centralized system?

No

18. Please confirm the date you completed the school walk through. (Page 1 of 16)

28-Aug-20

19. Are there any windowless rooms that rely on the mechanical ventilation system?

Yes

20. Is the staff eating area large enough to provide 6 feet distance between multiple people?

Yes

21. Are there supplies of the following in the school? (Page 2 of 16)

No-contact thermometers for temperature screening

22. Are there supplies of the following in the school? (Page 2 of 16)

Face shields for adults

23. Building Response Team (BRT) (Page 13 of 16) Do you have a BRT?

Yes

24. Is there signage for maintaining social distance?

Custodian and/or principal is unsure

25. Is there a functioning and supplied sink available for hand washing?

Yes

26. Are the exhausters working?

No

27. Have you designated a waiting area for the nurses' office that allows for social distancing if more than one child arrives?

Custodian and/or principal is unsure

28. On the items that were unavailable during the walkthrough, have the items been earmarked for ordering and/or are shipments incoming?

No Applicable

29. Are there supplies of the following in the school? (Page 2 of 16)

Cleaning supplies for daily and nightly cleaning

30. Save room (A room which we call the SAVE room must be designated for counseling or disciplinary issues) (Page 9 of 16) Is there a designated SAVE room?

Custodian and/or principal is unsure

31. Hand washing in bathrooms (Page 3 of 16) Is there soap and paper towels in the bathrooms?

Yes

32. Entry / Dismissal Protocol (Page 14 of 16) Is there an entry protocol for staff and students?

Custodian and/or principal is unsure

33. Nurses' office (Page 7 of 16) Does the school have a full time nurse on site?

Yes

34. Please provide the name and contact information of the school's principal.

Once again, no CSA present

35. Does the nurse have access to a computer with access to the ASHR system?

Custodian and/or principal is unsure

36. Are there supplies of the following in the school? (Page 2 of 16)

Surgical mask for adults

37. Does the nurses' office have a phone capable of calling outside lines?

Yes

38. Hallway movement / student circulation (Page 10 of 16) While we recommend passing be limited, is there a plan for passing time?

Custodian and/or principal is unsure

39. Are there supplies of the following in the school? (Page 2 of 16)

Surgical mask for children

40. Are there supplies of the following in the school? (Page 2 of 16)

N95 respirators

41. Is there an established protocol for taking students to the nurse?

Custodian and/or principal is unsure

42. The BRT must now include the school nurse, custodial engineer and school safety agents (SSA). Have they been added to the BRT?

Custodian and/or principal is unsure

43. Is there a visitor protocol (for parents, deliveries, construction contractors, etc)?

Custodian and/or principal is unsure

44. Do all classrooms have access to operable windows?

Yes

45. Is there a protocol for daily cleaning of classrooms that ensures no food waste?

Custodian and/or principal is unsure

46. Are there supplies of the following in the school? (Page 2 of 16)

Electrostatic sprayer

47. Main office (Page 12 of 16) Has the plexiglass partition been installed?

Yes

48. Is the staff eating area properly ventilated?

Yes

49. Does the nurses' office have enough space to socially distance?

Custodian and/or principal is unsure

NYC DOE CALENDAR FINALLY OUT

 Thanks to a reader for sending this information our way. 

The 2020-2021 NYC school calendar is finally out. Our unofficial one was pretty good except no staff development on Election Day. It's now a regular fully remote instructional day but school will end on June 25, not June 28 for students. Still not totally sure about last teacher day.

MULGREW INSULTS MEMBERSHIP BY NOT GIVING THEM A VOTE ON HIS SAFETY DEAL

I have taken the time to read much of the social media criticisms and some of the support for Michael Mulgrew's deal with the City that nobody gets to see but only the 100% Unity Caucus endorsed Executive Board and the Unity dominated Delegate Assembly could vote on. The UFT membership at large was mobilized by Mulgrew to get strike ready for a safety strike that I was suspicious was not an actual threat but went along with. My wife (a longtime chapter leader and delegate) was adamant that the strike talk was fantasy. I noted that Mulgrew didn't look serious at that UFT presser in August when he talked strike. He was almost smiling when he said job action. Did our saber rattling get the Mayor to negotiate? Perhaps but Mayor Bill de Blasio was not worried about the UFT taking a strike vote and said so at his Monday, August 31 press briefing. 

Were all of us played by Mulgrew or did our strike threat really work to get the mayor to make serious concessions? The rank and file was being asked to risk Taylor Law fines for the first time since 1975 but will have no say on whether the UFT achieved its goal of a safe partial reopening of school buildings. Since teachers and other UFTers are the ones who have to work in these school buildings starting on Tuesday, don't you think all of you, not Mulgrew and his bought and paid for followers, should make that decision if his deal really makes schools safe? Let's look at what Mulgrew tells us is in the actual deal.

Read Mulgrew's August 25 email. The UFT never asked for full remote for the fall. There were three demands that the UFT had and the DOE according to Mulgrew is meeting them on paper at least with this notable exception: "Every child and adult should be tested for the virus before entering a school building." That was the toughest demand and it is not in the amended plan the DOE is sending to the State Education Department. The UFT did get in writing according to Mulgrew assurances on needed supplies, procedures to keep schools safe and a mandatory random testing program to start next month for 10-20% of students and staff.

Two days after the UFT Unity dominated Delegate Assembly voted 82% to 17 % in favor of Mulgrew's deal, Councilman Mark Treyger held hearings on school reopening.

This is from Gothamist:

New York City should expect to see an uptick in COVID-19 cases once public schools reopen for in-person classes later this month, an infectious disease expert and advisor to Mayor Bill de Blasio testified at a City Council hearing on Thursday.

Dr. Irwin Redlener was among the 140 speakers scheduled to testify at the day-long education committee hearing on the city's school reopening plan. In the absence of testimony from DOE officials, councilmembers heard from skeptics of de Blasio's school reopening plan, along with the school labor union leaders who convinced the mayor to delay reopening to allow more time to prepare.

Redlener warned councilmembers that students enrolled in schools for in-person learning have a greater chance of contracting the disease when inside a classroom.

“I’m pretty certain that we’re going to see a resurgence. There’s too many factors that we cannot control,” Redlener said, adding that the current reopening of colleges where cases have surfaced coupled with the upcoming Labor Day weekend, when New Yorkers typically travel outside the state, could contribute to an uptick. "It's going to spread and the schools are not as ready as they could or should be."

Redlener urged the city Department of Education to expand the criteria for Reasonable Accommodation Requests, the exemptions that allow teachers to instruct students from home. Several educators are taking the city to court in an attempt to keep teaching completely remote during the pandemic.

Mulgrew constantly cites medical experts. Did he consult with Dr. Redlener?

Back to Gothamist:

The hearing came two days after the city announced a delay in the reopening of public schools following weeks of pushback by the United Federation of Teachers union, which raised the possibility of a strike last week. UFT president Michael Mulgrew told committee members he signed off on the DOE's plan after receiving assurances that a randomized testing protocol will be set up for each school. Mulgrew also said he was reassured by de Blasio's commitment to double down on resources to neighborhoods that saw noticeable upticks. This includes additional rapid testing sites.

Where are these resources going to come from Mr. President?

Back in July Mulgrew stated, "We do not believe that New York City can pull it off if Congress does not pass the U.S. HEROES Act this summer."

Last time I looked, not only had the Senate not passed the Heroes Act but President Trump who controls FEMA is cutting funding for cleaning schools and mass transit.

From the NY Post:

A new FEMA policy change will scrub COVID-19 funds for disinfecting mass transit, schools and other public facilities, New York officials charged on Thursday.

“I have spoken with New York State and New York City and they are telling me that disinfection of the MTA, government buildings, and schools will now no longer be eligible expenses [for federal reimbursement], and that PPE for non-medical workers has been strictly limited,” Senator Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said in a statement.

The FEMA rule change, set for Sept. 15, eliminates federal support for the virus-safe operation of courthouses, public transit, public housing, schools and other public facilities, CNN reported on Wednesday — including funds for cleaning and protective equipment.

“The operation of schools and other public facilities, even with changes necessitated by the COVID-19 environment … are not immediate actions necessary to protect public health and safety,” the emergency management agency wrote in an Aug. 29 policy summer provided to The Post by Schumer’s office.

Where is the money coming for all of the deep cleaning and PPE supplies the UFT says are mandated to be provided in schools?

Where is the funding coming for all of the teachers that will be needed for blended learning in schools, and at home and for fully remote learning? There is a shortage of staff but layoffs are still on the table as the city is $9 billion in debt right now.

Mulgrew told the now famous UFTer Barbara at the Town Hall on Wednesday that there are no concessions in his current deal. He could have added that the city unions are trying to convince the state to give the city borrowing authority. There will more than likely be union concessions in exchange. Will the rank and file have a say in any of this or will it be another backroom deal? The chances of a member vote on any of this are basically less than zero. In addition, I am all for an early retirement incentive but are they going to agree to one after the start of the school year? That will just add to the chaos that looks like is imminent.

Mulgrew has hitched his wagon to the city's school reopening plan that has many more holes in it than a golf course. His gamble is that it will work and he can go to the state to complain if it does not without risking his precious dues. The problem is he is betting with the lives of the UFTers, students and all of the families who are connected to those going into the school buildings. 

Is it better than March when Mulgrew knew buildings were infected with COVID-19 and didn't urge UFTers to leave them? I think that decision should be made by the UFTers who have to take the risk, not their Delegates and Executive Board members who don't want to endanger their union perks or the UFT President who does not want to put the UFT's dues money in jeopardy. It's all of you that have to take the chance going to and from school. Most of you are the ones who will have to supervise breakfast and lunch in classrooms, social distancing and other mandates in the schools. The technology certainly exists for you to decide but you won't get the chance. However, if you stay in the UFT, you will get an opportunity in 2021 to vote out your bought and paid for Unity chapter leaders and delegates and in 2022 you will have the opportunity to send Mulgrew and Unity packing forever. Not easy of course, but maybe no longer next to impossible.

KNOW YOUR RIGHTS ON COVID-19 SICK TIME

 UFTers, please read this official DOE document very closely and follow its guidelines.

SUCCESS ACADEMY GOING ALL REMOTE UNTIL DECEMBER

From ABC 7:

NEW YORK CITY (WABC) -- New York City's largest charter school network announced Thursday that it will stay all remote until December.

Success Academy, which operates 47 schools across Brooklyn, the Bronx, Manhattan, and Queens and enrolls 20,000 students, cited concerns about building readiness and said social distancing eliminates "many of the benefits of attending school in person."

Eva's quote: 

"The logistical complexities of keeping our community safe would greatly compromise the student learning experience and limit so many of the interactions kids love about school."

Even charter school queen Eva, who shares buildings with the DOE, knows NYC school buildings aren't ready. It seems only Bill deBlasio, Richard Carranza, Michael Mulgrew and his Unity followers and maybe a few others believe these school buildings are ready to go for a meaningful educational experience for the children of NYC.

GOTHAMIST COVERS UFT SOLIDARITY LAWSUIT ATTEMPTING TO EXPAND OPTIONS TO DO REMOTE LEARNING (Updated as City Settles With One Plaintiff)

Anyone who thinks that the agreement that Michael Mulgrew and the City-DOE came to that nobody can see was the end of the struggle and that schools will just open as the UFT agreed to is not paying attention. Backed by Teacher Lawyer Bryan Glass, UFT Solidarity has filed a lawsuit looking at the very least to expand the options for DOE employees to work remotely from home. 

I have been involved in helping out with giving information in cases where Bryan and his partner Jordan Harlow were representing teachers. In my opinion, they know what they're doing. Bryan wouldn't file for an injunction if there was no chance of success. 

The story was covered in Gothamist:

Teachers Will Ask Judge To Block In-Person Learning At NYC Public Schools

Several New York City teachers will ask a state judge to keep schools fully remote for the upcoming semester and expand the criteria for instructors to teach from home, arguing that it's still too risky to bring students and teachers back into classrooms while the danger of the pandemic still exists.

"I will not allow them to use me or my children as test subjects," said Francisca Harding, a 12-year D75 science teacher in the Bronx, and one of the petitioners filing an injunctive relief against the City of New York and Schools Chancellor Richard Carranza. "My whole family is in the front line," said Harding, whose three children are in the public school system. Harding added that she was also filing the suit for the "thousands" of educators who "are not tenured, and do not have the safety net that I have within the DOE, and especially home instruction teachers, hospital instruction teachers, paraprofessionals."

Harding argues that the school buildings are not safe for teachers even as city officials have cited measures like electrostatic cleaning of classrooms, hand sanitizer, limited movement among students, a nurse in every school building, and maintaining a 30-day supply of personal protective equipment for everyone.

Currently, students are expected to return to school for in-person learning on September 21st, 11 days from the original date Mayor Bill de Blasio and the city Department of Education proposed, with training for remote learning for teachers occurring September 16th through 18th. The decision was made after the DOE struck a deal to delay school reopening with the United Federation of Teachers, which threatened last week to strike.

Further down:

They're playing what we in the DOE call the 'horse and pony game.' We're trying to create a show for you guys, and tell parents, 'Look we're safe.' But a lot of those parents are also educators," Harding countered. "And we know for a fact that the schools are not safe. The cleaning has not been done correctly. Some teachers find dead animals or dead rodents under their desk. And that's been there for years. And now de Blasio is gonna tell us all of a sudden, there's gonna be a purified cleaning throughout all the schools, in the DOE?"

Harding and other petitioners hope a judge forces the DOE to agree to expanding the Reasonable Accommodation Request criteria—a set of DOE-approved medical conditions that allow impacted teachers to work from home instead of a classroom with the belief their conditions could worse if they return to school.

The filing of an injunctive relief was brought by UFT Solidarity, a subset group within the UFT that's criticized the school reopening plan and the narro

"It excludes certain groups of people, including people who are cancer patients, people who are parents of small children, who may have opted to go remote," said Lydia Howrilka, a teacher and organizer with UFT Solidarity. "People like myself who are caregivers of elderly parents and guardians who unfortunately will be putting our loved ones at great risk if we were to come into work. Educators have been given this Hobson's Choice of choosing between their livelihoods and their health."

What did Yogi Berra famously once say?

It ain't over till it's over.

Update from Lydia's Facebook:

"When the City calls your lawyer before things get filed, you kinda know you are about to throw a grenade."

Update 2

I have been informed that the city is in a state of panic over the lawsuit.  They have already given an accommodation to Ms Harding, the teacher quoted in the Gothamist piece. New plaintiffs added.

LIVE BLOGGING FROM SEPTEMBER TOWN HALL

 I got in late as the phone lines were busy. Mulgrew was already speaking. He gave our plan to the mayor who tried to make it about us. UFT protecting parents, students and communities. We scheduled strike authorization for Monday night and then there was a realization from City Hall that we were very serious. Mayor asked how we can go on strike? We said we need a plan that meets all of our criteria and outside experts have to agree that the plan is good for the schools and the community.

Monday night, we asked the Executive Board to continue to negotiate and to bring a strike authorization on Tuesday if necessary. Yesterday, at 9:45 am we weren't done but by 10:15 am NYC has a Covid-19 plan that has the most safeguards of any school system in the country. We need relief if there is a violation in hours. The agreement is part of a safety plan filed with the State Education Department. We can go into court and ask for a temporary restraining order to close a school.  We're all afraid and nobody wants to go on strike when we are facing layoffs. Road ahead is bumpy. We have chosen to go down that road. Hundreds and hundreds of school meetings talking about going on strike. We are not going to let what happened in March happen ever again. Schools are opening for staff on Tuesday. We pushed back the start of the school year for the kids. Mayor didn't want to do mandatory testing. This is serious stuff about understanding how important we are to our students and their families but also understand how much they think about us. We all gotta keep each other safe.

A lot of people are not really comfortable going back to work. First time I walked around the City, I did't want to. If you don't have those feelings, you are insane. We have to trust each other and have each other's backs. There's a lot of work but it's good work. DOE and City Hall are scrambling left and right. No PPE, school building will be closed. Somebody has to see the evidence. Emails not enough. We are going to every school. 100 people have gone to over 1,400 schools. No masks, call us up. Hotline is set up. We will send someone directly to the building. That school is getting PPE or everyone's going home. Ventilation reports have to go to Chapter Leader. Other supplies being checked. Nothing moves unless everything is in place. Must be social distancing on Tuesday, not only if the kids are in the building. No meetings jamming people in the library. Building Response Team always around. They have a clear responsibility. Everything in terms of Covid has to be in place. Soap in the bathroom every day. Does the custodian have equipment to do deep cleaning every night? There has to be an isolation room; there has to be a nurse. Building Response Team has to work these things out. 

Instructional plan is the other piece. Remote only teachers, in person teacher in the classroom all day and blended remote teacher who teaches the kids who go to school a couple of times a week but are at home the other days. Teachers have to meet. Schools have an educational platform, scope and sequence where people are coordinating. We need this time at the beginning of the school year. 9/16-18, we need time to make sure the tech and translation services are working. We need to figure out problems in households. 

Mandated testing program. We proposed everyone being tested but doctors said it was only good for three days. We want a mandatory program in every school. We have to be fastidious if someone has any symptoms. Have symptoms and say it's a cold, no, go get a test. If a school is in a zip code with a higher rate of COVID, flood the school with testing. That is how you catch the asymptomatic people. Need a scientific representative sample. Testing is mandated. We need permission slips from parents. Someone who refuses to be tested, they can't come to school. We need to sign the permission slips as do principals. It is like what we sign at the doctor's office. If UFTer says no they refuse to be tested, person goes on a leave and keeps medical benefits. Everybody is in this together. 

This is a union. We don't all agree. We made a pact and we have what we had to have.

Facing layoff issue. We got everything we needed now. If we disagree on whether a school should open, we can go to Albany or court. Recession is real. Downtown Manhattan, many signs for space for lease. Federal government has failed. We have specific money for COVID. Major problem. Set a path but it's like a lesson, it takes twists and turns. We have to watch out for each other. The last thing we want is for anyone to lose their job. Greatest challenge we have is safety. Phenomenal agreement but words mean nothing unless we make it real in each and every school. There will be challenges. There will be administrators who think they know what's best. Not a grievance process, call the UFT. We now have the authority to make sure we are making each other safe. Period at the beginning of the year to see that we get things done. We don't go into the building if the city is not complying with a document that they sent to the State. 

This is one of the most difficult times most of us have ever been through. Our school system got hit harder by COVID than anybody else. Schools should have been closed earlier. This is personal to us. It's not the mayor's schools system. It's the children of NY and the people who work in the system. Paraprofessionals, therapists, secretaries. It's all of our school system. It becomes yours when you dedicate your lives to it. We are the ones who makes sure it stays safe. It will be all of us. The authority to do it is in our hands. I'm so sorry for what we went through. It's up to us to take care of each other and take care of the children of this city. Nobody takes care of the children of the city better than we do. 

Thanks to all. We have always been there for each other and for the children of the city. 

Questions:

Question-Paraprofessional in jeopardy of being excessed. Nothing told to us about roles?

Answer-We are dramatically short of staff. There will be work. Many paras passed away. Nobody back then understood what was going on back then. Medical, scientific side much more knowledge. Distance hugs paras. Paras did great reaching out in the spring. IEPs still in effect. We got paras backs.

Question-Calendar? What concessions did you make? You gave spring break up last year.

Answer-Spring break and retro were not given up. There are no concessions. Calendar will be coming out. Flexibility with SED and Board of Regents. We should have enough instructional time without touching breaks. Going to arbitration over spring break and already got 4 CAR days.

Question-Every school will have PPE. What is the list of what we need?

Answer-We have an agreed upon checklist that Chapter Leader should have. We could send out the approved list of supplies that have to be in the building. Must be approved masks. Doctors frowning on bandanas because face covering has to be fitted around nose and mouth. It all has to be in place. 30 day supply in every school. Schools should be resupplied every week. We will learn about burn rate the first week children are in schools.

Question-Can remote teachers go into buildings for supplies?

Answer-We will get clarification on that. 

Question-Smaller classes, principal said school is short staffed. Remote teachers will be handling classes of 68.

Answer-Some of 2020 just sucked. Understands principals ignore some DOE gobbledygook. DOE is in process of redeploying any staff that doesn't have a responsibility for keeping schools going. People in offices being redeployed to schools. Many substitutes. Over 500 special ed teachers hired. Tell DR

Question-What is a threshold for calling a strike if DOE doesn't meet our demands?

Answer-We can go to SED, governor or court if a school doesn't do the right thing. We are not breaking the Taylor Law. School goes to remote. No longer grievance. No need to put everyone at risk when we have a clear way to protect ourselves.

Question-Thanks Mulgrew. How does outdoor learning work?

Answer-Brought it up three months ago. City wasn't interested in it and then suddenly two weeks ago they are interested and told principals to figure it out. We will check if principals submitted a plan. Some parents want it. We are going to have to wait and see. Safety people will check outdoor places also. Doing it in two weeks is crazy. What if people are sleeping under the tent? Who is responsible for putting up the tent? Liability issues.

Question-If we go to layoff, how are the decisions on who gets laid off?

Answer-It's citywide reverse seniority by title. Intense meeting at City Hall with Municipal Labor Committee to get City borrowing authority from Albany. Layoff notices did not go out on Monday as scheduled but we have some real problems. Strategies we are working on. 

Question-District 75 buildings are they safe to return to school?

Answer-D75 is way behind. Leadership said they had it handled but they do not. This is a major focus. Sup't said everything is handled but it wasn't. We have the authority to keep ourselves safe now. A whole lot of work going on now. Thanks for what you do.

Question-Time frame, was two weeks enough time to get things in place? Why isn't more effort placed on on families going all remote?

Answer-We have had checklist on what should be in school for months. Procedures in schools we have had for a month too. Testing is what's holding things up. We have been telling them that over 70% of instruction will be remote this school year. Learning platforms we are looking at. DOE has 36 page documents that say nothing. We need platforms that work and have to do team approach that works. Teachers figured it out from March to June. People from Tweed have never done remote but teachers have.

Question-Update on buyout?

Answer-It all starts in Albany. That would give savings to the City. No guarantee. I don't know what the date would be. All unions working on it. Look for a buyout for folks and we would have to restaff. Pay more at the end as opposed to when you start which is as it should be.

Question-In person 10 students, 34 for remote, blended can be up to 68 students?

Answer-New position: Academic Content Specialist. Blended Remote Teacher will be working with Academic Content Specialists posting materials and doing prep and instructional and assessment materials into platform. Blended Remote Teacher will not have to prepare. Blended Remote Teacher can do small group instruction. No huge groups on video feed. All of that prep work will be preloaded into platform. 

Question-Related Services?

Answer-Still working with DOE on what happens with in person sessions and remote sessions. Changing own PPE between sessions is not done. Speech Therapists will get shields. Related services piece is not finished at this point. DOE suddenly talking about compliance before they used to say they can't be in compliance. 

Question-If we share a building, how many are tested?

Answer-Scientists would say it is the building. Charter schools in DOE buildings must follow rules.

Question-Secretary in building told she has to work with students?

Answer-Take that to District Rep. Principals have never been given guidance on what they can and can't do. Must have plexiglass in offices and at security desk.

Question-Working remotely in a new grade. Can she get teaching guides?

Answer-Must give access to remote teachers. Educational platform has to work. Remote teachers work from home. Because of the large number of students who are remote, we need more people to teach remote. 

 Question-Medical accommodation, will there be an extension after the December 31 expiration?

Answer-Go back to doctor and get an extension as long as you still have the medical condition.

Mulgrew apologises for people who couldn't get on due to phone problems.

Question-Observations, are we using Danielson?

Answer-We have not gotten to it yet. State has moved back Next Generation Learning Standards. Sorry we don't have evaluations figured out yet. Give us a couple of weeks.

Question: Thanks Mulgrew, teacher going into building, if I am forced to quarantine, do those days go against my CAR?

Answer: No, you are protected. We are one of the few districts in the country that has that protection. 

Labor Day Weekend bittersweet for all of us.  We're all here together. We did a great job taking care of our kids in remote. We did a great job getting ready to take care of each other in buildings. It will be tough; but we will rise to the occasion. We will watch out for each other. We all have to be on the same page. Thank you for being on the call and for what you've done and are about to do. God bless you. We will have the biggest party ever when COVID is gone. God bless you all. 

JAMAICA HS ALUMNA SETS UP FUND FOR ST JUDES CHILDREN'S RESEARCH HOSPITAL IN MEMORY OF CHAZ

 All of us miss blogger Chaz who passed away from COVID-19 a few months back. We certainly could use Eric's insights during the current crisis. 

The alumni from Jamaica High School have not forgotten about the Earth Science Teacher they knew as Mr. Chasanoff. 

Kas Khan has set up a fundraiser for St Judes Children's Research Hospital in memory of Eric Chasanoff on Facebook. I am happy to support them in this effort.

Please donate if you are able to.

From Facebook:

Want to join me in supporting a good cause? I'm raising money for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital and your contribution will make an impact, whether you donate $5 or $500. Every little bit helps. Thank you for your support. I've included information about St. Jude Children's Research Hospital below. It's in the memory of Eric Chasanoff.

Families never receive a bill froFm St. Jude for treatment, travel, housing or food – because all a family should worry about is helping their child live. Treatments invented at St. Jude have helped push the overall childhood cancer survival rate from 20% to more than 80% since it opened more than 50 years ago. St. Jude is working to drive the overall survival rate for childhood cancer to 90%, and we won’t stop until no child dies from cancer. St. Jude freely shares the discoveries we make, and every child saved at St. Jude means doctors and scientists worldwide can use that knowledge to save thousands more children. #StJude

DELEGATE ASSEMBLY VOTES 82% to 17% IN FAVOR OF AGREEMENT THAT DELEGATES CAN'T SEE

I just arrived home and there is no written agreement for anyone between the City-DOE and UFT to view but as I said other day, the DA would pass anything with around 80-90% approval. We hit right in the range even though it was an agreement, not a job action.

NYC Educator took the minutes.

Here is the motion that passed.

LeRoy Barr--to authorize UFT President and leadership to safeguard schools and communities and make sure this agreement is followed by DOE and State. (paraphrase)

 82% voted in favor sight unseen and 17% opposed. The other 1% voted properly when presented with something based on trust, they abstained. 

LA TEACHERS GET 95% APPROVAL FROM FULL MEMBERSHIP ON REMOTE AGREEMENT

While NYC has an agreement on delaying the start of the school year for a few days that will be rubber stamped, if voted on at all, by the UFT Delegate Assembly this afternoon, the United Teachers of Los Angeles entire membership voted on their remote agreement.

Please note I have to take my kids out this afternoon for checkups so more than likely no live blogging from today's DA. If someone wants to help with some DA notes, it would be greatly appreciated.

From UTLA

UTLA members voted overwhelmingly to ratify the tentative agreement on crisis distance learning, with 95% of the 15,726 ballots cast approving of the TA. Voting was conducted by Integrity Voting Systems over three days, from August 12 to 14.

The agreement addresses crisis distance learning in LAUSD from August 3 to the end of 2020, or until students physically return to schools for regular instruction. Under the provisions, no UTLA member is required to physically return to work at an LAUSD building until schools are physically reopened for all students. The agreement creates a structured school day with some flexibility and pedagogical discretion, and a Smart Start to the school year with training time for educators and students on technology and remote learning.

For those interested, read the UTLA Agreement. Now compare and contrast that with what the NYC DOE with UFT agreement put out last week. Be honest now, which union would you rather belong to?

MULGREW EMAIL

 Dear _______,

We have reached an agreement with City Hall and the Department of Education that meets our demand that the safety of our school communities must come first. Our schools will now reopen in a much better place because of all our work together.

Your willingness to participate in a job action if necessary put pressure on Mayor Bill de Blasio to return to the bargaining table and agree to a new school reopening plan that meets the safety criteria put forth by independent medical experts. New York City will now have the most aggressive policies and the strongest safeguards of any school system in the nation.

Schools will reopen for staff on Tuesday, Sept. 8, and for students on Monday, Sept. 21.

The decision on whether to reopen a school building to students will be based on the UFT’s 50-item safety plan, including the availability of masks and face shields, a room-by-room review of ventilation effectiveness, an isolation room and a COVID-19 building response team. Union reps are visiting every school to check that they have these supplies and procedures in place. School buildings or rooms that do not meet safety standards will remain closed.

The city has also agreed to a robust program of repeated random sampling and COVID-19 testing of adults and students present in schools. This new testing program is one of the major pieces that medical experts told us we needed. A blind representative sample, composed of 10% to 20% of all students and adults from every school, will be selected each month for COVID-19 testing. The percentage of staff tested and the frequency of testing will rise significantly in schools in zip codes with higher levels of the virus. Under the new agreement, any student who refuses to be tested will be required to attend school remotely, and any staff member who fails to comply with mandated testing will be placed on unpaid leave.

Students or staff found to have the virus must quarantine for 14 days. City tracing teams will be dispatched to their school immediately to determine potential contacts. The presence of a COVID-19 case or cases confined to one class will result in the entire class moving to remote instruction; more than one case in a school will mean that the entire school will move to remote instruction until the contact tracing is completed.

As part of this agreement, we are moving back the start of school for all students. The seven-day postponement will give schools time to implement the required safety protocols and give you time for planning and professional learning.

I told you we would not go back into school buildings until independent medical experts had validated the safety plan. That is what we’ve done. Epidemiologists from Northwell and Harvard University have given their stamp of approval to the new agreement. Now it’s our job to be vigilant and ensure that every school is following the required protocols throughout the school year.

The hard work is yet to come. Nothing will be typical or familiar about this new school year. But I am certain you will rise to the new challenge, just as you met the challenge when we suddenly went remote in March.

Stay strong and united.

Sincerely,

Michael Mulgrew

UFT President

THERE'S A UFT DEAL FOR A DELAYED OPENING FOR KIDS IN NYC SCHOOLS

 The start of school will be delayed. Details will follow:

• Staff will report Sept 8

• Sept 10,11, 14 and 15 dedicated for teacher preparation

• Sept 16,17,18– 3 day transitional period – instruction to begin remotely (period for students to meet their online teachers)

• Sept 21 – school buildings open full strength for blended learning

Mulgrew at de Blasio presser: NYC has most aggressive policies and strongest safeguards of any school system in the USA.

DeBlasio: Monthly medical monitoring program in every school. Sample number of COVID-19 tests in each school. Program is mandatory. Health experts worked with UFT health experts. Random testing. 

Doctor adds 10-20% tested.

From DOE:

Welcome to the 2020-2021 School Year

Important Dates

Tuesday, September 8, 2020 

•School staff report to schools-To prepare for blended and remote learning. No students will report to school in person until Monday September 21st. 

Wednesday, September 16, Thursday, September 17, and Friday September 18, 2020 

•Instructional Orientation on line

•All students will

Reconnect to their school community

Learn the health and safety procedures

Check technical connectivity

Have wellness checks with their teachers and guidance staff

Monday, September 21, 2020 

•All schools will begin full-day teaching and learning

•All schools will begin full-day teaching and learning

•Students in blended learning (combination of in-person and remote) will begin to report to buildings, depending on their in-person schedule

•Students in 100% remote learning will all begin full-day learning