This came from a longtime friend this afternoon:
Update: Protest today-
Wednesday, September 16, 2020
CARDOZO HS PLANS EARLY MORNING PROTEST THURSDAY; PROTEST TODAY
UFTERS DON'T HAVE TO BE THE GOOD SOLDIERS IN UNSAFE BUILDINGS; MULGREW CONTINUES TO DITHER
Your life is more important than the Department of Education. COVID-19 is a deadly virus. The mayor can downplay it all he wants but reality hasn't changed. Close to 200,000 Americans are dead from COVID-19 in around half a year. I am no scientist but it seems working in many NYC DOE buildings would be an almost ideal environment for a virus to spread.
If you and/or your UFT Chapter do not think a building is safe, don't enter it or walk out. UFTers at schools like the High School for Economics and Finance are showing the way. They have refused to go into a building they believe is not safe. Worry later about being docked pay or losing a sick bank day if you are feeling ill. Staffers from at least 56 NYC schools have tested positive for Covid in just the first week. While Michael Mulgrew continues to put off taking action even though he says problems are systemwide (see below), the pandemic is not letting up. The custodial budgets are not going to be increased; Mulgrew says they were cut. Schools are not getting any cleaner or healthier anytime soon. How many of you honestly believe the situation will improve when the kids come in next week?
UFTers cannot continue being the good soldiers and just following orders if they feel it isn't safe.
Some of you are probably thinking that it is easy for me to advocate taking a hard line as a retiree. It's true I am out but when my friend Nunzio and I took on Deputy Chancellor John White in 2010 in the middle of Jamaica HS's school closing hearing (I was told I looked like Hall of Fame baseball manager Earl Weaver in one his famous tirades), we were not afraid of the DOE. A school being closed was an important injustice but it is nothing compared to your lives being put at risk. You shouldn't be in fear of the DOE just as we were not. When we were threatened, Nunzio told Deputy Chancellor White we should settle it in the parking lot. DOE administrators are people with File Numbers just like you. Many support our position. You have a right to a safe work environment. You just need to document how it is not safe.
For the latest from Michael Mulgrew, this is from 1010 WINS:
NEW YORK (1010 WINS) -- The president of the United Federation of Teachers on Tuesday told 1010 WINS that having a citywide postponement of school openings is not off the table.
"We haven't made that determination yet, but right now what we're seeing is systemwide problems," Michael Mulgrew said.
According to Mulgrew, the city wants to deal with a "rhetoric campaign versus a reality campaign."
Mulgrew says one of the issues they are facing is the amount of time it takes for results of COVID-19 tests.
The results take days to confirm he said.
He also noted that due to budget slashings, they are also dealing with a lack of ability to disinfect and clean every night due to custodial personnel being cut.
"You'll see teachers sitting outside of their schools because they know there's violations of safety protocols already in their building," Mulgrew added.
The UFT is following testing and tracing protocols where schools report where they are at with safety protocols, including cleaning and disinfecting, he said.
"It's really quite frustrating and angering at times," Mulgrew said.
A report will be put together this evening in order to make a determination of whether a systemwide postponement is needed.
If they feel that city does not follow the citywide safety plan submitted to the state, they will be "a fight," Mulgrew said, adding that a strike may be possible and they will be forced to "try legal remedies.
Tuesday, September 15, 2020
NEW PLAINTIFFS CAN STILL JOIN THE SOLIDARITY LAWSUIT SEEKING MORE ACCOMMODATIONS FOR EDUCATORS TO WORK REMOTELY
We reported last evening on plaintiffs in a lawsuit led by UFT Solidarity being granted a Temporary Restraining Order to be permitted to work remotely from home.
The Temporary Restraining Order:
ORDERED that Petitioners’ motion for a temporary restraining order is GRANTED
solely to the extent that Respondents may not compel Petitioners to report to work in person, may not deny them the ability to work remotely, and may not deny or deduct salary and/or leave time for remote work until further order of the Court; and it is further
ORDERED that this TRO applies only to the named Petitioners; and it is further
ORDERED that counsel for the parties shall forthwith confer regarding their immediate availability for an expedited remote hearing on the preliminary injunction and call the Court at 10 a.m. on September 15, 2020 to discuss the logistics of the hearing.
The parties met earlier today. It was agreed that new petitioners can join the case. You have until Thursday night to complete an affidavit stating why you are uncomfortable returning to school buildings and how you should be able to work remotely. Then, pay a $250 fee. The case will be heard on Friday in Manhattan.
From attorney Bryan Glass:
I really think this case has the potential to expose a rift between City, UFT, and individual teachers as I begin to think through the consequences of this...I am suggesting any NYC educator who wants to join at this point prepare an affidavit explaining why they are not comfortable returning and seek to intervene as part of our reply papers. This will be a true social experiment about the effect of the coronavirus on individual decision-making if nothing else...
Email Lydia Howrilka at lydia.howrilka@live.com to get involved. You can also email us at iceuft@gmail.com if you want to get involved but do not procrastinate. This has to be done by Thursday.
Update:
Coverage of the case is on News 12 Brooklyn.
56 SCHOOLS CONFIRMED BY DOE HAVING AT LEAST ONE CASE OF COVID-19
From Channel 7, Eyewitness News, we learn the schools with confirmed cases of COVID-19.
FULL LIST:
1. 02M158 P.S. 158 Bayard Taylor
2. 02M267 East Side Elementary School, PS 267
3. 02M545 High School for Dual Language and Asian Studies
4. 04M372 Esperanza Preparatory Academy
5. 05M161 P.S. 161 Pedro Albizu Campos
6. 06M278 Paula Hedbavny School
7. 07X154 P.S. 154 Jonathan D. Hyatt
8. 08X130 P.S. 130 Abram Stevens Hewitt
9. 08X530 Longwood Preparatory Academy
10. 09X070 P.S. 070 Max Shoenfeld
11. 10X056 P.S. 056 Norwood Heights
12. 12X214 P.S. 214
13. 12X536 P.S. 536
14. 13K011 P.S. 011 Purvis J. Behan
15. 14K478 The High School for Enterprise, Business and Technology
16. 15K001 P.S. 001 The Bergen
17. 15K088 J.H.S. 088 Peter Rouget
18. 16K267 M.S. 267 Math, Science & Technology
19. 16K243 P.S. 243 The Weeksville School
20. 17K161 P.S. 161 The Crown
21. 19K214 P.S. Michael Friedsam
22. 19K149 P.S. 149 Danny Kaye
23. 19K618 Academy of Innovative Technology
24. 19K662 Liberty Avenue Middle School
25. 21K177 P.S. 177 The Marlboro
26. 21K228 I.S. 228 David A. Boody
27. 22K139 P.S. 139 Alexine A. Fenty
28. 22K361 P.S. 361 East Flatbush Early Childhood School
29. 27Q197 P.S. 197 The Ocean School
30. 28Q055 P.S. 055 The Maure Magnet School of Communication Arts, Technology and Multimedia
31. 28Q349 P.S. 349 The Queens School for Leadership and Excellence
32. 30Q084 PS 84 Steinway
33. 21K281 I.S. 281 Joseph B. Cavallaro
34. 21K097 P.S. 97 The Highlawn
35. 22K514 Frederick Douglass Academy VII HS
36. 26Q430 Francis Lewis High School
37. 27Q090 P.S. 090 Horace Mann
38. 30Q230 I.S. 230
39. 30Q111 P.S. 111 Jacob Blackwell
40. 31R078 P.S. 78
41. 31R058 Space Shuttle Columbia School
42. 31R440 New Dorp High School
43. 31R455 Tottenville HS
44. 31R062 The Kathleen Grimm School for Leadership and Sustainability
45. 31R013 P.S. 13 ML Lindemeyer
46. 32K377 P.S. 377 Alejandrina B. De Gautier
47. 32K549 The Brooklyn School for Social Justice
48. 75X811 The Academy for Career and Living Skill
49. 75x010 75x010@817
50. 75Q075 75Q@276 Robert E. Peary School
51. 75X186 P186X Walter J. Damrosch School
52. 79X695 Passages Academy Bronx
53. XALZ Mid-Bronx CCRP Early Childhood Center, Inc.
54. XAVS Bedrock Preschool (NYCEEC)
55. KCFA SCO Family of Services
56. 75Q009 P.S. 009 Walter Reed School
HS OF ECONOMICS AND FINANCE BUILDING REOPENS WITH LOTS OF UNANSWERED QUESTIONS
This came to us from the Chapter Leader at The High School of Economics and Finance, one of the 22 school buildings that even the DOE and UFT declared unsafe last week. The building was reopened today. This is a building with ten floors, no windows in classrooms and no filters installed.
Letter our chapter sent to admin last nignoht:
We appreciate your efforts in getting this school year off to a productive start. The staff at the High School of Economics and Finance realize the challenges involved in trying to run a school when there are so many moving parts and uncertainties. Whatever concerns we have about the viability of opening our building to professional development or instruction at this point are not aimed at you or anyone in the administration. In fact, we come to you in search of support and invite you to join us in addressing these concerns. You are our colleagues as well. We care for your well-being and that of your families.
As you know, the Department of Education deemed our building too unsafe to reopen this past Labor Day. Since then, we have spent the past week carrying out our professional duties remotely. The Department of Education led us to believe that they had fixed the problems in our building.
Needless to say, after the city dithered on closing schools this past March and after dozens of our educator colleagues around the city succumbed to Covid-19, we are skeptical of claims made by the Department of Education as to the safety of our facilities. Many of the problems in our building are long-standing. Could they have all been remedied in the span of four days?
As you also know, the United Federation of Teachers conducted an inspection of the building before the repairs were made. It now falls upon us, as per the agreement reached between the UFT and DOE, to update this inspection. The questions below are all based on the parts of the UFT inspection that have yet to be resolved:
1) What social distancing signage do we have?
2) Do we have a full-time nurse?
3) Does the nurse have an office?
4) Does the nurse's office have the proper partitions and PPE?
5) How will morning entry be handled?
6) How will afternoon dismissal be handled?
7) How will lunch service be handled?
8) How will the use of elevators be handled?
9) Do we have a dedicated isolation room?
10) What is the protocol for a student who claims to feel sick?
11) What is the protocol for when a student attends school on a day they are not scheduled to be in person?
12) What PPE do we have for staff and students?
13) Are Merv-13 filters installed?
14) Which classrooms/staff spaces do not have proper airflow?
15) When/how often does the Building Response Team meet?
16) Specifically, what work was carried out over the past week to make the building ready for professional development and instruction?
While these questions do not cover everything, they serve as a starting point to ensure we have the minimum protection for staff and students.
We feel the best course of action for all stakeholders is for us to work remotely from outside of the building until these concerns have been thoroughly addressed. We invite you to join us as well. We will be in contact with the UFT for guidance throughout the day. We do this to ensure the safety of our students, our colleagues and our families.
Thank you for your time
Letter I sent to Mulgrew today:
Dear Mr. Mulgrew,
I am writing you in all urgency as the Chapter Leader at the HS of Economics and Finance. As you know, we were one of the 22 schools closed last week due to ventilation issues.
Principal directed us to come in today since the DOE has cleared the space for reopening. Our staff was worried because we have many unresolved issues in UFT report.
I emailed the administration with a list of 16 unresolved questions based upon the UFT's report. They still have not answered a single question.
They cannot tell us if there are MERV13 filters and they do not have PPE for the staff.
The principal and superintendent threatened that if they don't enter the building by 1pm, they will be docked pay.
I have copy and pasted the questions we asked of our administration below.
Our teachers are taking a stand but I fear most will be compelled to go back inside by one.
1) What social distancing signage do we have?
2) Do we have a full-time nurse?
3) Does the nurse have an office?
4) Does the nurse's office have the proper partitions and PPE?
5) How will morning entry be handled?
6) How will afternoon dismissal be handled?
7) How will lunch service be handled?
8) How will the use of elevators be handled?
9) Do we have a dedicated isolation room?
10) What is the protocol for a student who claims to feel sick?
11) What is the protocol for when a student attends school on a day they are not scheduled to be in person?
12) What PPE do we have for staff and students?
13) Are Merv-13 filters installed?
14) Which classrooms/staff spaces do not have proper airflow?
15) When/how often does the Building Response Team meet?
16) Specifically, what work was carried out over the past week to make the building ready for professional development and instruction?
The superintendent is Vivian Orlens. She screamed at [UFT Special Rep] Anthong Klug today.
OCCUPATIONAL THERAPISTS, PHYSICAL THERAPISTS, SPEECH TEACHERS CAN DO REMOTE SESSIONS REMOTELY
Related Service Providers have an agreement allowing those who don't have an accommodation to still do their remote sessions fom home.
Email from President Mulgrew:
Dear _________,
In such an uncertain time, the UFT is fighting for common-sense working conditions for all titles in our membership. To that end, we have reached agreement with the Department of Education on some changes in working conditions for occupational and physical therapists and speech teachers for the 2020-21 school year.
Itinerant employees will not have to report to multiple worksites. If you have a payroll school, but you are split among two or more schools, you will only report to your payroll school until further notice. If you don’t have a payroll school, you will be assigned to only one school, as designated by your supervisor, and your responsibilities in other schools can be handled remotely.
Our new agreement also limits the number of sessions that occupational and physical therapists and speech teachers can be asked to do in-person. While New York City public schools are using the blended model, you can be asked to do a maximum of six in-person sessions. The remaining sessions (up to eight when combined with the in-person sessions) can only be for remote students, and you can conduct those sessions remotely. The remote sessions must be held at a time that is mutually agreeable for you and the families of the students you serve. If you have a workday when you have no in-person students, you will not have to report to the school building. You can, however, report to the building if you want, space permitting. It is your decision.
The combined time that you are in the school building plus your remote sessions cannot exceed your contractual work hours.
If you have any questions, please call the UFT Contact Center on weekdays at 212-331-6311.
The Agreement:
 |
Monday, September 14, 2020
JUDGE GRANTS TEMPORARY RESTRAINING ORDER FOR 5 UFTERS WHO FILED LAWSUIT TO WORK REMOTELY
We have the decision on the court case started by UFT Solidarity. Five teachers asked for a Temporary Restraining Order allowing them not to have to report to school buildings. They are seeking accommodations beyond what the DOE is offering. The TRO was granted by the judge.
If you read what we wrote here yesterday, the city has argued that the principals have discretion to approve accommodations to work remotely but this isn't happening. Hopefully, this lawsuit is the beginning of an expansion of the opportunity to telework. You are welcome to join the case.
From the UFT Solidarity website:
We are seeking new petitioners.
BIG NEWS:
We are seeking more petitioners for our Article 78 to grant UFT members wider access to the remote work accommodation. In the Article 78 we filed, we argued that the system by which the NYC DOE dispensed remote work accommodations is arbitrary and capricious.
Judge Ramseur of the Manhattan NYS Civil Court ruled in the favor of our 5 petitioners and has (thus far) granted them TEMPORARY injunctive relief from reporting to work in person.
In layman’s terms, the five petitioners WON their case! Unfortunately it immediately just applies to them. BUT ALL IS NOT LOST.
We are hoping to broadening this injunction to a longer duration for these 5 petitioners and we would like to fight for more petitioners to be granted this opportunity.
If you would like to join us and be able to hopefully be granted an opportunity to work remotely, we would need you to commit to joining us.
This will cost some money (fee to be determined) and you will have to put your name/story on a petition as to why you feel that you were denied or are not being granted access to a remote work accommodation (eg: you are pregnant and were denied; you are 31 and care for an elderly parent).
None of our petitioners faced any form of retaliation for filing the suit.
While we wish that this decision did apply to more UFT members, we can see this as an opportunity to open the door to more UFT members to file an Article 78 (like the Brave 5 did) with the help of Glass and Howrilka, and be granted a remote work accommodation.
IF YOU WANT IN, EMAIL BRYAN GLASS AND LYDIA HOWRILKA AT:
Lydia.Howrilka@live.com
bglass@ghnylaw.com
DE BLASIO DOES THE FULL TRUMP DOWNPLAYING CORONAVIRUS BY SAYING FOR THOSE DOE PEOPLE INFECTED "IT IS A VERY TEMPORARY REALITY"
At today's press briefing, Mayor Bill de Blasio did the full Donald Trump when he said this concerning DOE employees testing positive for COVID-19:
"Some people will test positive. And those folks will immediately get support. After two weeks, those professionals will come back to work -- and they'll complete the entire school year," de Blasio said. "The same will happen with students. We have to remember that for the very small percentage of people who test positive for the coronavirus, it is a very temporary reality."
What did you say, Mr. Mayor? This is a deadly virus that has taken the lives of 194,000 Americans and worldwide has killed close to a million people.
Some of those people who test positive, Mr. Mayor, will not come back to work after two weeks like you say. Some of them will die like they did in the spring when 75 DOE school based workers and 12 School Safety Agents passed on from COVID-19. The NY Times put the scope of the pandemic's cost in NYC right out there in their paragraph on the death toll in the nation's largest cities. Chicago and LA were hit hard they report. "And in New York City, about one of every 360 residents has died." We've lost 23,750 New Yorkers.
Here's what the FDA website says about a vaccine and a remedy: "Currently there are no FDA-approved medicines specifically for COVID-19." "There are currently no vaccines available for the prevention of COVID-19."
But de Blasio says that two weeks after testing positive, it's back to work and they'll complete the whole year. The only person who de Blasio could be remotely compared to for downplaying the virus here is Donald Trump. Trump told Bob Woodward: “I wanted to always play [the coronavirus] down. I still like playing it down because I don't want to create a panic.”
Our mayor is now in Trump land when it comes to coronavirus in NYC schools. de Blasio did acknowledge that 55 DOE employees have tested positive for COVID-19 at the beginning of the school year but he brushed that off for sure.
Some teachers and parents do believe COVID-19 is a big deal so they held protests outside a number of schools today. NBC 4 covered the PS 139 protest in Brooklyn.
What about Michael Mulgrew? The mayor did mention Mulgrew at about the 48 minute point of the presser. The mayor responded to a question on Mulgrew's angry video from Friday by saying that he hasn't seen Mulgrew's video. He adds that he, his first deputy mayor and the chancellor are in constant touch with Mulgrew and they are responding to UFT concerns immediately. The mayor concludes: "If something's wrong, even in a single classroom, we want to know about it right away so we can fix it right away."
Report, report, report, document document, document is my advice. The mayor himself said he wants to know about the concerns.
SEPTEMBER 14 SCHOOL PROTESTS UNDERWAY; CLARA BARTON HS NOT CLEANED
MORE called for a day of action today and there are schools responding. There are reports of protests at the Grace Dodge Campus, Murry Bergtraum HS, and PS 139 in Brooklyn.We will provide more details when we have them.
These pictures below are from Clara Barton HS. We have reports from two sources that it was not cleaned over the weekend. We are not blaming any cleaner or custodian. They have been told to do two or three times more work with the same budget as last year. They can only do so much.
Does anyone at this point believe this huge school system with over 1,000 buildings is safe from a deadly airborne virus?
Sunday, September 13, 2020
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 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
Saturday, September 12, 2020
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?
Friday, September 11, 2020
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.
Meanwhile, the Chancellor addresses principals. Looks like he's at home. Only the plebeians have to report to schools it seems.
Thursday, September 10, 2020
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.
Wednesday, September 09, 2020
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:
Tuesday, September 08, 2020
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 |
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