More guidance sought on school reopenings
Alliance says ‘we are still in the dark’
Members of the Massachusetts COVID-19 Response Alliance grappling with school reopening models are calling for better leadership, guidance and planning from the state as teachers are being treated as “expendable commodities.”
“Not only are we still in the dark about what will happen, the things that have come out have really made me feel like my child will not be safe in Massachusetts’ hands,” said Jordan Berg Powers, executive director at Mass Alliance.
Berg Powers said in a Thursday virtual panel with teachers and parents that lack of leadership on reopening has led to a “fend for yourself” phenomenon at some schools.
Finalized versions of reopening plans are due to the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education on Monday, but some districts, such as Boston, have said the plans could change right up until the start of school in September.
Jodi Sugerman-Brozan, a BPS parent and executive director of the Massachusetts Coalition for Occupational Safety and Health, said, “How can we even begin to think about more workers into the work force when we can’t even protect the ones already on the job?”
She said in the push to reopen, teachers and other school staff “are being treated as expendable commodities.”
School nurses on the front line may often take on the burden of identifying and properly isolating students with COVID-19 symptoms, said Tami Hale, Worcester Public Schools nurse and member of the Massachusetts Nurses Association.
“How we handle the reopening of these schools, it’s going to be one of the most important decisions that our society will make during this pandemic,” said Hale.
In Boston, the district’s hybrid plan has been opposed by many teachers, parents and city councilors.
City Councilor Michelle Wu submitted a report on reopening to the Boston School Committee recommending that the district commit to an all-remote start to the school year with a special focus on amplifying the voices of educators and serving the needs of families.
“It is still unacceptable that we are just over a month away from the start of next school year, and dealing with nearly as much uncertainty on schools today as when the pandemic first hit,” wrote
Wu to the school committee.
Boston Teachers Union President Jessica Tang said BPS officials seem “stuck” on the hybrid idea, saying it would be “absolutely tone deaf” for the district to go through with it.