Unions field teacher worries
Rich Askey, the president of Pennsylvania’s biggest teachers union, has had countless conversations with educators this summer as schools prepare to reopen amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Teachers have shared with him their thoughts, their needs and their concerns about their health — and the health of those they return to when they come home at the end of the school day.
“‘When I became a teacher, I knew with all the school shootings out there that one day I might have to take a bullet for my students. But I did not agree to bring a bullet home to my family,’” Mr. Askey said one teacher recently told him. “How do you respond to that?”
This is the kind of issue education stakeholders have been grappling with daily as plans to reopen schools have taken shape over the past few months. Just weeks away from the start of classes in Pennsylvania, union leaders still have many questions about safety protocols, as well as the logistics of various models of instruction being implemented at schools across the state.
Mr. Askey, who heads the Pennsylvania State Education Association, said in an interview this week teachers are anxious to get back into the classroom. Because the pandemic situation remains fluid, though, Mr. Askey advises schools to be flexible with their teaching models.
Earlier this month, he sent a letter to Gov. Tom Wolf urging him to ensure all public schools in the state are prepared to deliver online instruction.
“The plan is not going to lead the way; the virus is going to lead the way,” Mr. Askey said. “There has to be a constant review of the plan and how it’s working and what changes have to be made.”
Classes in the Pittsburgh Public Schools will be online
only for at least the first nine weeks of the school year. After that, however, the district’s plan allows some students to attend classes in person twice a week while other students participate in virtual instruction.
Nina Esposito-Visgitis, president of the Pittsburgh Federation of Teachers, said teachers are trying to figure out how that will work. She said she wonders if a teacher will lead one class in person, then another class online, or if teachers will have to focus on the students in their classrooms and online at the same time.
“It’s really difficult,” she said. “I hope they’re going to get teachers in to talk about it.”
Ms. Esposito-Visgitis said she was glad the district chose Schoology as its learning management system because some teachers already have experience using it. The district also plans to increase professional development for staff before classes start. And teachers have been asked to participate in focus groups to build curriculum.
“They want to make this model work for kids,” she said.
Still of concern for Ms. Esposito-Visgitis is the significant number of school staff who do not want to come back to their buildings. While some employees would like to return — such as science teachers who do not have the supplies they need at home — a large number do not.
The district said this week, though, it expects all staff to return to their buildings by Oct. 5.
Many employees are considering their options, including taking a leave of absence, Ms. Esposito-Visgitis said. She said she has a list of reasons why teachers want to be able to work from home that includes underlying conditions and pregnancy. About 25% of teachers in the district are over the age of 50, she said.
The district is “starting to see an uptick” in employees taking leave, she said.
Elsewhere in the state, schools are reopening for in-person instruction as scheduled. While all schools must file a health and safety plan with the state, Mr. Askey said some are trying to circumvent guidelines to the chagrin of teachers unions.
Pennsylvania has ordered everyone over the age of 2 to wear face coverings in all public places, but Mr. Askey said some schools are trying to get around that rule.
“Here’s the problem with the advice to schools that has been given by the Department of Health,” Mr. Askey explained. “There’s a phrase in there: the wearing of masks, if feasible. So some school boards have taken that to mean, ‘OK, we know we’re not going to get everyone to wear a mask,’ so they’re not making it mandatory in the school.”
While Mr. Askey acknowledges there are some cases in which face coverings will not work, he said he wants the state to make them mandatory in schools with limited exceptions.
In some cases, Mr. Askey said, schools do not have the funding to provide all students and staff members with the proper personal protective equipment. He said the state and federal government need to make sure those schools have resources they need to maintain the health and safety of their communities.
Ms. Esposito-Visgitis said she was worried about the amount of personal protective equipment the Pittsburgh Public Schools has in its stockpile.
Another concern for Ms. Esposito-Visgitis: The Pittsburgh Public Schools has a number of old, historic buildings, where air filtration might not be ideal.
Mr. Askey echoed her anxiety about heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems in many schools.
“A lot of school buildings do not have the best HVAC system,” he said. “We have to think about air filtration.”
He has also heard from teachers who are nervous to work in old buildings or in rooms where air flow is not exceptional.
“For instance, one of our members [is] in a room with no windows with children,” he said. “There has to be accommodations in regards to air filtration.”