A lot of news sources shared what happened in the UFT-NYC arbitration surrounding exemptions to the staff vaccine mandate (CNN, New York Post, SI Live). Essentially, the arbitrator ruled that the City overstepped its authority and there have to be medical and religious exemptions to the vaccine mandate. While the UFT has been saying this entire time that vaccines are the way to go, they have successfully pushed back and allowed people to keep their jobs and/or health insurance if they decided to take unpaid leave.

I am very curious to see how many people take advantage of this policy as I believe the science is pretty sound (and has great evidence of over 175 million people in the US have received the vaccine with a tiny percentage having negative effects). If it's a low number and still allows for herd immunity, I think it will be fine. If not, then we will have some problems. 

In the meantime, a few teachers are suing the DOE over the vaccine mandate. I doubt it will go very far considering what the Biden administration is doing federally.

The UFT Town Hall Meeting was very informative and went into a bit more depth than various emails have had in the past. Here are my notes below:

Te first thing President Mulgrew mentioned was that the UFT is going to use its disaster relief fund to help members in need. There will be something up on the website tomorrow for people in need to submit for assistance. 

Then he had three major categories of items to share:

Safety
- Building response teams will be relied on again, much like last year. The UFT trained 1100 BRT leaders from their buildings with more trainings available for other schools.
- 3 feet of social distancing this year, not 6. Some overcrowded schools are being dealt by making plans with UFT people - could be longer school day to spread out or extra rental space or something. This is still being worked on.
- The City is essentially following the CDC guidance.
- Cafeterias - 3 foot distancing as well. Based on evaluations of schools, there should be a breeze in cafeterias to maximize air exchanges from the ventilation system. If not, let them know.
- The UFT trained 100 people with commercial grade CO2 monitors to check out air exchanges. If there is an issue, call UFT and they will get it checked. 
- Testing: no testing for teachers as of September 27. If adults are in the building want to be testing, the test/trace team said they can be tested. Every other week, schools will have 10% of their student population tested (who consent). We know 60% of MS/HS are vaccinated. Mulgrew said for elementary kids he wants weekly testing. MS/HS he said every other week is okay. 
- If there is a positive case in the class with kids under 12, class goes under quarantine. Teacher works from home unless the principal asks to come in for a reason outside of just remote teaching from a room.
- If there is a positive case in class with vaccinated kids, vaccinated kids with no symptoms can keep going to school. They'll get a test 3-5 days after the case is found. Anyone showing symptoms must do 10-day quarantine (Vaccinated or unvaccinated). Unvaccinated kids who are not showing symptoms need to quarantine but can get a test 3 days in and if negative they can return.

Instructional plan (digital work agreement)
- We will be doing an academic and social-emotional diagnostic. 
- Starting on Sept 27, K-10 will have a literacy and numeracy done for every student in NYC. 
- K-2 diagnostics are on paper (20 min), the rest electronically. Takes approximately an hour to complete. AIS team will coordinate. We decide as a school on how to get it done.
- Social-emotional: give time for acclimation back to being in a building before doing anything kind of diagnostic. Not going to be until November. In the meantime, every school will have access to social workers. The assessment will be 5 minutes where the adult closest to the child answer questions about the kid and the student is not present.
- Agreement sent last night. Having a digital classroom and teaching remotely is not part of the terms and conditions of our employment. That will be a major piece in the next contract. For now, we didn't want a precedent to be set. Anyone who will be supplying remote services will get 4 hours of per session (no time sheets, though) for setting up the platform. Must load the first day remote instruction (asynchronous) as part of the four hours. If there are kids who are quarantined at home, make yourself available for 1 hour for help. The other hour you upload new work for students to do. 2 hours per class that is partially quarantined. So if you teach multiple classes, you'd get 2 hours per class. Remote instruction agreement link.

Vaccine order from Department of Health
- Mulgrew talked a lot about caring for each other as members. This is likely because of the controversy surrounding vaccinations. 
- He said when they went into negotiations with the city about how to deal with this, the official position of city is if a person has a religious exemption or medical exemption or medical accommodation, then people should use CAR and then be removed from payroll
- UFT filed for impasse to to go to mediation. And he is also going to challenge this in court.

Questions:
- How is the union prepared to deal with the possibility of staff deaths? Mulgrew talked about vaccinations as the best way to avoid it. Didn't really answer the question directly. 
- If you have already gotten covid and had antibodies, why being forced to get vaccine? She said the vaccine doesn't do better with antibodies than the disease (even if some studies show this is true, it is not a good idea). Mulgrew said the DOH can mandate it. Hope MLC can vote to challenge the mandate without better bargaining. 
- Are schools responsible for providing PPE? Yes. Every classroom will have air filters. All same safeties are still in place. If someone gets sick while at school they will be quarantined without coming from CAR.
- Why are we mandated to get vaccine when new state governor hasn't done it for all employees? NYC Department of Health has more authority to mandate vaccines than the state department of health does. State are only ones that can mandate vaccines for kids. 
- What happens if parents refused to sign the consent form for testing of their children? What happens to students who refuse to wear masks in school? Because there is no remote option city can't stop students from going to school for not wearing a mask. Mayor said zero tolerance as it relates to mask wearing issues. Mulgrew thinks there should be some kind of remote suspension (but this is not insubordination for it to go slowly). Sounds like parents are concerned about not enough testing just like UFT is. 
- What about isolation rooms in schools? Still there, but with different name. 
- If you already have plans when you are supposed to do the digital learning stuff for quarantined students, what do you do? Mulgrew said the idea was to be vague about it so that staff can do it when they can, without proscribing when. 
- Why aren't all students mandated to test? City does not have legal authority to do it. 
- Parents don't want to send kids to a school building but there is no remote option. What do they do? Same thing with medically fragile staff. Mulgrew said maybe those kids would stay home for home instruction, but then a staff member would have to go to each of their houses. The medically fragile staff is the reason why UFT is going to test the mandate in a court.
- What are the requirements for digital classroom stuff? Set up your classroom and get the 4 hours of per session money. If your class goes remote, then follow what was said before.
- If students have to remain 3 feet apart, do teachers have to stay 6 feet apart? Still fighting about this one. What about spring break pay? On July 1 UFT filed for arbitration. Still being scheduled. 
- With a school that has junky ventilation and small rooms, what are we going to do? Now that there is a new governor (he said she is very competent and bright) he thinks we will get a better result by bringing someone from the department of health. 

Despite the fact that I am trying very hard to avoid any kind of work over the summer this year I did sign up for the UFT Town Hall yesterday and listened through the whole thing. I was not surprised that a lot of it was just saying hello and a lot of seemingly important but (I think) unnecessary fluff that took time away from reports and questions. But, I digress. Below are some notes of what I heard.

• Currently there is no remote option for students to learn next year. But, there is a lot of pressure being put on the DOE to change that policy. The UFT leadership is a part of that push. This relates to things like regular testing and mask mandates in school buildings (i.e. what happens if a student refuses to wear a mask? or if a student has a positive covid test?).
• All staff are required to be either vaccinated or submit to weekly covid testing. UFT leadership is currently bargaining when/how to do the testing so that it is not an undo burden on staff members who need it. 
• The medical accommodation process will still exist (as it always has) but having commodities for covid will not be a valid reason to get one. And, it's possible that if you do get one it may not mean remote work. 
• BIG ITEM: there is going to be some kind of diagnostic assessment given to all K-10 students across the DOE to figure out what level of literacy and numeracy they are at. It will be computer based with the except of K-2 students, who will have some kind of one-on-one meeting with their teachers. It shouldn't take more than one period for any students and students get to determine exactly when they are implemented (i.e. every English class does it, or advisory, or pull-outs, etc.). This will not have an impact on staff evaluation. Dates for this should be between September 27 and October 22. Last week of October will be a makeup week. Ratings will be given between 1 (a little behind) and 3 (very behind). 
• There is also going to be some kind of mental health assessment and support. Training will be provided. This should happen some time in October.
• Masks will be mandated for all no matter your vaccination status. Right now students are not going to be tested (the reason given for this is that there is no remote option for students, so what are they going to do with the info?). UFT is pushing for a remote option to relate to this issue as well.
• Ventilation is going to be a big issue again. After the DOE says things are prepared then the UFT will send out industrial hygienists to do their own assessment. Cafeteria's will be used for lunches and will be quite breezy.
• Any kind of forced quarantine of staff due to covid should not come out of CAR days.

Then there was the question period, some of which was redundant and others that were quite insightful

• If you are a UFT member who's child is quarantined, DOE is saying that WILL come out of your CAR. City doesn't want to offer it because if it does, they would have to offer that to ALL municipal workers. 
  
• Teacher's Choice is back and on the books. Not sure the exact number just yet. Mulgrew said you can start spending money now. 
  
• Unclear what happens to students who are refusing to wear masks. They are talking to DOE about it.
  
• Programming for a regular school year. Each class has to adhere to the 3 foot rule, which may screw things up for numbers. Not sure how to deal with the fact that students move from room to room if there is a 'class closure.'
  
• Isolation rooms? No updates just yet but they will need to figure it out. Building response team will have to discuss and decide things for this as well. 
  
• Permanent school nurse in each building? What is UFT doing? Pointed out that Eric Adams wants a nurse in every building. Hopefully this September or by next September should have that. 
  
• Update on arbitration for spring break. It's going. City is deflecting, saying the governor said to do it. Can't use the extra CAR days in arbitration. The date is set for September for arbitrator to make some kind of decision.
  
• Can a principal mandate use of google classroom? The use of google classroom is not set in stone. UFT is arguing with the city on it. 
  
• Diagnostic test. Professional Learning Team will make a lot of decisions for this. Work will be done as part of instructional time. Training on how to administer these diagnostics will be provided. 
  
• Lunch re: 3 foot 6 foot distances. Cafeteria at this staffers building is used as classroom space. Mulgrew said that cannot work and they need to change it. 
  
• Can ventilation experts put out a video about ventilation stuff? The video was made and will be put back out there again.
  
• Per session retro checks - when are they coming out? August 17 for active members. 
  
• Early retirement incentive - is it dead totally? Yes, because they were afraid of too many staff members leaving. But there may be an opportunity in the next year or two.

I'm going to try to use this blog more in earnest for this upcoming school year and I've decided to start now. Or, rather, my brain decided to start me now by giving me my first stress dream of the school year last night. I suppose it's fitting - it is August 1 and the road trip I am on is coming to an end. I have successfully not looked at my school email since the last day (June 25) and maybe this is my brain peer-pressuring me to open it up. But, I shall resist for a while longer! 

In case you are curious about the content - I actually remember it! I was doing something with a group of students in a generic classroom when one of them was standing just outside the door and I noticed him. I didn't go over to him until I was finished with the activity, but I did see that he was both drinking wine and smoking a cigarette. After the whatever-I-was-doing-with-the-kids was done, I walked over and confronted him about it. I was just super aggressive and said he can't do either of those things again. Then the dream was over. Crazy, huh?

Last year my school started participating in a program that provided grab-and-go breakfast meals for students as they entered the building. I'm not sure if it was specifically under this guidance but it is very similar. We had plenty of kids bringing food into their first period class so they could ensure eating food and not being stigmatized by coming to school early and eating in the cafeteria. I was just informed that this program will continue in the 2020-2021 school year. 

We already have issues with the instructional lunch being akin to indoor dining. Now we have to deal with breakfast as well. Granted, many principals (including mine) are doing they best to ensure that lunch will actually be eaten outdoors (for as long as we can) but breakfast won't get that status. So, now we have another meal to deal with where staff will be pushed to the back of the room and wearing N95 masks to make sure they feel safe. 

A very big concern (and rightly so) for parents and educators alike is how will special education students get the services they need. In particular, schools in District 75 (a city-wide designation for all students who are at specific special services schools) often have students who cannot wear masks, may be spitting and biting frequently, and the staff members often are allowed provisions for physical contact. All of that is a risk with COVID-19. At the Zoom City Council session yesterday many people spoke about this concern and haven't heard what will be provided for them or their students yet - and the first day of classes is quickly approaching.

Additionally, what do we do with students who are provided with integrated co-teaching (ICT), meaning a general education teacher and a special education teacher are supposed to be in the room simultaneously. With the blended model and remote students we would need a massive increase in teaching staff to balance out this requirement. The DOE has shared guidance as of today that says 

"Every effort, including the reassignment of special education teachers with school funded out-of-classroom positions, should be made to assign a certified blended in-person special education teacher and a certified blended in-person general education teacher to each ICT section. "

To me, this means that we will be able to teach without another person in the classroom, despite the ICT mandate. While this may be needed budget-wise, it certainly doesn't seem fair to the students. 

In a surprise announcement yesterday the UFT and DOE made a deal to avert (or maybe just postpone) a strike across New York City. They crafted an agreement that includes testing of students and staff in buildings, a 50-item safety checklist, and delays in school reopening for staff to effectively plan. That being said, I was on a Delegate Assembly call yesterday for almost two hours in which President Mulgrew shared some of the details of this agreement and we voted on including this agreement going forward. I am very upset at a few things here:
1) This deal was announced and voted on very quickly. As happened with our most recent contract, there was almost no time to debate or ask questions about it. 30 minutes is not enough for something that will impact us for likely most of (if not the entire) school year.
2) It did not mention anything about students eating lunch inside with pedagogues. This is a big sticking point to me as it is something NYC currently does not allow (Indoor dining).
3) The testing plan is one I'm skeptical of because a) it relies on current infrastructure to handle a massive increase in load and b) I'm not sure I believe the DOE will handle things well (severe lack of trust there).

So, the deal went through, even though I (along with 18% of delegates) voted against it. We'll see how this pans out. 

City Council member Mark Treyger has been a vocal critic of how the mayor and chancellor have been dealing with issues around schools during the pandemic. Most recently on his facebook page, he criticized the method by which inspectors have been determining ventilation status in classrooms. Even though the CDC apparently allows using paper attached to a stick, the guidance goes further than just using that tool. Read the Chalkbeat article here.

​So, for that reason and more, Council member Treyger has called for a resolution to delay the reopening of schools. City Council will be discussing it and hearing testimony from citizens on September 3. If you want to personally testify, visit this link. You must do so at least 72 hours in advance of the hearing.

Last week a reporter from the Washington Post published an article entitled "Eight big problems with New York City Mayor's school reopening plan" that contained detailed explanations of many of the issues I've commented on here (and more). The article quotes from a document that is also accessible to anyone and goes into more detail about what are the "dealbreakers" that should stop the Mayor and the Chancellor from reopening any schools at the moment. 
​
The document comes from an organization called Parents for Responsive, Equitable, Safe Schools (PRESS) NYC and I am proud to say that it makes a lot of sense. I am glad that they are particularly pointing out that our current plan of action (hybrid model beginning September 10) does not take into account the idea that with any massive new change there should be some kind of experimentation (read: phased reopening plan is way better than the current plan). I urge you to read through the presentation (it took me about 7 minutes to read it all) and maybe even look up some of the citations.

One of the key aspects of reopening schools is to make sure that all of the items the DOE says they are going to provide/complete within each building actually happens. As a seven year veteran teacher in the DOE I do not trust them by their word. So, when the UFT announced that it has a set of staff trained to determine if these things are in place, it makes me feel much better. I believe that they will be honest about what windows still need to be fixed, what PPE is or is not in place, what spacings are accurate, etc. And, I believe they will emphasize the importance of dealing with this as soon as possible, otherwise the buildings cannot reopen. 

If you look at the inspection reports the DOE had completed back in the 2018-2019 year, there are plenty of items of interest that need to be dealt with still.