December 2020
Pre K-12
FLASH UPDATE: On December 10, AFT CT joined the Board of Education Unions Coalition to deliver 14000+ petitions to the Governor’s office, as is reported in the media. You should know that State of CT officials have reached out to AFT CT and CEA coalition members to begin to discuss and respond to our list of demands.
AFT Connecticut At Work: State Advocacy Taking Action to Protect Student and School Staff Health in Connecticut
Educators across the state are worried by the dramatic rise in COVID-19 cases, and as union leaders, we're especially concerned about the impact on our members. When the pandemic started, unions representing 60,000 board of education (BOE) employees across Connecticut banded together in an effort to raise awareness and offer solutions. With infections causing havoc in our schools, we stepped up efforts in late November and launched an online action petition demanding state officials do more to prevent the spread. Click here to see our BOE unions coalition's petition to the governor and education department commissioner.
This action is an important follow-up to the report we released urging all-remote learning in districts that fail to protect health and safety in hybrid or in-person learning. Click here to learn more about Presenting the Petitions Urging Safe and Successful Schools Now Recommendation Moving the needle takes action, and that's where union members play a critical role. Through our collective efforts, we had more than 14,000 teachers and support staff sign our petition that has been presented to the Governor and Commissioner of Education on Dec. 10, 2020.
AFT At Work: National Advocacy
Taking Action to Protect Student and School Staff Health Nationally
AFT CT brings your voice to the AFT National organization in multiple ways. President Jan Hochadel serves in a leadership position as Vice President on AFT’s Executive Board. We also have representation on the AFT National Program and Policy Council (PPC) for teachers. The PPC crafted a resolution on safe school reopening which passed at AFT’s Convention this past summer. AFT continues to advocate for safety in schools during the pandemic. With COVID-19 surging, schools going back to remote, and educators, parents and administrators struggling to figure out what’s best health-wise and instructionally for students and staff, we’re seeing much public handwringing and few solutions. As always, it’s our healthcare workers who are doing herculean work to keep our communities safe and our tireless educators trying to make learning possible. We thought it was important to put forward solutions: the evidence we’ve seen about what works when it comes to reopening school buildings safely, and a blueprint to chart a course that tackles this COVID19 surge and gets students and staff what they need to make the second semester meaningful. Please see this op-ed just published in The Hill: https://thehill.com/opinion/education/528004-a-blueprint-to-safely-open-schools. AFT Connecticut Local Actions: We proposed language to local bargaining units to encourage more widespread use of the COVID app to provide another layer of protection for our members.
AFT Connecticut: Education Issues Updates Legal Guidance for a Specific Scenario Posed by Members
Scenario: A teacher goes on unpaid leave of absence, or paid leave for illness, for a specified period of time. At a point prior to the end of the paid/unpaid leave, the district moves from in-person to remote teaching/ learning. The teacher believes he/she can return from the leave early due to the change of teaching modes. The district will not grant a change in the dates, and says the original leave dates must be adhered to, as they have approved a leave and hired a person with a contract for the full period. Can they do that? Answer: It depends. If the teacher is out on an ADA leave, and the Disability no longer exists, then the teacher should come back to work. The teacher may want to get a note from her treater lifting the restriction now that the school district is remote. If the teacher is on a paid or unpaid leave of absence, I would first check the CBA. That may instruct the teacher how to rescind the leave of absence. If the teacher is out on FMLA, I would suggest the same as the ADA. That is, the teacher goes to her doctor, gets a return to duty note and the district should be obligated to take the teacher back. FMLA is often approved for periods of time (10, 12 weeks). In that case, I would suggest the teacher inform the district, in writing, that the reasons for the FMLA leave have ceased and therefore expects to return to work. As you probably know, FMLA guarantees your job upon the return from FMLA. It is conceivable that a teacher be assigned to a different class, grade or even school if the leave is terminated
35 Marshall Road | Rocky Hill CT 06067 | www.aftct.org
Families First Coronavirus Response Act
FFCRA benefits include: Two weeks (up to 80 hours) of paid sick leave at the employee’s regular rate of pay where the employee is unable to work because the employee is quarantined (pursuant to Federal, State, or local government order or advice of a healthcare provider), and/or experiencing COVID-19 symptoms and seeking a medical diagnosis; Click here for more information.
@AFTCT
NextGen Educators: College Student Staffing Program The State Department of Education recently announced a program to address staffing needs in our schools with college students. This has caused some concerns among our members. Here are some facts about the NextGen Educators program: • •
State Board of Education Update
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On December 12, the State Board of Education unanimously voted to approve the State’s first Black and Latino History Curriculum. Connecticut makes history by being one of the first states to create such a curriculum. The curriculum and board materials can be found here. Districts will have the opportunity to offer the curriculum as an elective course. The State Department of Education will work in conjunction with SERC to develop a professional learning plan for training Educators on the new curriculum.
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Students will be screened and will have a background check Students will be from specific identified university programs with an interest in teaching, such as the CCSU School of Education and Professional Studies Students will be assisting with teaching, not taking over teaching or acting as teachers of record Some suggestions for how they may be used in schools are small groups, helping with lesson plans, facilitating with technology, and personalized support for students.
Continued from the front
AFT Connecticut: Education Issues Updates early and a replacement has been hired. In essence, if the illness no longer exists, the teacher should not be out sick. The teacher should be allowed to return to work. Staffing needs and the specific reasons the teacher is out will factor into each outcome. Of course, CBAs may have differing language that may also provide some clarity.
PreK12 Legislative Agenda Ladies and Gentlemen, start your testimony-writing engines! We need your help and advocacy as we develop and fight for our legislative agenda: 1. TRB: pension calculation adjustment & 6th class pensionable 2. HVAC & School construction: Need improvements to HVAC 3. PEAC & Evaluation- Needs update 4. ECS: Fund our Future. Fund our Schools
For more information, please contact AFT CT Lobbyist Teri Merisotis at tmerisotis@aftct.org.
• Mindfulness - Dec16, 5-6pm • Steward’s Training - Jan 20, 5-6:30pm • Sleep Health - Jan 25, 5:30-7:30pm To register, please go to: http:// aftct.org/calendar and click on the course name on the calendar.
AFT Winter Virtual Education Academy
The AFT’s signature Summer Educator Academy is extending into winter! We will be offering a series of mini-courses starting in January 2021. To register and for more information, please click here. Courses being offered include:
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10 Trauma-Informed Strategies to Help Students Heal Developing Problem-Solving Strategies with Bar Models: Winter Virtual Edition Differentiating Instruction ELL 101 Special Virtual Edition: Planning for the Success of ELLs
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Make Your Virtual Science POP! Meeting Writing Expectations in the K-5 Classroom: Recommendations for Improving Writing Instruction Simple View of Reading: One Lens at a Time, the Full Picture Teach Them to Think Teaching for Engaged Learning Course Options: The Classroom Management Puzzle: Putting the Pieces Together Every Child Needs a Champion: Unlock Your Ability to Build Online Caring Relationships Real Talk What You Get Is What You Expect