School-district
employees, parents, and high-school students…are you listening? If you are, then it’s time to take the next
step by chiming in to your district administrators and school-board members. As
I’m sure you are aware, some important (and tough) decisions are being
formulated right now regarding the plans for returning to school.
At 3:00
this afternoon, Texas Commissioner of Education Mike Morath is expected to
deliver guidance from the Texas Education Agency to school districts throughout
the state. (Similar conversations are
happening across the country, of course.) Quite a bit of speculation has been swirling
around in anticipation for this guidance, which was expected last Monday…then
Tuesday…and now today.
Here in
Hidalgo County, facial masks are required inside all businesses. Social (or, as some prefer to call it, “proper”)
distancing is still encouraged/expected, and here, the number of people testing
positive is definitely on the rise. The speculation seems to be that the State
of Texas will offer a lot of latitude to districts regarding “to wear, or not
to wear” masks and social distancing in classrooms, in hallways/cafeterias/libraries/auditoriums,
and on school buses. If this speculation is on point, that leaves those
decisions up to the districts, and if I were a current district employee,
parent, or student, I would want to provide input. That’s why I am encouraging
you to do so.
I attend (in
person, normally, but right now, virtually) all McAllen ISD School Board meetings
and report on them for McAllen AFT. I am also currently serving on the Donna
ISD Task Force, exploring options for students to return to school and for employees
to return to work. Lately, I find myself pausing throughout these meetings, reminding
myself that “this, too, shall pass” because it truly is an overwhelming challenge,
unlike any most of us have ever experienced. It is like this gigantic puzzle
that needs to be put together in a short period of time…but several of the
pieces needed to complete it are missing.
When will the
rise in positive cases and hospitalizations end? What happens if a student or
employee on campus tests positive? Who will do all of the extra sanitizing that
is going to be so important? Are there enough teachers to teach students on
campus, as well as those who choose to stay home? (I doubt there will be many districts
offering only on-campus education as they are likely opening themselves up to
losing a large number of students.) And, let’s be honest, how are districts going
to be able to pay for all of this?
What do I
suggest you do right now?
1.
Breathe! Anxiety
causes problems of its own, so breathe, first, and then get involved in the
process.
2.
Listen/read Mike Morath’s guidance to school superintendents.
I have been told it should be posted on the Moak Casey
& Associates YouTube page by this evening. If not, watch all of the news alerts certain
to come out this evening.
3.
Once you know what the guidance from TEA is, contact
your local school administrators and/or school-board members to provide your
input. Many districts currently have parent surveys about returning to school. If
you are a parent and your district has one available, did you complete and submit
it?
4.
If you are a district employee who has an underlying
medical condition, you need to notify your administrators as soon as possible
with that information. You will likely need a letter from your doctor, though
that has not been made official, as far as I know. In the MISD School Board
meetings, administrators have said they will need to provide “reasonable
accommodations” for employees with underlying medical conditions. Your doctor
may want to suggest accommodations.
5.
IF this is not addressed in the guidelines, this is a critical
step: Contact Mike Morath, Governor
Abbott, and your local legislators and tell them how critical it is for ADA (Average
Daily Attendance) to continue to be counted for students learning from home. If
it isn’t, school districts will lose funding for every one of those students
while still having the responsibility of educating them. Texas could also join
the vast majority of states across the nation that base funding on enrollment
rather than on attendance. That would be another solution. When you contact them, you may also want to
push for “NO STAAR,” in light of this COVID conundrum.
a. Texas
Education Agency Commissioner, Mike Morath at commissioner@tea.texas.gov or
512-463-9734
b. Office
of the Governor Greg Abbott at 512-463-1782 or https://gov.texas.gov/apps/contact/opinion.aspx
c. To
find your representatives in the Texas Legislature, click here:
https://wrm.capitol.texas.gov/home
6.
Remember school is not scheduled to start until August.
In this ever-changing environment, numbers could look much different by then. As
I have heard over and over, “the situation is fluid.”
7.
Most of the educators with whom I have spoken WANT to
return to school. Parents, too, need to return to work and to their normal
routines. It will happen……but in the meantime, if any situation ever required a
village, this is it. Providing
intelligent, calmly delivered, fact-based input now is so much more productive
than anger after decisions have been made.
Once you have chosen to become part
of the solution, remember that it’s summer. Enjoy
a family picnic (or even a picnic-for-one) in your back
yard. Go for a walk at your neighborhood park. Go shopping at some of your locally
owned shops.
Hopefully, before summer is over, we
will all be able to safely enjoy a weekend getaway or an actual vacation.
This, too,
shall pass. Until then---be the solution!
NOTE: I will post follow-up documentation on this underneath in the comments.
Chris Ardis retired in May of 2013 following a 29-year teaching career.
She now helps companies with business communications and social media. Chris can be reached
at cardis1022@aol.com. (Photo by Linda Blackwell, McAllen)
