Minutes--Passed via email.
UFT President Michael Mulgrew--6:03--DOE is looking at individual school reports. Has not got them all up. Some that went up are problematic, as there was little or no instruction. Everyone should look at their own. This will be a major piece--IF we open, and I don't see it happening on September 10, since principals don't even know what to put in plans, it's only because mayor wants it.
We've asked for three things--physical building--does it have ventilation, PPE, enough personnel, so physically it has what it needs? If not, school can't be used and we will makes sure it isn't.
Then we look at procedural. Who's responsible for what? How are people coming in and out? Class sizes? Social distancing? We need to focus on this. Can't just be a principal making these decisions. There is a lot we're looking to do. Need isolation rooms. Who's making decisions about PPE at school level?
We have no agreement on testing yet. We can't get first two things done, and if that's the case, how do we move to testing? We need all these things in place. Lots of other systems have no testing in place and end up putting everyone in quarantine. We're not trending up, though there's a neighborhood in Brooklyn with a spike, but we need to protect that.
Budget--Albany is basically shut down because of conventions. Agencies are looking at layoffs. We have a teacher shortage and no money. We are moving on some ideas and solutions for at least this budget year.
As for instructional plan, we need to deal with remote students, and blended students. We need to determine appropriate amount of live instruction.
We had a lot of pushback from parents who have to go to work and have no place for their children. It's tough with a mayor who just says he wants things. We won't do it if we're not safe.
Questions--
Can principals tell RSPs they have to work from home because there's no space in building?
A--If there's no space for you to work safely it would be our position you have to work from home. Contact us if you have no PPE.
What will we negotiate to prevent a hiring freeze if necessary?
We will do what we need to if necessary. Special ed., bilingual, lifted now.
Members who haven't been notified--Everyone will be notified by tomorrow according to DOE. Some were prioritized, and other conditions not on list may take longer. Med. accommodation doesn't have anything to do with layoffs. You are still working. Layoffs would have to do with seniority.
Mike Sill--Some at DOE work faster than others, but email me if you don't hear by tomorrow. msill@uft.org
Can we open 100% remotely?
That possibility is high with principals and teachers asking for it. There's no testing, so how can we open? Make sure you get antibody test and flu shot this year.
Each school should have a response team, making sure there are COVID protocols.
Jeff Povalitus--Nurse, safety agent, and custodian. Will only be initiated in a COVID issue.
There are challenges whether we go live or remote. Paraprofessionals will not be rotating school to school. There are a lot of rumors. DOE wants people in schools tied to students. In some esoteric classes there may be exceptions.
D75--We're starting to get some movement. We agree they will need a lot more PPE than other schools.
We are very short on remote teachers because of number of students who've opted out.
Can we move HS to virtual and teach elementary live? We don't have enough teachers for elementary students.
Meetings should still be virtual and most UFT services will be virtual. We will abide by same rules as members in offices.
Can teachers do instructional lunch out of license? In these classes, children will have work to do. They could be watching something tied to instruction. Teachers should be in back of room with face shields.
Danielson--We have not even discussed evaluation. Opening takes priority. SED has been reasonable up until now.
I plan to push really hard about testing. We need to discuss what we do before anyone goes in and how we surveil communities for virus. We have no agreement, but I will handle it. We don't want to recontaminate city, and right now if we open September 10, it will be a debacle.
I ask you all to read what your school submitted. This is a good week for us to work toward a solution, with convention going on.
There are a lot of people looking at bad choices. We need to understand they need to be safe and they need to understand we need to be safe. I thank you for coming, and next week we should have some news. Has to leave--6:34
?--All contractual rules apply to secretaries and all titles. No one has to come back earlier, and if they need secretaries back earlier they need to pay per session. There has been no agreement that secretaries have to come back early.
Final Roll Call
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