DeKalb Schools has announced they will begin its re-opening process on a staggered schedule Jan. 4, 2021 with staff returning to school buildings. Selected grade levels will begin in-person learning on Jan. 19, 2021. Phase three will begin Jan. 25, 2021.
Students may return to face-to-face instruction or continue in the virtual learning space. Schools will organize all classes into two cohorts based on alpha order to adhere to social/physical distancing requirements and safety guidance. Local schools will collaborate with families to align the schedules of siblings. Wednesdays will be reserved for small group instruction, tutoring, appointments for student conferencing, parent conferencing, services, professional learning, collaborative planning and instructional planning.
Concurrent Learning – According to a presentation yesterday, Concurrent Learning will be engaged when the level of spread is between 8% and 10%.
• 2 Days of face to face instruction per week
• 2 Days of distance/remote learning per week
• Wednesdays will be reserved for small group instruction, tutoring, appointments for student conferencing, parent conferencing, services, professional learning, collaborative planning and instructional planning.
Employee Options – Telework may possibly be provided as an option for employees who qualify for an accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). If an employee believes he/she has a medical condition that qualifies for an ADA accommodation, he/she must complete an ADA application and provide supporting medical certification to begin the process. Employees may request ADA documentation from Employee Relations or bookkeepers. ADA documentation can also be accessed through the following link: https://dcsd.sharepoint.com/hr/Pages/Forms.aspx Employees may use the email to make requests: ADArequests@dekalbschoolsga.org
Charter Schools – While charter schools enjoy substantial autonomy, Georgia’s Charter Schools Act does not provide flexibility to charter schools regarding federal, state, or local rules, regulations, court orders, and statutes related to the protection of the physical health and safety of students, employees, and visitors. DCSD charter schools do not have the authority to implement a less restrictive learning model than the District.
Keep In Mind – DeKalb Schools administration would like you to keep the following in mind:
• In surveying our DCSD families on intent to return to school, over 40% of families indicated their desire to send their children back to school.
• Even with rising rates, leading health experts have advised school leaders to identify opportunities for students to return to school buildings.
• Neighboring districts have successfully returned with few incidents. DCSD Leadership is in contact with neighboring districts to discuss what has worked well and some of the areas of concern so that our district can proactively prepare for re-entry.
• Most importantly, our youngest learners and our most vulnerable students must have the structure of learning within the school building to receive targeted support from educators needed to achieve academic success.
Outbreaks – If a school-based staff member or student tests positive for COVID-19, there will be a targeted impact on the school and/or classroom which could include a transition to distance/remote learning and working environments for a period of time.
Symptoms – If a staff member or student is exhibiting symptoms, the staff member or student will be immediately isolated. The District will follow the guidance from the Georgia Department of Public Health, DeKalb Public Health and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“Extremism in defense of liberty is no vice. Moderation in pursuit of justice is no virtue.”
@ Region Two Teacher: 22 year veteran and I feel EXACTLY as you do. If you ever really wondered what society thinks of us, well this situation has exposed the truth. We have no voice and do not matter.
Hi again Alison,
Go look up some of their school population sizes and compare them to here. You’ll see why their students can be spread through a cafeteria safely while our students will be eating in classrooms with their teachers, mimicking indoor dining, the number one source of community spread. The same classrooms they and their peers will be learning in. The same classrooms that also have larger class sizes because THERE ARE MORE PEOPLE. Done with you now, sweetheart.
Region 2 Teacher,
They specifically said they’d report us to the GAPSC if we resign? That’s the same question we’ve been asking for months and they never answered. That’s distressing.
@Frivolous,
Since I haven’t been in stores or really any building in months, I am planning my documentation. In case of my death, or if I go on life support, I’m instructing my spouse to request records from my bank and credit card records so that it can be shown that all shopping is done online and by pickup. Kroger keeps a record in customer accounts of pickups. Since my paycheck is direct deposit and I do not take out cash, my credit card records will show that I do not go to restaurants or stores. I plan to make a video recording of my mileage once I leave home and work to show that I am making no other trips or stops in my car. Witnesses can be called to confirm that I’ve turned down invitations to meet or attend events. I would encourage anyone who has been distancing since March to do the same. I’m not sure with the current law it would be something one could sue for, but I would want the public to know why I died.
Dekalb Re-opening plans you sent teachers. Phase 1 safe less than 10% positivity rate in DeKalb County.
Today we have hit the High category at 15.4%. How much higher does it have to go? 20% is at Critical .
If you look at Phase 1 safe entry is 10% or less. 3% is ideal for co tai I g the covid spread in schools is Dekalb now not following the Dekalb Board of Health Guidelines?
I have addressed issues before, but my messages never make it for the public to see. I hope this does. Is Dekalb looking out for its teachers or parents in newer schools that want their child back in school?
An All-Principal meeting is happening right now (6:30 PM). The Palace is ignoring Principals’ questions and really ticking them off.
The Palace is just dumping all the responsibilities of reopening onto Principals. The Palace has written letters that are going to be sent out to parents — these letters are using phrases like “Your local school will…”, “Your local school leader will… ”
Stan, what’s being said by HR about ADA, accomodations and leave differs from what you’ve been told (according to what you’ve written above.)
Palace can’t answer any questions about subs. Principals have teachers who already have put in leave paperwork so those Principals are asking about getting subs to fill their openings. Palace is only able to say “We will have to have conversations.”
Does someone know what’s really going on?
Is there a lawsuit? Is it federal funding?
Something has to explain how we went from Covid safe to Covid crazy in days. Whether you want face to face schooling or virtual, this is not the way to arrange for it.
If the district’s message is meant to be taken literally, then it succeeded in messing things up better than it ever has.
@DSW2Contributor
That sounds about right. The district doesn’t want blood on their hands and will blame the principals and staff if anything goes wrong. By the way, I keep busting out laughing every time you refer to them as the “palace”. LOL
Get ready y’all. This reopening is going to happen despite whatever the numbers say. They. Don’t. Care. OR someone higher up is applying the pressure.
437 infections per 100,000 not 100 per 100,000 which was the original threshold that brought us to virtual learning. This is like shooting fish in a barrel. We are bound to get sick. The health and well-being of teachers are being leveraged not for any good reason. Why can we not wait until we are vaccinated?
Also aren’t teachers suppose to get their step increase come January?….which means teachers should be getting an updated pay sheet sent out…
@teacherpay…
That has been something on my mind for a while now. Why say employees would have all of these calendar reduction days and at around the same time say we’re going to get a step in January? It doesn’t make sense. Something doesn’t feel right about all of this. Shady as hell.
You can’t tell me that this wasn’t the plan all along: For us to return in January regardless of numbers. Teachers check your email. I’m sure your principal will be emailing you the re-opening schedule for staff members that was sent to principals to share with staff. It maps out January and February. This is happening! Enjoy your time with your family over the break.
Stan,
First, I would like to thank you for the forum. I look to your website for honest feedback. I can feel the passion in each post. We might not all agree on decisions made by the district but we have a place to voice our frustrations or happiness. Yes, I said happiness. Its my hope that when the staff comes back and it seems like they are, everyone can be safe.
@I Don’t Like You, why would you hide behind such a nasty, fake identity? Forget it. Respond if you must have the last word. You did present a point to consider. Thank you.
I understand that working parents who are not teachers have been having to navigate childcare through this entire nightmare of a year. The parents who have invested the time or the money to help make their young children’s virtual learning as successful and structured as possible have been truly incredible this year. No one is minimizing these struggles and sacrifices.
The county putting teachers of young Dekalb scholars in this position is truly a concern for all stakeholders. Most childcare facilities that offer Pre-K and K are going to close for winter break Friday, as will most private schools. I am unfamiliar with the enrollment at private schools outside of Dekalb, but I know many of ours have no capacity. Sure, we could quit. We could take leave if FFCRA is renewed. We will have to figure it out, but if I am in a position where I do not even know if I will be at work January 4th – and I am not alone among my colleagues in this regard – how would the county have any realistic idea of how many available employees they will have? The short answer is they don’t.
Has the county gauged how many families would send their children back full-time 4 or 5 days a week? If the numbers are low enough to reasonably socially distance, it seems like an option to look in to (Obviously they would still need to look at how many teachers would come back in this specific scenario to figure out in-person class sizes). It won’t do anyone any good if special area teachers are constantly pulled to cover for teacher shortages, or if classes are doubled up. It seems like a full-time option would reduce the exposure students would have outside of school, as well. It is possible that my child will attend preschool at my school of employment 2 days a week, then another part-day preschool (that had availability when I had to scramble to find something at the beginning of the year) 3 days a week, and be picked up by a nanny (if I can find one) after the 3 days she is in her part-day preschool. Her personal exposure and, by extension, those of her classmates, will be exponentially higher than if she were to attend one setting daily.
I realize the district has hard decisions to make. Any decision they make needs to be an informed decision.
Stan,
Can you find out why the district is arranging a virtual board meeting for 3:30pm tomorrow?
Strange that a virtual meeting is scheduled as we teachers are being told we must report to work on January 4 and that Dekalb has been planning for months for in-person work.
A few more comments about the All-Principals meeting tonight:
– The Palace Administrator running the meeting stopped it when she noticed the webinar’s recording light was on; she then waited until the recording function had been turned off before she resumed the meeting.
– Principals repeatedly asked for clarification about the public health metrics the district is using. They were told to focus on reopening and not the metrics. I took this to mean that DCSD is no longer following nor considering public health guidance. Palace Royalty may have actually said that aloud, but I don’t remember for sure and I can’t review the recording to confirm that.
– Palace Royalty said some bat shit crazy stuff like “we know you’ve been using the last few months to plan for your reopening” as if Principals did not have virtual schools to run, computers and lunches to distribute, etc.
– Principals repeatedly asked detailed questions about how to open their schools back up; Palace royalty answered all those questions by telling our Principals to go ask their colleagues in other districts about what they are doing and that they should also go visit those schools. [Apparently they haven’t heard about the sudden closures of schools in other districts.] Moments later after telling our Principals they are all on their own, the same Palace royalty told our Principals that the Palace is here to support and assist them.
– Principals asked about childcare, specifically if their teachers/staff could bring their children to school since it is impossible to arrange childcare on such short notice. The Palace said No. The Palace’s reasons for saying No are too stupid for me to post here — stupidity is contagious.
– Many teachers are not able and/or not willing to return to in-person classes. Principals say their teachers are submitting ADA paperwork, leave paperwork and resignations. [Presumably being reported to the GAPSC is not something one worries about when they have preexisting conditions that make them unlikely to survive covid.]
WARNING: If the number of departing teacher is as high as the scuttlebutt I’m hearing, then Palace employees with valid teaching certifications will have to be put in classrooms in order to cover all the vacancies. DCSD may also have to resort to moving teachers to different schools midyear.
@DSw2Contributor:
“The Palace’s reasons for saying No are too stupid for me to post here “
Now I gotta know what the excuses were lol.
Will moving teachers to different schools result in higher classroom sizes for teachers?
This is crazy my children want be returning i have one with a heart condition and i want risk her so they can say what they want she want be going
Because they cant replace my child if something happen to her
All these parents of little ones who want them back f2f do you realize you will be dropping these children off to a building they have never been in before, to people they have never seen before , except one who they have only seen on a computer screen? My principal told me No parents will be allowed in the building . Students will be dropped off and sent down the correct hallway. So get your babies ready for what I would think will be a very traumatic experience. Been doing this for a long time and I don’t think DCSD is planning for how scared these little ones will be and let me tell you the teachers won’t be hugging, just trying to encourage from six feet away! The other great metic. Is zdekalb three out the metrics we will stay in school come he’ll or high waters! Can’t wait to get covid!
I just need clarification. Teachers are required to report to work, in the building, on Jan. 4th regardless of the positivity rate? Right now the positivity rate is above 10 percent. So, if the positivity rate is up to 13% in a couple days, we still report to work January 4th?
How does anyone expect teachers to walk into a classroom that they have not been in since March and begin teaching? January 4th is a teaching day, not a teacher workday. There is no way this can happen. This plan reflects lack of thought.
Who will be held liable if a student or teacher contracts a communicable disease, COVID-19 while at school?
Married couple, both teachers, die of Covid-19 while holding hands with their children
By Kelsie Smith and Nakia McNabb, CNN
Updated 12:11 AM ET, Thu December 17, 2020
https://www.cnn.com/2020/12/16/us/married-couple-dies-of-covid-19-while-holding-hands-trnd/index.html
I say we start a pool on when first Dekalb School reports a Covid outbreak. I say Jan 5th………
The superintendent has sent out an e-mail with details about returning to school, but parents are reporting that it went to their spam/junk folder. That’s where I found my copy. You can see screenshots of the e-mail and new calendar on the Educate Dunwoody FB page.
3656 American lives lost yesterday to the pandemic. The deadliest day reported. I’m just saying.
In our school meeting, it was made clear that the 10% was a one-time thing. As in, once we reach 10% staggered re-entry begins (perhaps that is why they rushed the announcement over two days we were around 10%). From there, the positivity rate doesn’t matter.
So I’d get ready to be at work on the 4th. This is happening. 🙁
Hello @Teacher. You said “In our school meeting, it was made clear that the 10% was a one-time thing. As in, once we reach 10% staggered re-entry begins.” … Up until recently, it was under 10% for months. Seems like they would have skipped the metric and just said we’re coming back. Do you have anything that says this was a one time thing? Can you send whoever said that an email asking them to confirm that’s what they said and meant?
I am a Food Nutrition worker in Dekalb Schools, and also a grandmother of a 1st grader, in a different county. We have been back at work since school started, with no consideration of our well being. I have underlying conditions, and was put in a central school with about 29 other people, to prepare and distribute lunches. I don’t know what those other people do when they aren’t there. And then 2 of the days we just sit and do nothing, when at least we could be home those days diminishing the chance of contracting this virus.
My grands County is still on virtual. His learning is suffering, however, this can be turned around, death can not.
This feels like DeKalb wants to get rid of teachers. They can’t fire us, so they’re forcing us to resign. I looked at that calendar, and any teacher with children is basically penalized. We can’t bring our kids to work with us, but our kids are only in school for 2 days. In the private sector, offices set up rooms for the staff kids so they could do their virtual learning while the schools are closed. Or, parents were able to change their work hours to be home with their kids during the day. So I don’t want to hear anything about what parents who aren’t teachers had to go through for childcare. DeKalb is making this unnecessarily difficult for teachers with children. Is getting rid of a large percentage of their staff their way of fixing budgetary issues? Otherwise, this plan makes no sense.
All students will be back in schools by February 8th, according to the calendar provided to principals. It’s only hybrid for a couple weeks.
Stan,
Why are we ignoring the data that the county presented this week about the 10% positive? Why would you guys set that as a guideline and then ignore it? Also, why not address this change to the community?
Hello @Doesn’t Add Up.
I’m not sure why the administration isn’t coming out and saying that teachers aren’t going back to the classroom if the spread is over 10%. The board didn’t set this as a guideline, I found out at the townhall just like you. I’m somewhat disappointed that 7 days prior the administration presented to the board the old metric. I’m working on addressing this change. I need to get confirmation on some of the facts. –Stan
So I’m supposed to leave my kindergartener and first grader at home by themselves for 2 weeks? Got it. Thanks SO much for clarifying that, Teacher!
Instead of publishing a fake metric that they’re not going to follow, why not just say: “Kids are failing. Attendance is low. Kids aren’t logging in for virtual class. MAP scores were terrible. Kids didn’t show up in person to take EOC tests. Virtual isn’t working for a lot of families. For these reasons, we’re going back f2f.” [These are real issues at the DCSD HS where I work.] Just be honest about why we need to provide a f2f option now instead of crazy BS.
@Time for Real Talk, I think it’s too soon to call this a fake metric. I’m working on getting confirmation that the administration isn’t going to send teachers or students back to the schoolhouse if the spread is over 10%. I do suspect that your other points motivated the administration to change to this metric.
“So I’m supposed to leave my kindergartener and first grader at home by themselves for 2 weeks? Got it.” What do you think the rest of us with elementary students have been doing? We don’t all work from home ya know.
Anonymous,
If you’re leaving your 5 and 6 year old at home alone, you’re committing a crime and you should be reported to DFCS. As a responsible parent, I will not do that. Thanks.
Stan, can we get a response regarding the teacher raise that we were told would happen January 2021? With all of the extra expenses, it would surely come in handy.
Budget Remedies, Teacher Casualties,
Leaving your elementary kids at home is a crime? No shit, Sherlock. I asked the out of touch teachers what they think the rest of DeKalb parents with elementary students has been doing since school started. The answer is going to work and finding some form of child care.
Stan,
Do you know why this meeting isn’t in-person?
Better yet, why aren’t all meeting attendees without an approved ADA accommodation in a classroom with sixteen students?
This would show teachers, parents, and the community how much Dekalb is committed to in-person learning and just how confident the decision-makers are in this thing being passed off as a plan.
If the meeting lasts longer than 80 minutes, everyone can change rooms, walk through the halls, and then meet with a different group of students to show how that works, too. If you can’t find students, just get other employees. Teenagers are more like adults in terms of Covid infection and spread.
If the meeting goes into dinner time, everyone can enjoy a nice meal in that same room with students. The lucky adults will be eating with younger students less likely to transmit Covid; the unlucky ones will see what it feels like to be in a make-shift restaurant with sixteen different teenagers who are 50% more likely to get infected and spread Covid than young children. An extra credit opportunity could include a math problem figuring out the number of exposures each student and meeting participant has had. Additional bonus points for the first person to finish the simulated contact tracing.
Anonymous,
And *I* stated that I will not be doing that with my children. I don’t care what you’ve had to do about childcare, honestly. I’m focused on the bind that DeKalb is putting teachers in. If you don’t have a remedy for that, nothing you have to say matters to me and my family. You can take whatever childcare issues you have up with YOUR job, while I take my issues up with MY job. Have a nice day.
Budget Remedies, Teacher Casualties
“I don’t care what you’ve had to do about childcare, honestly” – Thank you for being honest. You don’t care about me, my children or anybody else in this situation except for yourself. I can only assume that’s how you feel about just about everything.
Stan, why did you delete the comments detailing the principals’ meeting? What is the board trying to hide?
Anonymous,
You are absolutely correct. I don’t care about anyone else when it comes to my children and my family. I will always put them first, and I will never feel guilty about it. You act as if teachers are supposed be sacrificial lambs and care about YOUR children and YOUR family before we care about our own. I will NEVER do that. You worry your family, and I will worry about mine. Thanks!
Hello @Fishy. I didn’t delete anything (more or less). There was one comment made twice and I deleted the duplicate. There was one person that made 3 short comments in a row and I merged them into one comment and deleted the other two. I do recall somebody saying they deleted their own comment. Otherwise, I didn’t delete anything … especially something of relative importance.
If it is safe for us adults to return to the buildings, DCSD could provide a special life insurance policy for COVID until the end of the school year. The same health issues that prevent some teachers from increasing their life insurance during open enrollment is what may may cause their COVID death. I’d at least want my family taken care of if I die because of this job. We are being told repeatedly to request ADA accommodations, but has anyone gotten a response from that office?
Thanks, @Stan, for following through on the metric. I probably shouldn’t have called it fake, but the slide that included the positivity rate metric from the town halls earlier this week is not being communicated–just the phases and dates.
I’m also a little troubled by the language being used by the district: “reopening of schools.” Schools never closed, and I think “reopening” suggests to parents that educators haven’t been doing too much. Maybe “reopening of school buildings” or “return to in-person learning” would be more appropriate.
Why does it take the superintendent’s office so long to respond to board member’s inquiries?
If I routinely took so long to respond to my boss I’d be fired…
Life Insurance,
DeKalb knows that teachers are going to die, and they don’t care. They are worried about losing the money they get per pupil, and they’ve already said they’re losing a lot of students to other counties. This isn’t about it being safe to return, it’s about keeping the dollars in the district. They don’t care if we get sick or die because they actually lose money by having to pay us. They want to keep the students so they can keep federal funds flowing. If 10% of the teachers have to die so they can keep that money coming in, that’s the risk they’re willing to take.
Budget Remedies etc: I think what you’re missing is that the predicament you’re in is exactly what the majority of working parents have been dealing with since March. And yes, it totally sucks. While some of us can do our jobs from home, I can tell you that I cannot do my job while assisting my 1st grader with virtual school. It’s impossible. So, I’ve had to fork out a ton of money on help – at the sacrifice of other things, mind you. I couldn’t find a spot in a F2F private school or a daycare that wasn’t an hour drive. My only option was to hire someone to come into my home to help her. I’ve had to shift my budget to accommodate and it’s costing me thousands per month. So, while I understand your frustration as a parent, it is not unique. And again, it totally sucks – my options were to quit my job or hire someone. Just like yours.
THIS IS RIDICULOUS!! So the CDC does not want us to co-mingle with our families for the holidays but it’s okay for us to be thrown back together 5 days a week like lab rats with people who are not our families!!
Can Dekalb be more irresponsible? They’re making a decision before the catastrophic results of XMAS spread of Covid. They are inviting all teachers and staff to a potential death trap come January. Could they not have waited a few weeks to see the results of the Covid spread over Holidays until they sentence us to sickness and possible death? This is beyond stupid. Any chance of a lawsuit claiming students are given option of not dying, yet teachers are not afforded that same option?
Hello, everybody here! Dekalb, CDC, Stan, Parents, etc. do not care about us. They don’t care if we live, die, or are admitted to the ICU. They really don’t care.
@virtualschool blows
We understand the frustration you all have had, however teacher/parents are being given a lot less notice to find childcare options than parents were given in August. Two weeks including major holidays doesn’t leave any options. The year was literally pushed back by a few weeks so that parents had time to look for options. It doesn’t negate the struggles you had, it is just a different circumstance.
“Any idea what other school districts are doing to cover classes when a teacher is out for any reason.”
In other districts, county office staff, up to & including the superintendent, are acting as substitute teachers. Fayette County recently posted photos of their superintendent covering a high school science class (his former field of teaching) on their Facebook page. It was meant to be a feel-good story about how everyone is pitching in. But I don’t really view it as “feel-good” if there are so many teachers out of the building that the superintendent has to cover classes. But I look forward to seeing Ms. Watson-Harris, Mr. Maloof, & Ms. Stepney back in the classroom! I also look forward to face-to-face Board meetings in second semester.
@ Life Insurance,
I sent my ADA request on 9/28 and got a response yesterday that its being process.
Our principal told us this morning there was a new calendar that would be shared tomorrow. A colleague shared what appears to be the new calendar with me- it shows teachers having January 4-5 to work in their rooms while students are all asynchronous. I would share the calendar here but I can’t post a picture.
Does anyone have a link for the community to watch the called board meeting at 3:30 today? (Or, is this info that there’s a meeting today wrong?) Thanks!
@Veteran DeKalb teacher—parents got an e-mail from the Superintendent last night containing links to a letter and a calendar that shows those asynchronous days. Everyone I’ve talked to says the letter went to their junk or spam folder, though, so I don’t know how many parents have actually seen it. Maybe that’s got something to do with the county’s IT problems last week? Here are the links: https://msg.schoolmessenger.com/m/getdocument.php?s=Yy8n3CeziSw&mal=6e728ae7cf98a6bd366b15e305f7283382491e28d2ac6876694e38f017912df4&p=
https://msg.schoolmessenger.com/m/getdocument.php?s=Yy8n3CeziSw&mal=a76870fd943085d40d93e901fe2e14f9126ccf4a0998d83d1438853749c8ed22&p=
“Number One Cheerleader” is cheering for the wrong team! Happy Holidays teachers! Never mind that you just had the craziest semester of your career… don’t relax now. Who cares about your break. Instead, get ready to start teaching at school the first week back. Move all of your stuff back and fit in a few logistics while your off…Find childcare when everything is closed. Who cares about numbers because that was just pretend.
Thank you @Tucker Mom
It’s interesting that the parent letter does not mention return to in person learning being contingent on the positivity rate being below 10%. I guess that was just a smokescreen.
@abcdefg, I’m a former teacher. My teaching career was about doing what was best for my students and doing what my Principals asked me to do (yes, of course I hated lunch duty and all the long hours well beyond the school day I spent to do the very best I could be for my middle school students!) Now, I work for the federal government and come into contact with the public daily. Based on your comments above, I sincerely hope you aren’t even in the same school where my children attend. Negativity is contagious and is the opposite of productive. COVID has been difficult for people in ALL walks of life. Restaurant, grocery store, and retail workers have to be in contact with people day in and day out. People in the medical professions (all the way down to the custodial staff) have to serve the public. Your postal workers and UPS/Fedex workers have to serve the public. When you begin and continue in a career in teaching, the very essence of what you do is service. That is what you chose, no one forced you to be a teacher nor did anyone want you to stick around longer than you wanted to be teaching. Yes, the county is asking a lot of the teachers, and all the parents I talk with realize that and appreciate our teachers very much. I do feel strongly that my child’s needs will be best met with in person school, that doesn’t mean I don’ care about his teachers! Somehow, you seem to believe teachers don’t have to take the current pandemic, which no one wanted, and make the best of it. That’s what EVERYONE in ALL PROFESSIONS (at least those of us fortunate to still be working) must do! Don’t let the door hit you on your way out. Wish we could all check back with you after you’ve changed professions. I don’t think you’ll find the private sector will care as much about you or your personal needs to the extent you seem to believe they will. If you don’t like your job in the private sector, no worries, they’d be happy to replace you with someone who costs less and has a better attitude. That’s reality.
Wow!!!
Issue #1
I am curious about the Teacher’s who children attend DeKalb County Schools. Many DeKalb Educators have children who actually attend DeKalb Schools. Although it is not anyone problem to figure out what we are suppose to do with our school-aged children, but was this issue addressed? If we cannot take our children to school and have no childcare, then we are forced to take a leave. I find that to be unfair!
Issue #2
If it is so safe to return to school under the advisement of leadership, then someone please explain to me why the town hall meetings are virtual? Lead by example please!!
Issue #3
Students’ class hours have been shorten because of Virtual Learning. No one has logged in before 9 a.m. Please tell me what you have in store to encourage and motivate students to log in and begin learning at 7:45 or 8:00 a.m.? Our children have been in this routine for 5 months and now you expect them to change schedules and routine with very little preparation. You all should have given them this option as well!!
Issue#4
Lastly, DeKalb was hell bent on 100 cases per 100,000 residents for the infection of C-19. We must have looked at their PPT Presentation a 1,000 times as they stuck with this number to indicate whether is was safe to return to school or not. In early October, when the numbers dropped, the district tried to begin the phase-back process. A week later, the numbers increased and we were back to square one. Since then, the numbers continue to increase and after the Thanksgiving Holiday, the numbers surged even more. So I am confused as to the immediate rush back into schools after a longer holiday break which gives people more opportunities to be out and about. As I checked the numbers today, we have tripled the numbers in October and as of today, we have 498 cases per 100,000 residence. I am confused! This number is alarming!! Now, to suit their own needs, they have switched their metrics and now are looking at the Positivity number, which is 10.1% as of December 14th. It is all over the local news stations as well as CNN that there will be another surge in numbers after the holidays. They are pleading with people to not have large gatherings, limit the travel, and only go out to get necessities. If all of these necessary suggestions are shared locally and socially, then why are we not adhering to the professionals that have been guiding us all year about the prevention of Covid? Are you guys getting so much push back from parents and stakeholders that you are now giving up and giving in? If one person (Staff or Students) gets this horrific disease, if one dies from this, then in my book, that is one too many!! We were not trained to be frontline workers! We are not in the medical field. Our contract does not specify that if there is a pandemic, then we still must provide a service. Yes, we serve children and that is what we have been doing throughout the career as well as serving since the start of this mayhem. Medical field employees are aware of epidemics, pandemics, and any other emic, and they vowed to help people get better. I promised to educate, not to put my life on the line because people are tired of their children being at home. That is a personal problem, just like it is a personal problem for me to find childcare.
So, spring this on us 3 days before a break, with little recourse. (set up…..this had been planned…even the principals did not know of this information, or so they say)!! Demand for the return of teachers without any valid opinions. Take a leave and use up unnecessary time. Resign and loss your state certification. Leave us in limbo with indirect answers to our direct questions. Do want you want because teachers have no Unions!!
Southerners PLEASE stop being so passive aggressive and open up your mouths and speak. If we don’t stand for something, then we fall for anything!!
@ Parents very much appreciate our teachers! , oh please. Like I would waste my time coming back here to tell you how much better my life is this time next year. I’m not the only one rethinking my career choice and it’s not just teachers. People in many different professions are rethinking their careers right now. I was young and naive and believed people were good and honest when I chose teaching. The school system is far from being a good Christian environment. I’m very religious and the lies and everything else I’ve seen in the schools makes me sick. It’s unethical. I’m on the inside and I see the bad and this is bad. Fine, let the door hit me on the way out. My Christian beliefs are the main reason I’m walking out the door. I’m glad you don’t like me. I don’t belong here, I belong with the good people.
AJC Education Reporter Vanessa McCray:
“According to state enrollment data, APS says DeKalb County Schools has lost the highest percentage of students during this school year out of all metro districts, though all have lost students during the pandemic.”
https://twitter.com/vanmccray/status/1339628723532914688
“As the start of the 2020-21 school year approached…Surveys showed that 1 in 5 teachers said they were unlikely to return to in-person instruction in the fall.
Stoking the fears were some troubling statistics: About 18 percent of public school teachers are age 55 or older, putting them at heightened risk for serious illness due to COVID-19. And an analysis by the Kaiser Family Foundation estimates that about 1.5 million teachers—nearly 1 in 4—have health conditions that increase their risk for COVID-19 complications.”
https://www.edweek.org/teaching-learning/did-covid-19-really-drive-teachers-to-quit/2020/11
From the AJC:
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The Cobb County School District will spend up to $12 million to add two products designed to fight the spread of coronavirus in all of its elementary schools.
The district will deploy a hand-rinsing device and a product that uses low-voltage ultraviolet light to sterilize classrooms in its 67 elementary schools. Both products were tested in October at Bryant, Belmont Hills and Argyle elementary schools as part of a pilot program.
Iggy, the hand-rinsing device, incorporates a low concentration of aqueous ozone in the stream of water it sprays onto a user’s hands. According to 30e Scientific, the company behind Iggy, aqueous ozone has been shown to neutralize some viruses and bacteria. The ultraviolet light product, Cleanz222, can sterilize classrooms during overnight hours. Created by ProTek Life, it runs for an hour each night to clean surfaces of bacteria, viruses and other germs.
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https://www.ajc.com/news/atlanta-news/cobb-to-spend-12m-on-products-to-fight-coronavirus-spread-in-elementary-schools/RNKP23U6QZBLFKQWRONUGVWGHE/
Mr. Jester – in the Town Hall Meeting of Dec. 14 the superintendent’s presentation included a slide clearly stating that staff and teachers won’t return to school if the positivity rate is above 10%. The positivity rate for DeKalb County has been and continues to be above that 10% threshold as per the GA Department of Public Health Daily Status Report. It appears now that DeKalb County Schools are plowing full steam ahead with staff and students returning regardless of the positivity rate. Is the positivity rate no longer a determining factor and if so why has that changed in the 8 days since the town hall meeting?
Let’s discuss how quickly Mrs. Watson-Harris threw away her reputation and credibility — I have never seen anything like it.
Here is my understanding of what happened:
Wed, December 2 – Regions 1 & 2 Town Hall Meetings: Palace tells community that DCSD is staying virtual
Mon, December 7 – BOE meeting and Community Input session: Watson-Harris tells community that DCSD is staying virtual
Wed, December 9 – Region 3 Town Hall Meeting for Parents: Palace tells community that DCSD is staying virtual
Thu, December 10 – The scuttlebutt in the Palace is that DCSD will be returning to in-face learning in January.
Fri, December 11 – BOE Member Stan is still unaware that DCSD is returning, according to his 10:05 AM post that said “@EntitledTeacher, I’m finding out with everyone else as we go. I talked to the superintendent last night for a few minutes. They should be releasing some potential dates today. I’ll get my hands on as much information as possible and do an analysis on the change of direction here.” (Stan, I’m quoting your post since it shows that the Superintendent was telling a BOE member something different than what the Palace was saying internally.)
Mon, December 15 – Stan blogs that “DeKalb Schools has announced they will begin its re-opening process on a staggered schedule Jan. 4, 2021.” Stan’s posts in that thread seem to show that he did not know until 3:27 PM that we were going back to F2F without any consideration of the covid data.
Tue, December 16 – The Palace calls an emergency All Principals meeting on the subject of returning to F2F.
Honestly, I have never before seen a Superintendent and the Palace so blatantly mislead the BOE and community. On Monday, she was telling the BOE that we were staying virtual; by Friday afternoon, everyone in the Palace knew we were going back to F2F.
On Wednesday, the Palace (Sean Tartt, I assume) told Region 3 Parents that we were staying virtual… and then the very next day the scuttlebutt in the Palace was that we were going back to F2F. Doesn’t Watson-Harris know that DCSD’s Prime Directive is “never get caught lying to a group of black parents?”
I am a DCSD teacher and my ADA paperwork is lost. I have to reapply for the accommodation. This is all a joke. A Cobb County teacher died from Covid-19. How many Dekalb teachers need to die before this is taken seriously. I am concerned about many things including the loss of credentials if a teacher feels the situation is unsafe and needs to leave. Obviously they have many experienced teachers just dying to replace them. Pun deliberate. The county government needs to get real and stop deceiving the employees. The mitigation factor is another joke. Teachers will be in the classroom all day including lunch and will become maintenance personnel in between to clean the rooms with no protection such as shields. Maybe teachers should have a sick out as in we are sick of being mistreated.
Wow! So much hostility from both sides of this issue. The last comment I read was from someone called anon. He/she commented about taxes parents pay. Guess what? Teachers who live in Dekalb also pay school taxes!! So we have as much right as you to comment. Teachers should not be surprised that we are treated so poorly here. The situation for teachers has been steadily declining for years. Actually the entire county has been declining for years. I love teaching and my kids, but sadly I will be retiring at the end of the school year. I was hoping to go one extra year, but I am afraid that I would not survive. Between the impossible requirements put on teachers and my health problems, I don’t believe I could make it for another year. My principal is a decent person but he won’t rebel against the sickness coming from the holy mountain. I will do my best to comply but I will have to put myself first which I have never done in my entire career. Kids come next. Watson-Harris doesn’t figure in my calculations at all. What can they do to a teacher who is leaving? To pregnant teachers. The information coming out seems to say pregnant women and the babies are at risk. Don’t let the county bully you. Contact you organizations and ask for help from their lawyers. I don’t believe that Dekalb wants another class action suit with pictures of pregnant women asking for protection for themselves and their babies. Good luck to all of you in finishing the year safely and if you decide to accept a contract for next year. I think you will need it.
Hello Jester.
May you please explain what a hardship application is and what qualifies as a hardship? Also, i understand that if a teacher completes this application, They can continue working virtually for 30 days. Will the pay be the same?
It amazes me that they are re-opening schools when the virus cases are 10,000+ new cases per day which is higher than it was in the fall when schools should have opened. Majority of parents are still opting out and are remaining virtual. Why would you risk the lives of so many teachers and students for 20% of student population to come back for 2 days per week? That’s absurd!! Very scary and you could not value the lives of teachers or students. The superintendent also stated that they would not return until the cases were down. They should do what is best for everyone, not a percentage. I would much rather my child be alive and behind than to be sick/dead and caught up!!!! SOOOO SAD!!! The stakeholders who agreed to this are not thinking about anything, but funding. It is a pandemic for crying out loud! Why would this be an option if you are about the kids and teachers? God Bless the souls that return. As for the decision makers, may God place you in the same kind of harm while you are sitting behind a desk in a closed office with a mask on by yourselves!!!!!! People are still dropping like flies. You got to be kidding me!!!!!!
Georgia is Blue,
You were probably jumping walls with the rest of those uneducated, toothless racists. Our democratic officials are not the cause. It is people like you who want to drop off their kids and go home and cook dinner, go shopping, and make crafts and complain to school districts in better districts with more resources!!. Kick Rocks!!!