Category Archives: Coronavirus

Biden’s Executive Order Supports Reopening of Schools

Posted on January 29, 2021 by | 469 comments

On January 21, Biden signed an executive order supporting the reopening and continuing operation of schools and early childhood education providers.

“The United States is committed to ensuring that students and educators are able to resume safe, in-person learning as quickly as possible, with the goal of getting a majority of K-8 schools safely open in 100 days,” states the executive order which instructs various federal agencies to provide guidance on how to safely conduct in-person learning.

CDC Research

CDC researchers published in the Journal of the American Medical Association earlier this week, “there has been little evidence that schools have contributed meaningfully to increased community transmission.”

As reported by the Washington Post

“A new CDC study, also published Tuesday, looked at 17 rural K-12 schools in Wisconsin and found just seven out of 191 coronavirus cases resulted from in-school transmission. Researchers noted that students and staff in these schools wore masks almost all the time.

The conclusion here is with proper prevention efforts . . . we can keep transmission in schools and educational settings quite low, said Margaret A. Honein, the lead author of the JAMA report. We didn’t know that at the beginning of the year but the data has really accumulated.”

DeKalb Schools

DeKalb Schools administration seems to have decided back in December that students will be coming back for F2F (face to face) instruction. In January, in addition to the leave or accommodations granted to employees under Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) and/or Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), further considerations for temporary hardship situations were given to all employees who requested it. I’m not aware of any accommodations or considerations granted to employees starting next week.

Chicago Public Schools

DeKalb Schools isn’t alone with grappling with teachers and employees over how and when to return. Chicago Public Schools (CPS) negotiations with the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) has been widely reported on in the media. CPS Administration announced plans to return to F2F instruction by next week. This Monday, the teacher’s union voted to refuse to teach in person. In response, CPS stated that teachers who do not show up for work will be “deemed absent without leave and will not be eligible for pay”. This week, 18% of CPS employees were no shows. As of this morning, media reports indicate that CPS students are learning remotely again while CPS and CTU return to negotiations.

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Posted in Coronavirus, DeKalb Schools

DCSD Employees May Continue To Work Remotely For 30 Days

Posted on January 2, 2021 by | 470 comments

DeKalb Schools Teachers and staff experiencing hardships may notify their immediate supervisors, complete the Hardship Request Application, and continue to work remotely for 30 days. At the end of the 30-day window, the hardship application will be reviewed. Teachers and staff, who are ready to return, may do so on January 4th.

Dr. Michelle Jones, DeKalb Schools Chief Human Resources Officer, sent this message to DeKalb Schools employees last Thursday.

Stan Jester DeKalb Schools

From: Dr. Michelle Jones
DeKalb Schools Interim Chief Human Resources Officer
Subject: DCSD Employees Return to Work Considerations
Date: December 31, 2020

As we begin our phases of re-opening, the Division of Human Resources is here to assist employees with employment-related needs. On January 4, 2021, we are welcoming back all 10, 11, and 12-month employees who were working remotely to return to the work setting. Our goal is to get everyone back to our buildings, to transition to our physical workspace/classrooms, and to prepare for a hybrid learning environment. While leave or accommodations may be granted to employees under Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) and/or Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), further considerations for temporary hardship situations have been requested at this time by employees. The District’s goal is to be supportive and understanding of the concerns of our employees during this pandemic, while maintaining the operation of the school district.Please note that the needs of our employees and students are top priorities in the decision-making process; therefore, it is imperative that we are aware of the needs of our team members in order to execute the appropriate plan for alternate work arrangements. In this second phase of employees returning to the building, there are three options beginning January 4th:

• Teachers and staff, who are ready to return, may do so on January 4th.
• Teachers and staff, who have submitted the required documentation to request an ADA accommodation and have been approved, may continue to work remotely.
• Teachers and staff, who have submitted the required documentation to request an ADA accommodation and have not been approved, may continue to work remotely until the Division of Human Resources determines eligibility.
• Teachers and staff experiencing hardships may notify their immediate supervisors, complete the Hardship Request Application, and continue to work remotely for 30 days. At the end of the 30-day window, the hardship application will be reviewed. (Note: The Hardship Request Application must be submitted no later than Friday, January 8, 2021, at 5:00 p.m. through the following link: https://survey.sogosurvey.com/r/8UPcR4)

Employees may also visit the employee sharepoint portal to access additional resources within the Resources tab of the Division of Human Resources. We are all in this together, and we are here to make your transition back to the work setting as smooth as possible.

Hardship Request Application

Any hardship request will be acknowledged until DCSD announces that students are returning to school. The employee must agree to accept the alternative work assignment assigned by their immediate supervisor and that such assignment is not an adverse employment action under Georgia or federal law.

Employees must also describe the nature of the hardship. Documentation may be submitted to substantiate your request for hardship consideration.

  • Health condition (non- FMLA or ADA)
  • Pending FMLA request
  • Pending ADA request
  • Childcare: School age
  • Childcare: Under school age
  • Care for a family member with a serious health condition
  • Other (Please specify)
Noteworthy comment from DSW2Contributor about the most recent Principals Meeting

“[DeKalb Schools Administration] told Principals to approve all hardship requests and to also be ready to open schools for F2F.

TEACHERS and STAFF: my advice continues to be that everyone should fill out a hardship request. Just tell the truth. The “other” option is there for a reason, so use it if you have to — just tell truth. Your reason might be that you have not been provided with (and/or have not been able to purchase for yourself) N-95 masks and other PPE. Your reason might be that you are too fearful to come back before you and other members of your household have been vaccinated. Maybe you do not have transportation because MARTA closed the bus route you use to get to school, or maybe your spouse/partner needs to use your only car because their bus route was closed. Maybe you did report to school, saw how badly prepared your school was, and now you are too stressed out and fearful to go back.

YOU HAVE TO SAVE YOURSELVES!”

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Posted in Coronavirus