As you may have heard, the district plans to resume in person services beginning next Monday, December 14 at 28 schools. We met with the Building Reps at those schools last week and will be meeting with them again this evening to support the staff at the impacted schools. While we have always supported the return of high-needs students to our buildings for in-person instruction, we have also always maintained that it must be done with a strong plan, both for safety and instruction.
Transparency is the key to the success of any reopening plan, along with strong, collaborative planning and timely communication with all impacted stakeholders. We need not just the appearance of safety in any plans or promises BPS makes, but concrete reassurances in a signed written agreement. The rushed nature of both the announcement and short turnaround continue to give us concern, but we are working diligently to address those concerns and will give more updates tomorrow at our membership meeting. In the meantime, we want to thank all of the staff at the Carter, Horace Mann, Henderson and McKinley for their hard work over the last few weeks to reopen, as well as all of the Related Service Providers and staff who have been conducting in-person assessments for many weeks now, too.
Again, all schools – even beyond the 28 schools identified – should be looking into alternative schedules and planning for them before the end of the year.
To assist schools in doing so, we are holding a workhop this evening. It is open to all members, including administrators, from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. Register for the workshop. From 5:30 to 6:30, we will have an opportunity for BTU members to debrief, ask questions and plan next steps. We will record tonight’s session and have other opportunities if you are unable to make this workshop. Please also register in advance for our December membership meeting on Wednesday, December 9 at 4:30 p.m. Quick reminders for registering:- Please remember that you must register at least one hour in advance, or you will not receive a link.
- Each link is unique and cannot be shared.
- You only need to sign up once per meeting.
- Links are sent after your registration and membership status are verified –please do not register multiple times if you do not immediately receive a link.
- Remember to include your exact BPS ID# in order to expedite approvals. If you are retired or don’t have an ID# for another reason, please enter “000000.”
- Please make sure that you have updated your Zoom account with the latest update before the meeting in order to avoid complications with your link.
- The minutes of our previous meetings can be found behind the portal on our website, as well as our tentative agenda.
AFT Massachusetts is eager to hear your stories of teaching and learning during the COVID-19 pandemic
. To guide that effort, AFT-MA has created a questionnaire for you to complete, which should take about 15 minutes. Your replies will be confidential unless you indicate on the form that you’re open to sharing your story publicly through the AFT Massachusetts website and other venues.Reminder: if you are a per diem sub who has been unable to obtain work, we suggest you file for unemployment retroactive to June. If denied, you should file an appeal with the unemployment office. Despite hitting many roadblocks, we are continuing to advocate and negotiate for all of our substitutes and hope to have updates soon.
Finally, the fight for the Senate continues! Make calls to voters in Georgia to help labor’s endorsed candidates, Jon Ossoff and Rev. Raphael Warnock, win the Georgia runoffs so the Democrats can take back the Senate! Email MA AFL-CIO Senior Organizer Brian Dunn to volunteer & receive instructions. You can make calls from home on weekdays from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Saturdays from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. There are several more opportunties to volunteer on the AFT Mobilize homepage. Contact Political Director Johnny McInnis or Political Organizer Roberto Jimenez for any questions!