Dear BTU Family,
As mentioned in the prior Special Bulletin, these are trying times and we encourage everyone to support each other, our students, and our families as events unfold.
The City of Boston and Boston Public Schools have announced the next steps in their response to the COVID-19 outbreak. You can read their full release online here. More details will follow over the weekend.
As of now, here are key takeaways:
- Schools will be open on Monday so that educators, to the extent possible, can help prepare students for a six-week closure that is currently slated to last until April 26th (through April vacation). If the pandemic subsides before then (although currently this seems unlikely) and it is deemed safe, the school closure period may be shortened.
- All schools will be closed on Tuesday, so they can be cleaned, and are being cleaned this evening, as well, before schools open again on Monday.
- All staff are expected to report Wednesday through Friday without students to continue preparing alternative learning plans for the extended closure, after which educators will be asked to work remotely. For Wednesday through Friday, staff who report will be able to practice safe social distancing and will not be asked to convene in large groups.
- BTU bargaining unit members will be compensated throughout the closure without the use of sick or personal time and will be expected to use alternative teaching and learning methods are being worked on to ensure the most beneficial learning experience possible for our students in these difficult times. We are advocating for other measures for substitutes and will have more details soon.
- Educators who do not come to work Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday of next week will need to use personal days or sick days if sick.
- Any missed days will not be made up beyond July 1, similar to snow days.
- Staff may be asked to report in-person at other times and/or in April to help with transition plans back to school.
We are meeting over the weekend to continue to work out details. The situation has changed rapidly and may continue to. We will send out communications regularly as these updates occur.
Thank you,
Jessica Tang