Posted on 08/16/2020 1:12:57 PM PDT by Hojczyk
Aug 14 (Reuters) - An Arizona school district that ignored state safety guidelines and voted to begin in-person learning on Aug. 17 has had to cancel classes after staff said it was unsafe to return and called in sick.
Greater Phoenix's J.O. Combs Unified School District cancelled all instruction for Monday due to "insufficient staffing," days after its board disregarded state benchmarks on when students can safely return to classes during the pandemic.
The "sick out" underlined the difficulties in returning to in-person learning in the United States after schools in Tennessee, Georgia, and Alabama closed this week as students and staff were infected with COVID-19 or forced to self-isolate from exposure.
"It was great to see J.O. Combs school district came together and used their collective power," said Kelley Fisher, a Phoenix kindergarten teacher who has led protests by school staff. "I'd love to see a nationwide sick out."
Christina DeRouchey was among Phoenix parents at the Monday rally and led demonstrations in her Deer Valley Unified School District calling for in-person learning to begin on Aug. 17.
When the district delayed the start until mid October she moved her first-grade son to a charter school where he will start in-person tuition on Monday.
"We just want the choice that is best physically, mentally and most importantly emotionally for our children," said DeRouchey.
(Excerpt) Read more at google.com ...
Fire them all.
Replace them
Fire the teachers!
You can’t.
Meanwhile thousands of Walmart employees go to work daily, facing thousands of total strangers.
What makes teachers so special?
In the spirit of President Reagan and his history with unions, just fire them.
Never heard of this school district.
This online schooling is effed up. They have Kindergartners doing it online which is something I do not believe in at all. They are bored and parents are the ones doing the teaching and then there is Face Time or whatever you call it with the teacher for about an hour each day.
Shut it down. Zero out the school budgets. Let people fend for themselves the experiment has been ruined.
NEA union.
So much fear, so little sense...
I would probably understand the teacher’s position is they were >65y/o,
but most younger teachers would find the virus no more than inconvenient
Wait til the Asian Flu gets here...
I personally know some school teachers and they confirm that they are literally over the moon over working from home. They pre-record content for students at home to watch and assign homework online.
They don't ever want to go back to the classroom and deal with these snot-nosed kids in person. They would gladly do remote learning forever.
I support what you are saying but I am curious. Who can replace them on short notice? Does the Board just delay the school year until a whole pile more are rehired?
Mass hire substitute teachers. Give the others extended leave without pay if they can not be fired.
With 11 percent unemployment I am sure they can find plenty if the district tried hard enough. Incentivize retired and student teachers finishing college
“Wait til the Asian Flu gets here...”
The China Virus is Asian Flu
No work, no pay.
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