After last night’s Board meeting, the best words to describe my thoughts are frustrated, disappointed, and somewhat angry. Last night a school re-opening plan was submitted to the School Board.
I did not expect one of my former students to disrespect the Board and administrators by saying if they didn’t do the right thing (what he wanted), then they should be fired - he was not disrespectful in my class, so it saddened me to see that behavior. He runs a business where threatening someone’s job may be okay (I can’t see that being a good work environment, however), but schools are not a business. Yes, we have a business office, but we are not a business. Our purpose is the education and safety of our children. Putting politics before the safety of our children is a shame. His inconvenience does not outweigh the safety of all.
I did not expect to see a parent imply that he was a medical doctor (his doctorate is not an M.D.) as he professed that medical professionals all want kids to be in school. Our district medical professional, a nurse, has been in online meetings all summer with other nurses and medical professionals as well as in constant communication with the Illinois Department of Public Health and the Sangamon County Department of Public Health to ensure that the re-opening plan would follow the not only the everchanging guidelines of the CDC and the State Board of Education, but also IDPH and SCDPH. Assuming that district professionals did not present the plan with the medical facts and research to back it up is disappointing.
I did not expect parents to express that it was more important for their children to be in school so they can socialize. What socialization are they going to get?? Students will be in desks in rows separated from each other (ideally 6ft apart, but at least 3 ft according to guidelines), facing the front, wearing masks. The teacher will be in the front of the room wearing a mask - asked to remain in his/her 9ft bubble away from the students in case one gets COVID-19, then the teacher is not counted as a contact by IDPH and possibly may be able to continue teaching the rest of the class without quarantining (subject again to the everchanging guidelines by CDC and IDPH). Thus, the teacher will not be able to work one-on-one in person with a student because that will violate the physical distancing guidelines. Students will not have any social interaction during passing periods as they are required to stay physically distanced from each other while hallways are to be marked as one way if possible. Students will not be eating lunch together. P.E., if it is able to occur, will likely only consist of calisthenics and agility exercises physically distanced away from each other. Mask breaks can occur outside - physically distanced - pending the weather. Again, what socialization will students get?? Students will receive more socialization in one-on-one remote sessions with teachers and in the online discussions that will happen.
I did not expect to hear implications that teachers will get off easy doing Remote Learning. I will speak for all teachers in saying that it is more work to prepare and deliver any remote learning lesson than it is to prepare and deliver an in person lesson. In addition, assessing students’ understanding of the lesson is definitely more difficult via remote learning. Yes, in school learning is the best way to learn for most people. However, when the safety of everyone is considered, the inconvenience of remote learning for the teacher and the student is a non-issue.
I did not expect the inconvenience of COVID-19 to imply that Choice is more important than the overall safety of our school family (students, teachers, administrators, staff). Yes, COVID-19 is an inconvenience. It doesn’t matter if you believe whether COVID-19 is real or not, the virus is in our community. It doesn’t matter if you believe masks are effective or not, ISBE and IDPH requires them to be worn in a school building. It was disappointing to see Board members and parents refuse to wear a mask. Remote Learning is an inconvenience. Is our school family’s health and safety an inconvenience??? I would have liked to believe not, but was proven wrong at the Board meeting.
I did not expect School Board members to disregard a plan, which education professionals researched and created with the overall safety of students, staff, teachers and administrators in mind. I did not expect Board members to express in their votes that the only reason that they wavered was because of taxpayers/voters. The only time taxpayer is mentioned in the School Board Member Oath of Office is
“I shall respect taxpayer interests by serving as a faithful protector of the school district’s assets;”More importantly, the Oath of Office says
“I shall serve as education’s key advocate on behalf of the students and our community’s school.”The School Board did not advocate on behalf of the safety of the students and our community’s school. I am disappointed in myself for not speaking last night. I felt it was a time for parents to voice their concerns, and that my concerns were already known by the Board members. I was wrong. If all that is disconcerting, I was encouraged by the lone Board member who voted with integrity rather than politics. I was encouraged by the parents who respectfully asked what would happen with students with IEPs and 504s. I was encouraged by parents who respectfully asked what happens with families who either do not have reliable internet service or cannot afford internet service. I was encouraged by the parents who admitted that we are all inconvenienced, but thanked us for putting safety first. Moving forward, I do not know what to ask of our school community other than for our community to advocate on the behalf of the students and our community’s schools and their overall safety. We collectively can do better. This inconvenience, while it may be with us for a while, is not permanent. How we deal with it demonstrates whether or not we really do have Pride in our schools. Respectfully, John Langley Teacher
