Press conference starting now. You can watch on our Facebook page, and we will be live tweeting in this thread as well. facebook.com/iftaft
IFT President @DanJMontgomery: We arrived at this position by talking to our members extensively...about how do we do this: how do we get back to teaching in the fall and do it safely?
Also consulted CDC, IDPH, ISBE guidance.
Returning to school online is safest and most practical. There may be school buildings around the state where students can return safely, but this is extremely rare when you look at the guidelines for PPE, masks, distancing.
Therefore, we think the best plan right now is remote learning.
Due to news of potential future outbreaks, parents, schools need to be prepared for a return to remote learning at some point, if not at the beginning of the year.
Also part of our thinking: Children aged 10-18 spread the virus just as adults do.
Crucial points: (1) students who need in-person learning the most should have priority in going back to school buildings. (2) childcare is an issue and needs to be provided for working parents. We have to help them. What can help them is good, effective, SAFE childcare.
This is a crisis of epic national proportions - it takes intervention from the government to help us all.
Every child needs the instrument they are going to use (laptops, tablets, etc) and access to a network.
Also need health care! It's unfathomable that we still have folks without health care as we go through this crisis.
Also need health care! It's unfathomable that we still have folks without health care as we go through this crisis.
And #SEL. The effects of this trauma needs to be addressed for our students.
#professionaldevelopment - we need strong, robust, teacher-led professional development.
Rachel Esposito - 8th grade lang. arts teacher, Cicero, Local 571: "I work in Cicero, which has a high number of cases. It's affected our community. Our students are feeling the effects of it. We've also had a lot of staff members who have tested positive."
Esposito: Can we go back to schools safely?...Let's be real. We can do all the preventative measures we want, but there will still be positive cases...We have a lot of essential workers in our community...This will be a big issue if we go back to school in person in the fall.
Esposito: This may not be the last time we have to do this. It's important for districts to work with staff, with community, to see what people need. Safety needs to be #1 priority.
Chuck Noud, President of Granite City Federation of Teachers and Band Director: Our students will be under an enormous social and emotional strain, whether in person or remote learning.
Noud: we urge decision-makers to take seriously the concerns of our teachers and students.
Kristen Ryan, VP of Ohio Council of IFT Local 604. Her school is going back to in-person instruction because they can. Entire school has 110 students and she has 10 in her class. Plan is to start in-person and make sure all students have devices.
Ryan: But we are still nervous about going back.
Pankaj Sharma, VP of North Suburban Teachers Union, Local 1274, and history teacher at Niles North: For the safety of our students, their families, our colleagues, their families, we believe remote learning is the only safe option. Social distancing isn't possible in our district
Sharma: We have learned a lot in the spring, and we spent the last several months preparing to meet our students virtually
Beth Anderson, President of Kankakee Council of Local 604 and Special Education Teacher. We have not stopped serving our students since March. We have a plan in Kankakee to give families choice, but we don't know if we can safely implement the plan for a length of time.
Anderson: We have had students, staff test positive. We know our students are missing out on critical services. It's difficult balancing the guilt of that with the guilt of someone getting sick or even dying after coming to school.
We are providing services of all hours of the day and night, 7 days a week, to reach all of our students as much as possible. And we're trying to take care of our own health and families during this process. I just hope my students and I can end the school year healthy.
Olivia Coleman, VP of East St. Louis Fed. of Teachers and 9th grade civics teacher: This is a serious issue, and all of us our worried about exposure. We have children younger and younger testing positive...and it will be very difficult to enforce mask wearing.
Coleman: PPE supplies is an issue. As is social distancing - that is difficult for our youngest students. We have high numbers of asthma in our community, staff and students with autoimmune diseases. We've already seen students and staff test positive in our community.
Coleman: We feel it's best to start remotely.
Tawnja Trible, Mchenry County College Staff Council Local 1642: We have had to pivot and provide our services online as best we could. Our concerns are now shifting to the safety of staff and students. The fear is real.
Trible: We want to be there for our students, but we want to be safe for our students, families, and community...I often hear if stores are open, schools can be, too, but you can't compare the two.
Trible: With the 6 buildings being open on our campus and open to the community, we're concerned about the ability to contact trace with so many people possibly being on campus. We want to be there for our students, but we want to be safe.
Last speaker: Liz Villarreal, NEIU chapter of Local 4100 University Professionals of Illinois: My population has been hit hard by covid and its effects.
Social distancing is a factor I'm concerned I can't do in my job.
Villarreal: 2 of my students have been affected by covid. As a mother, I worry what would happen if this disease touched my family.
Students I advise come from vulnerable communities that have been hit hard by this pandemic. Even when safety, cleaning measures are taken, it's still not 100% proof virus won't spread. I favor remote learning. This is life or death.
Taking questions now...
Does childcare in a school setting pose the same risk? IFT President @DanJMontgomery - if our schools provide this safely, it will take away space from instructional spaces. Childcare would still need PPE, distancing, safety measures.
Re: services for special education students - not many districts offered summer school and services to their special education population.
IFT Pres. @DanJMontgomery: We want our locals to work with their districts, community to get this right. We still have a teacher shortage in our state.
Many teachers around the state are unsure about going back, concerned their districts won't be able to keep students, staff safe.
Are you calling on Gov Pritzker to change guidance? Will superintendents do whatever they want? @DanJMontgomery: We worked closely with the governor and IL is doing well compared to other states because of his management of this. But our numbers are still ticking up.
If this gets worse and the state wouldn't reinstate closures, we would call for it. We hope superintendents wouldn't do whatever they want. Those teaching every day and need to be helping decide and create what this looks like. Need to involve communities as well.
Read full statement here: ift-aft.org/post/ift-calls…
The guidance is clear, but will it be enforced? If not, we'll have a huge public health problem.
Will there be a statewide strike? IFT Pres. @DanJMontgomery: We hope it doesn't have to come to that. We're encouraging our unions to work with their districts to get this right.
Asked about online access - this was be a part of the CARES Act, and $$ for this has been distributed. We're pushing for more access to internet.
Managing online remote learning difficult for parents who have to work - @DanJMontgomery: This is why we are calling for a significant ramp up of childcare around the state. We need help with that in a massive way.
Balancing hybrid learning: It is difficult. Our members have been digging in this summer revising their plans. Online instruction will be different and better in the fall than it was in the spring when we had to jump in with little time to plan.
Chuck Noud: Remote learning requires extra steps to keep students engaged.
Pankaj Sharma: We've spent the last few months preparing for this. Virtual learning will never be the same as in-person, but we're working to make this robust, engaging, and to provide SEL for students.
Pankaj Sharma: We've spent the last few months preparing for this. Virtual learning will never be the same as in-person, but we're working to make this robust, engaging, and to provide SEL for students.
Liz Villarreal: We've learned quickly how to be creative and innovative. We're working longer hours to connect with our students. You can't compare to face-to-face, but this is what's necessary.
High-risk teachers - accommodations or being told to return to classroom? This looks different around the state, but it's something our unions are working on with their districts so we can keep the staff, students, and their families safe.
