Thread by @MOREcaucusUFT

We're about to live-tweet the @UFT Town Hall on this thread. We have MANY questions on the UFT's stance on school reopening right now and how we're going to fight back as #UnionStrong. Here we go, follow this thread: 👇

Live tweet of @UFT President Mulgrew's call happening now at #UFTTownHall. Please ask ALL your school reopening questions to him on the call. We need to stop an unsafe school reopening given that there's no budget, resources, logistically good plan, and crumbling infrastructure.

@UFT President Mulgrew introduced himself as the "elected" president...interesting... #UFTTownHall

@UFT Prez Mulgrew: we're not ready to reopen schools. Talked w/ @NYCMayor for the 1st time this week since schools closed: "If we don't feel the schools are safe, we're not going to open. Following original CDC guidelines. Don't have what's been promised at schools. #UFTTownHall

@UFT Prez Mulgrew: if you have schedules that are daily in-person & remote, let your chapter leader know. No one's teaching 6 periods or 5 in a row. But just the fact that principals have given so little info tells the challenge/pressure we're facing from @NYCMayor. #UFTTownHall

@UFT Prez Mulgrew: medical accommodations are starting to be granted.

Main piece: in April we started saying "if you want any chance of opening our schools safely in Sept. you need to plan w/ @NYCSchools and us now." @NYCMayor ignored it until July. #UFTTownHall

@UFT Prez Mulgrew "working closely" with @FollowCSA prez: they know @NYCSchools and @NYCMayor will blame teachers & principals if this was rolled out badly. Principals came out w/ a letter and UFT came out w/ a (4-sentence 🙄) statement saying to delay school opening #UFTTownHall

@UFT Prez Mulgrew: we're in a diff place than most of the nation in terms of #COVID19 rates. NYC neighborhoods percent of positive tests: what are the daily infection rates?

Mulgrew: It's been below 3% and below 1% in all NYC neighborhoods (Untrue: What about Sunset Park?!)

@UFT Prez Mulgrew: parents and educators dealing with similar dilemmas.

Push @NYCSchools to make sure schools are safe. @NYCMayor you need to do your job. We're pushing that over the next 2 weeks. Decision won't be made til right b4 school yr. #UFTTownHall

@UFT Prez Mulgrew: 100 people trained 4 school visits & inspections: checking for PPE, signage, spacing on floors, custodians given proper equip, supplies, personnel. Not the case for most schools. "We will take appropriate action if the city tries to open them up." #UFTTownHall

The @UFT strategy: "act smarter than them" (@NYCMayor @NYCSchools): wait and see whether resources come to each school. Even tho on the call, Prez Mulgrew admitted he doesn't think schools will reopen with current conditions in the fall. Where's the political action? #UFTTownHall

@UFT Prez Mulgrew: talking about funding that hasn't come in. "We're (the union) adept at dealing with these issues. We'll have to communicate and stick together." #UFTTownHall

@UFT Prez: "Is there a possibility that we're going to break the Taylor Law in New York? Yes. But there are other legal avenues that we will pursue." Need 2 prove "clear and present danger for every single school in NYC." Each have to make decision to keep us safe. #UFTTownHall

@UFT Prez Mulgrew: contact testing and tracing is not acceptable on the school level.

If we have PPE, contact tracing & testing, equipmt, resources, & supplies, we COULD pull this off. That comes from @NYCMayor who's said "we have a lot of time. Have a month." 🙄 #UFTTownHall

@UFT Prez Mulgrew: we won from @NYCMayor that there will be a school nurse in every building & they'll be in charge for specific procedures in school.

How can we eat lunch in class? Kids will face forward in spaced desks, teachers in the back. But that's difficult. #UFTTownHall

@UFT Prez Mulgrew: without the HEROES act and additional funding, we can't do this. But we have a plan, don't want to get into it (we assume it's private plan negotiated w/ @NYCMayor) even as the city sez they will have to do layoffs.

#UFTTownHall

@UFT Prez Mulgrew: we as teachers have to be the ones who say to parents that we believe our school is safe. Parents will listen to educators, counselors, social workers. We can't say this to parents if we don't believe this to be true. #UFTTownHall

@UFT Prez Mulgrew: we got through the last recession without a single layoffs. We don't want any of our members to lose their jobs through this pandemic recession/depression.

Now beginning to take caller questions. Let's see:

#UFTTownHall

Member: applied for medical accommodation but hasn't heard yet. Q: accommodation will be approved thru 12/31/20: what will happen after?

@UFT Mulgrew: ppl don't keep medical conditions forever. Do we want to go thru this process again? Will be having discussion w/ @NYCSchools

@UFT Prez Mulgrew: Remote learning:-About 30% of students R remote; 15% of teachers will be; proposing remote teachers will teach remote students.
-Remote: "will be streaming live for a period of time for your students on a daily basis."
-Schedule won't b like school #UFTTownHall

@UFT Prez Mulgrew:

Remote Learning: right now we don't have enough staffing (hiring freeze) and we can't staff everything since school will have social distanced smaller class. But contractually won't go beyond traditional class size limit, classes. #UFTTownHall

@UFT Prez Mulgrew: Large number of schools have ventilation problems. What was accepted as adequate isn't good enough during #COVID19. Fully expect certain schools will NOT be open.

Safety reports 2b transparent: UFT has right to go into every school to inspect. #UFTTownHall

@UFT Prez Mulgrew: just because you have cold air blowing from an air conditioner doesn't mean you're getting fresh air from outside back into the rooms. Entire buildings likely won't be used cuz they won't be able to overhaul entire systems in 3 weeks. #UFTTownHall

@UFT Prez Mulgrew: 220,000 NYC layoffs affects us. State & local taxes have been decimated. No tourists at Wall St where UFT HQ located (Wall St). Establishments are no longer paying taxes. State $16 bil; NYC $6-7 billion deficit. Don't want any members to lose jobs #UFTTownHall

@UFT Prez Mulgrew: If a child can't follow safety procedures (teachers'll have to train them) school calls parent; go home & learn fully remotely. Younger children will requite more PPE. Nurses doing training for @NYCSchools staff. Face shields will be common #UFTTownHall

If children are sick or not following safety protocols, what happens if parents don't pick them up?

@UFT Mulgrew: child will be removed & put into safe/isolation room. @NYCSchools: all schools don't have safe rooms. Who tells parents they're going full remote? #UFTTownHall

Can buyouts mitigate layoffs? @UFT Mulgrew: Legislation in Albany exists; city will ask for givebacks; not doing that. Need funding source; see if it's a good buyout. Reqs City, State Assembly, us. Can use funding to hire more teachers (w/ hiring freeze?) w/ shortage #UFTTownHall

Principals asking educators to combine classes: @UFT Mulgrew: Bridge classes hasn't been brought up. On tangent on how ineffective live instruction can be; effective online ed (which NONE OF US have gotten PD on this summer)

Not OK to film teachers & working on it #UFTTownHall

If your medical accommodation was denied:

1. Tomorrow @UFT will have form for ppl denied medical accommodation
2. Email [e-mail] with your issue

#UFTTownHall

Instruction during lunch: can we deny? (another person's call got cut off)

@UFT Mulgrew: w/ mask-only w/ particles, possibility cuz of eye socket; we may need goggles to be protected; kids will stay in same setting (if we move them it'll spread #COVID19) #UFTTownHall

@UFT Mulgrew: Children will have shortest day ever since kids will be sitting in the same classroom and teachers will have 30-min prep at end of day.

R kids expected to sit an entire day in class w/ no break?!

Didn't answer Q bout teachers denying working lunch. #UFTTownHall 🤦

@UFT Mulgrew: we didn't like instructional lunch, but it made a lot of sense to us w/ the virus spread, w/ moving classrooms and eating lunch fast

MULGREW WILL NOT BE IN A CLASSROOM THIS FALL. @NYCMayor WILL NOT BE IN A CLASSROOM THIS FALL.

#UFTTownHall

MORE Members: Don’t think [@UFT Mulgrew]'s actually answered a single question. Not ok w/ instructional lunch- we never voted for this. Can't say in one breath that we adhering to class size cuz it's in our contract & then say we're going to do instructional lunch. #UFTTownHall

"@UFT Mulgrew: students will have 2b trained & taught to follow new rules, & that school staff will need to send them to SAVE room and/or send them home. This supports the school-to-prison pipeline & makes teachers extensions of carceral state. What do you plan to address this?"

Teacher asks if teachers will be doing both in-person live teaching and remote learning: @UFT Mulgrew says only if you don't have a full schedule. #UFTTownHall

How can we teach if our schedules don't align with our children's schedule? @UFT Mulgrew: @NYCMayor hasn't talked thru childcare even though he announced it weeks ago.

Did he say schools need to support each other thru childcare? That creates more vectors of spread #UFTTownHall

What happens when we move around in school buildings? Is it safe for itinerants traveling service providers?

@UFT Mulgrew: @NYCSchools sed they want to limit amount of sites w/ enough PPE and resources. Esp. since those ppl may have 2b quarantined. #UFTTownHall

MORE member: "...so teachers will do in-person 5 days a week but our students are blended, so who is writing the lesson plan and teaching the kids (synchronously!?!) on their learn-at-home days? It. Makes. No. Sense." #UFTTownHall

Q: If we're so safe, @NYCMayor, WHERE IS THE CALENDAR? We can't losing our vacation days and breaks.

@UFT Mulgrew: I agree we won't be ready at all. @NYCSchools scared they'll have to change dates. (Still defending that we lost our 7 Spring Break days 🙄🤦) #UFTTownHall

Q: Ppl living w/ ppl who are immunocompromised?

@UFT Mulgrew: don't take leave yet. # of students opting out is very large, number only going to grow cuz of stories from other states. (He's right)

Unclear whether # of teachers applying for medical accoms was 15%... #UFTTownHall

Q: IEP compliance: students in ICT classrooms: 2 teachers and ratio:

@UFT Mulgrew: try to adhere to child's IEP at all times; but our # of special ed teachers has never been in compliance. How can we get those services to majority of students? (So, no clear answer) #UFTTownHall

Paraprofessional assigned to students?

@UFT Mulgrew: looking to protect jobs. He's thanking paraprofessionals now. @NYCSchools had no idea what to do with paras in Spring.

(so, again, no answer)

#UFTTownHall

CAR (Sick) Days: @UFT Mulgrew sez if contact tracer or school sez you were in contact and put you in quarantine due to #COVID19, days aren't affected. Another kind of day will affect your CAR.

As if contact tracers hasn't been a disaster. What if we get a test? #UFTTownHall

MORE members: "if we don’t feel well, have to get tested, it could take x days to find out the results..." on CAR Days

"Contact tracing was moved to hospitals from public health and the director of public health for the city resigned recently in protest" no faith #UFTTownHall

@UFT Mulgrew: Haven't even talked about District 75 students w/ @NYCSchools, esp around students who can't wear masks or socially distance based on disabilities. It would be more expensive PPE.

THEY'VE HAD NO DISCUSSION ABOUT D75 AND THEY'RE "READY" TO REOPEN?! #UFTTownHall

@UFT Mulgrew: Don't know what teacher evaluations will look like. Can't do MOSL. No agreement at this time. Right now negotiations w/ @NYCSchools are more about safety and livelihood and instructional plans and scheduling, then we'll go towards evaluations 🤦🤦🤦#UFTTownHall

Since parents can opt in/out anytime during year, many ppl worried about changes in parents' & teachers' schedule and how rooms/class sizes can change anytime:

@UFT Mulgrew: no clear guidance given to principals: it's 8/13: but told to pick a program by tomorrow #UFTTownHall

@UFT Mulgrew: Students can opt out anytime, but once they opt out, they can only opt in after Thanksgiving (quarterly)

(Why the opt out rates towards fully remote learning will go up by the time Sept. 10th gets here) #UFTTownHall

@FollowCSA @UFT @NYCSchools had a productive meeting today after they put out statements yesterday to push back on the DOE and won the nurses in every school we've been fighting for 26 years

WHO KNEW YOU COULD GET POLITICAL WINS WHEN YOU PUSHED BACK?! 🙄🤦🙄#UFTTownHall

Will we be assigned to our school?

@UFT Mulgrew: @NYCSchools doesn't want teachers servicing students from another building but, because of the teacher shortage, it's not off the table yet, but it's unlikely

Fighting for no harm to educators for accoms, etc. #UFTTownHall

@UFT Mulgrew: Schools are going to have to change their curriculums: need standardized curriculums to be uploaded

This is the first time he's mentioned this on any #UFTTownHall call which will change EVERY teacher's lesson plans across @NYCSchools and we have NO training or info

@UFT Mulgrew: we won't give up raises or retro pay. (Good: we earned it) #UFTTownHall

But @UFT Mulgrew wants us to give back something else but not saying what it is... "we have a plan, you'll be hearing about it" Not okay. #UFTTownHall

We have HUGE WORRIES about a standardized uploaded curriculum: can't be culturally relevant/sustaining education pedagogy.

Standardized curriculum like this also sets the stage for layoffs, which the city's 22,000 (not 220K) number includes @UFT on. #UFTTownHall

@UFT Mulgrew did mention that we might have to do a work action and break the Taylor Law; he'd be put in jail as a union leader. No more information on that, but that legal actions will be taken by the union before that. No word on rallies or other actions b4 school. #UFTTownHall

We STILL don't have clarity on how MS and HS students will learn under these conditions: it's not like their classes stay together since their students take many different classes/electives based on their program. No indication from @UFT #UFTTownHall @Jd2718x we get that right?

No update on how school contact testing/tracing will be resourced: have issues with that since there's breakouts & high positivity rates in specific NYC zip codes like Sunset Park. Can't stop the spread if schools reopen & our contact tracing/testing's inadequate #UFTTownHall

MORE member: "like should we just put out a document of all the flat-out lies we've heard? @DOEChancellor Carranza saying we've all been getting training on remote teaching, @UFT Mulgrew saying cases are low in all neighborhoods." 🙄 #UFTTownHall

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