There are so many people out there criticizing the @WTUTeacher staff as lazy and unwilling to work. That’s simply not true. Let’s clarify what we mean when we say #OnlyWhenItsSafe

Why didn’t dcps start by screening for any teacher volunteers? Why did they jump straight to a surprise survey forcing healthy staff to “volunteer”?

When you say “PPE is provided”- what does that mean? Do I get one mask for the year? One per day? Do I get a face shield? Are there acrylic barriers for the kid desks? Teachers and parents have been asking this question for weeks in every town hall. Why can’t you just answer?

Similarly, what does “additional cleaning supplies” mean? What types of cleaning materials are you providing? How MUCH hand sanitizer and wipes do I get? What if I run out? Again, you’ve been asked repeatedly. Why can’t you just provide the details? Why are you hiding this info?

What work is being done on HVACs? Replacing filters isn’t enough. Have any been replaced? Do you have evidence that HVACs are working properly? Why won’t you disclose the work orders and the completed work paperwork? Why are you hiding HVAC information?

When you refuse to answer these questions and share basic, nominal information- about PPE, cleaning supplies, and HVACs- that breeds distrust! Parents and staff are doubting you! Just be transparent!

Why is DCPS refusing to provide testing for teachers and students? What if we can’t afford our own tests?

Are you forcing teachers to use their own leave when they have Covid, are waiting for a test, or are quarantining due to exposure? If teachers run out of leave will they be forced to take unpaid leave in these instances? Again- WHY won’t you answer questions re: how leave works?

Why wouldn’t the whole class be tested or quarantined if a parent has Covid? They are in the same household as a child in the class. It’s almost impossible that the child wouldn’t be carrying Covid into the class. This is a dangerous policy!

If DCPS’ plan here is to provide in person seats for students furthest from opportunity.. why are you going strictly off paperwork? Why not ask staff, who are experts on their students, to provide a list and compare it to your own list to ensure no child is missed?

I have many students who on paper seem fine but are either crammed in an apt with many siblings, or experience extreme emotions, or simply not completing work. Those kids should be the next to get a spot behind those furthest from opportunity. How would dcps ever know this?

They don’t ask us, because they don’t value our input, at ALL. They don’t recognize how well we know our students. They don’t allow us to advocate for them in this, a decision of utmost importance.

And finally, let’s come to what I classify as the GREATEST issue here. Whyareyouseparatingclasses after setting district priorities for SY 20-21 based around reducing trauma, building strong relationships, and focusing on social and emotional learning? WHY. ITS NOT OK.

Kids do not want to be separated from their teachers. Teachers are devastated to be separated from their classes. This is a huge emotional trauma for everyone involved. And dcps could have avoided it if they engaged the @WTUTeacher, staff, and parents in reopening plans.

Teachers are being gaslighted. We’ve spent two weeks in total panic mode waiting to hear our new teaching assignment. Could be a new class. Could be a new grade. Could be a new school! If you aren’t a teacher, you can’t imagine how disruptive and frankly terrifying this is.

Do you understand that we are EXPERTS in our field? A 5th grade teacher cannot just pop into a 2nd or 3rd grade curriculum and magically have engaging and rigorous and developmentally appropriate lessons. We would need MONTHS to properly prepare for a new grade level.

Taking away mental health and administrative staff from Middle and High schools is abhorrent. Who is going to support those kids? They aren’t going to call into a hotline and open up to a stranger. Every staff member in every building has a VITAL role to play. Take care of kids!

The pandemic began in March. DCPS has had 7 months to prepare for reopening. If this model was in mind, why not set classes up this way back in August? If the answer is that this model didn’t exist yet back then... then you haven’t taken enough time to think this model through.

LET’S BE CLEAR. We hate virtual teaching. We work 10+ hours a day. We are killing ourselves to provide engaging learning. We are reinventing the wheel with minimal support from DCPS. Most resources provided to us are developmentally inappropriate. We are making it ourselves.

We are exhausted. We miss our rooms. We miss the nuances that you learn about a child in person. We miss teaching our favorite lessons, full of hands-on and interactive activities and sharing of materials, that may not possible again until 21-22. We miss teaching the whole child.

We want to go back. When. It. Is. Safe.

So the question is simply this, @DCPSChancellor @MayorBowser : If it IS safe, why can’t you prove it? Just tell us about the PPE and the cleaning materials and the HVACs. Be transparent and answer the questions. What is there to hide?

@DCPSChancellor @MayorBowser If you say you’re going to take care of your staff, just tell us how. Tell us about the leave policies and testing policies. Show us you’re taking care of us. What is there to hide?

@DCPSChancellor @MayorBowser You can tell the community it’s safe until you’re blue in the face. The reality is, until you are transparent and answer recurrent questions that stakeholders have, no one will believe you. No one will trust you. Again I ask: what do you have to hide?