蜜桃影视

D.C. Public Schools announced Monday it will allow thousands of pre-K and elementary schoolers back for in-person instruction in November, though the plan quickly raised safety concerns from the teachers union.

In , the Washington Teachers Union implored DCPS to provide more clarity around staffing plans, cleaning protocols and PPE distribution before moving forward 鈥� days after a COVID-19 outbreak at the White House among President Donald Trump and some in his close circle.

鈥淚t’s clear that the virus is still in our community, and the event at the White House clearly shows that when proper protections aren’t in place, we can have a super spreader event,鈥� WTU spokesman Joe Weedon said. 鈥淎nd that would be devastating to our school communities.鈥�

DCPS’s plan, which will prioritize homeless students, English learners, students with disabilities and those considered at risk, could serve up to 21,000 students in pre-K through fifth grade on a voluntary basis 鈥� nearly three-quarters of all students across those grades, schools Chancellor Lewis Ferebee said during Monday’s presser.

Seven thousand of those students would be in small classroom cohorts starting Nov. 9, learning fully in-person five days a week. The remaining 14,000 would still be receiving virtual instruction, but 鈥� as with the 13 鈥渟tudent support centers鈥� DCPS announced last week 鈥� will be in a classroom with a screened adult, not necessarily a teacher, to monitor and assist with online classes.

鈥淲e know at this time that working at home is not working for every student, and we particularly know that our youngest learners have been the most challenged,鈥� Ferebee said.

Middle and high school students won鈥檛 return until likely January at the earliest.

The process for choosing the 21,000 students will be randomized. Parents will receive notice if their child is being offered a spot by Oct. 23. Ferebee emphasized that any family can decline and choose to have their child remain in an at-home, all-virtual format. (.)

Many district parents, saddled with child care needs and worried about learning loss, . And other districts are thinking about returns to school, too; one of the nation鈥檚 largest districts, Montgomery County Public Schools, gave its labor unions notice that it was starting the formal planning process for reopening school buildings.

But there are still , especially between the district and WTU, on whether schools are ready to open safely.

Elizabeth Davis, president of the union 鈥斅爓hich for months has promoted an #OnlyWhenItsSafe campaign 鈥� Monday, 鈥淭he Mayor and Chancellor Ferebee have failed to share the details of what COVID-19 safety measures have been instituted in each school,” adding, 鈥淭eachers, rightly, feel as if they are playing Hunger Games with the Mayor and Chancellor.鈥�

It was unclear Monday whether DCPS currently has the staff on hand to reopen at the scale the district outlined. The teachers union is asking DCPS to do the following 鈥渂efore they move forward with plans to reopen our schools to in-person learning,鈥� according to Monday鈥檚 statement:

• Agree to a for school facilities
• Agree to a Memorandum of Agreement that 鈥渃overs school operations and develop specific staffing plans and guidance for teachers at each school鈥�
• 鈥淐lear and specific protocols鈥� developed in partnership with the union for cleaning and sharing information on COVID exposure in school communities
• Details on the purchase and distribution of PPE for school communities

Tension remains, too, on a staffing survey the district sent out last week asking teachers to indicate if they can or can鈥檛 return to schools. Davis not to respond for now.

Robust safety protocols, WTU spokesman Weedon noted, are especially critical when considering the past few days. Just a week before Monday鈥檚 announcement, D.C. had seen its lowest number of new cases since July. By late last week, the president and who had attended a White House Rose Garden event in late September had tested positive.

Ferebee on Monday did expound on some safety precautions the district intends to take to keep students and staff safe. Elementary schools are being prioritized for HVAC enhancements, he said 鈥� as of last week, 24 of 80 elementary schools had open work orders 鈥� and schools have been given PPE.

DCPS remains 鈥渃ommitted鈥� to having conversations with union members around reopening, he said. 鈥淲e were able to reach an agreement for how we would operate in Term 1. … Discussions are very active, and will continue.鈥�

Monday鈥檚 presentation also and reporting protocols if someone in the school community tests positive for coronavirus.

D.C. Councilmember David Grosso, who chairs the education committee, said he believes the district has taken a 鈥渢houghtful approach [to reopening] that I think will serve students well.鈥� While he does still have questions 鈥� notably around ensuring the quality of services provided to students with disabilities 鈥斅爃e felt Monday鈥檚 presentation was informative.

鈥淎 lot of this, I think, is the chicken-or-the-egg question 鈥� are you supposed to do all these things, like building the plane on the runway, or do you come up with a concrete plan like they鈥檝e done and then ask for people鈥檚 input and adjust?鈥� he said. 鈥淚 think people can have confidence in this.鈥�

The city council plans to hold a hearing in late November or early December that’s 鈥済oing to check in on this, see how it’s going,鈥� Grosso said. 鈥淚 also know the public is not shy 鈥� they’ll let us know if they see things that are just going completely awry.鈥�

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