Dear Board of Trustees,
My name is Melissa Bullard and I teach high school Spanish for WCSD. I want to thank you for your efforts to safely reopen our Washoe County schools. The challenges are unprecedented and there is no solution that will satisfy all parties involved; it is difficult to balance the risks from Covid-19 with the risks for our students' education since we are not able to proceed as normal. I have read over the presentation to the board and I have a few questions and suggestions. My perspective is that of a high school teacher (I teach Spanish) and a mother of elementary-school aged students.
First, I am in favor of the proposed model for two reasons: 1), because I do not believe that Covid poses a great risk to most elementary-aged children and 2), if I am going to do my job this year, I need child care for my daughters. Everything I have read seems to suggest (though it is not yet proven) that children contract Covid at lower rates, have fewer serious symptoms when they do contract it, and even seem less likely to transmit it to adults. (See https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/daily-life-coping/children.html, https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/coronavirus/in-depth/coronavirus-in-babies-and-children/art-20484405, https://www.statnews.com/2020/06/18/how-likely-are-kids-to-get-covid-19-scientists-see-a-huge-puzzle-without-easy-answers/, and https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2020/06/20/880983822/coronavirus-mystery-are-kids-less-likely-to-catch-it-than-adults-are.)
Additionally, while some lament that schools are used as child care in our country, the fact is that there are no systems in place that offer full-day childcare for kids my daughters' age. (Even if there were, I don't see how those would be advantageous because my daughters would still be around large groups of kids; it would simply be a different group of kids.) I am fortunate enough that if I cannot send my daughters to school, my husband's job could support us financially for a year and I could homeschool. Many teachers do not have that luxury, and if all teachers who have elementary-aged children at home quit their jobs to homeschool (or simply because it's better than hiring a full-time nanny), the District will have a severe teacher shortage this year.
Second, please consider whether there is a way that we can reopen in line with the proposed plan but allow teachers (as well as families) to opt in to a Distance-Learning-only model. Many of my colleagues are in higher-risk age categories, have autoimmune conditions that put them at greater risk, or simply feel the risk is too high. Could we not allow these teachers to opt in to leading and running Distance Learning? If you support their learning and training and give them time to adapt to a Distance Learning model, as well as any additional training they need to possibly expand their own knowledge (as they might have to teach subjects or grades that are not their original area of expertise), they would have a higher chance of being able to provide a high-quality education to students who are learning from home. Teachers who are uncomfortable returning to the classroom may retire early or move on to other jobs, and once again, we will have a severe teacher shortage.
Third, as you make plans, please be aware that we will need a way to recruit more substitute teachers and make attendance policies and teacher sick leave policies more lenient. My husband's job is such that if one of my kids gets sick, I will most likely have to be the one staying home with them. If the quarantine period is fourteen days (and I have two daughters), that means that if my daughters or I were to display symptoms of Covid-19 and I had to be out on sick leave, that could potentially be up to 42 days that I would take off as sick days. In the meantime, I could probably still help my students with their Distance Learning work, but I would be unable to teach at my school.
Fourth, although the proposed High School Learning model looks like the best option for students at this point, please be aware of what teachers can reasonably be expected to do. Page 51 of the proposed High School Learning Model states that for Distance Learning, "Instruction will be supported daily by qualified certified teachers." This is fine depending on what you mean by daily support; if daily support is a quick post on Teams to check in with students, a meaningful homework assignment to be collected and or graded later, and time spent briefly answering a few student emails, that is doable. However, if I am teaching my regularly-scheduled classes during the day (at half-capacity for student safety) and utilizing my normal prep period for planning instruction, grading and giving feedback on student work, participating in IEP meetings, answering emails, participating in PLC activities, etc., I will not be able to offer meaningful feedback or interact fully with my students who are doing Distance Learning for that day. Last time I checked, I have 163 students on my rosters for next year, meaning that for every day that I am teaching 80 or so kids in-person, I will also need to somehow engage the 80 or so online. It will not be possible to have meaningful interactions with all of them within contract hours, and grading, planning, implementing, emails, etc. already take several hours beyond my contract hours every day.
Fifth, on page 15 of the proposed model, under the "Safety & Health" category, it says "Staff may be asked to engage in duties not typically associated with their professional positions." What exactly does this mean? Typically, I already do spend some time wiping down often-touched surfaces with Clorox wipes or doing other minor cleaning that my room needs. But you are already asking the high school teachers to do additional Distance Learning work for a hybrid model and, as I mentioned before, my duties during a normal work week extend far beyond my contract hours every day. Asking teachers to also take over the work of custodians is not reasonable.
Sixth, if students 10 and over are required to wear masks, what will disciplinary policies be for students who arrive without a mask, refuse to wear a mask, repeatedly forget to put their mask on, wear it incorrectly (after instruction on how to wear it), etc.? There are a few students who become belligerent and disrupt the learning environment over minor issues, and teachers often bear the brunt of having to manage those issues, either because District policies or their school admin do not support the teacher's authority in the classroom. In this case, it is District and State authority that will be challenged, but teachers will be the ones enforcing the rules. How do you plan to support teachers as they deal with these students? If you don't issue real consequences swiftly, it sends the message that either A), the District doesn't actually care about student/teacher safety or B), the risk is not so great and therefore wearing masks isn't actually necessary in the school setting.
I know that you have an extremely difficult task ahead of you and please know that I am fully committed to learning and adapting to new models of teaching within what I am physically capable of doing and what is best for my family, and I know that many teachers feel the same way. But we will need support and flexibility from District Admin, just as we teachers must be supportive and flexible toward our students.
Thank you for your time.
Sincerely,
Melissa Bullard
Excellent! Well said, thoughtful and clear. Also very true!!
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