As you know, we are negotiating over the working conditions for a return to in-person instruction. Not only are we advocating for the health and safety of educators, but also for the health and safety of our students and their families. We need to trust that in-person instruction will be safe for students, families and educators.
Here are a few of our proposals (see our full initial proposal here), and the Beaverton School District’s response:
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BEA Proposal: All school staff need access to both doses of the vaccine and the time necessary for effectiveness. |
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BSD Proposal: Hybrid would start no earlier than April 5 to give time for educators to be vaccinated. |
Why is this important?
Vaccination is a critical step in preventing severe illness and reducing the spread of COVID-19. (Read more about the COVID-19 vaccine here.) Access to vaccination for all school staff depends on the availability of doses and there is no guarantee that all school staff will have access to both doses and the time for maximum effectiveness by April 5.
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BEA Proposal: Washington and Multnomah Counties must have fewer than 50 cases/100,000 residents within the last 14 days. |
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BSD Proposal: Washington and Multnomah Counties must have fewer than 350 cases/100,000 residents within the last 14 days. |
Why is this important?
According to the CDC, opening schools when case rates are over 50 cases per 100,000 residents is considered a high-risk of transmission. We believe that we have a responsibility to keep our community safe, and that we should not put our students and their families at risk.
| BEA Proposal:
Ventilation reports and assessments would be shared with educators and published. |
| BSD Proposal:
Would operate HVAC systems in accordance with recommended guidance. No reports or assessments shared or published. |
Why is this important?
Increased ventilation is necessary in order to mitigate the airborne transmission of COVID-19. Achieving 4-6 air changes per hour of ‘clean’ air through any combination of ventilation and filtration (or outdoor classrooms) is recommended by the Harvard Global Health Institute. In their “Schools and the Path to Zero” guidance, the HGHI also speaks to the need for trust and transparency: “clear presentation of what we do and do not know about student, staff, and educator safety is critical to rebuilding trust.” We believe that school staff and our community need to have transparent access to information about the status of ventilation and airflow in BSD schools.
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BEA Proposal: The district shall provide weekly COVID-19 testing for staff to minimize asymptomatic spread. |
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BSD Proposal: COVID-19 testing would only be available for staff who are symptomatic and if metrics set by the Ready Schools, Safe Learners guidelines are exceeded. |
Why is this important?
According to the Harvard Global Health Institute guidance, screening and testing for covid helps with infection control. “Surveillance testing for educators, paraprofessionals, and other staff is recommended in order to reduce the risk of asymptomatic transmission, once the level of community spread has exceeded 20/100,000 daily new cases.” Not making testing available to staff and students would put our community at risk of COVID-19 transmission in schools.
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BEA Proposal: As students return to in-person instruction, educators should make curriculum decisions based on student needs rather than curriculum pacing guides from adopted materials. |
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BSD Proposal: BSD has not agreed to allow educators to make curriculum decisions based on student needs. |
Why is this important?
Educators and families share a concern for the impact that the pandemic and distance learning have had on student’s mental health and social and emotional development. Educators need to be trusted to make instructional decisions based on professional expertise and student needs.