Little Rock School District teachers, who met Labor Day afternoon to decide whether to take a job action against the district over covid-19 safety concerns, will report to work today.
"The Little Rock School District is pleased to hear that the Little Rock Education Association has agreed to support in-person instruction for our students," the school district said in a statement just before 8 p.m.
Teresa Knapp Gordon, the president of the union of teachers and support staffers, said in a statement on behalf of the association that its members met for 2½ hours Monday and "determined that we need to work diligently to ensure that the district's" learning plan for the school year "is being strictly adhered to throughout every site in the district. Any deviation from the plan will be reported immediately and addressed with the superintendent."
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Also Monday night, Little Rock district leaders announced that Dunbar Middle School will be closed for on-site instruction today because of a positive covid case involving a staff member.
Because of the lateness of the receipt of the information, the district will work with state officials today to determine whether students and staff need to be quarantined, district officials said.
The association's 5 p.m. Monday meeting was billed as one in which members would decide whether to take action against the district, which requires teachers to work on-campus during the covid-19 pandemic.
"If the level of safety continues to be a concern, we will meet and take appropriate measures to ensure that everyone is safe," Gordon said in her post-meeting statement.
"To be clear, we do not believe that even one life is expendable in this crisis and we will definitely get 'bent out of shape' over it if one of our students or staff members contracts the virus and dies when this is a completely preventable scenario."
Gordon also said the students and staffers in the Little Rock district "are just as important as the students and staff at Quest Charter [of West Little Rock] and KIPP Delta," a charter school system based in Helena-West Helena.
"We have or have had cases or quarantines [for covid-19] in 30 of our sites and we are just entering the third week of school," Gordon noted. "If charter schools are allowed to close for one case to protect students and staff, the same consideration should be given to the LRSD," she said.
KIPP Delta Elementary Literacy Academy started the school year using only virtual or remote instruction because of a covid-19 case and widespread exposure to staff members at the campus. Quest Charter announced Friday that it was sending all of its on-campus students home for 14 days for virtual instruction because of a covid-19 case at the school. The sixth through 12th grade school has a total of 146 students, 42 of whom were on-campus students.
Little Rock district leaders, in response to union concerns, said Monday night that "it is essential for us all to follow our Ready for Learning Plan which outlines [the district's] instructional delivery and protocols."
"The district is absolutely committed to following the plan. Anyone who believes there is a violation of the plan should notify principals or district administration as soon as possible when there are areas of concern," the district statement said.
The school district statement that was distributed by spokeswoman Pamela Smith said district leaders believe parents and students are trying to adhere to safety measures, "including the wearing of masks, social distancing and practicing proper sanitization, not only as individuals, but in places where there is high traffic.
"We appreciate the continued collaboration that helps us work together to provide educational environments that are safe for our students and staff, and conducive to learning."
FRIDAY LETTER
Gordon in a late Friday night letter renewed her earlier call made in August for all classes in the state-controlled Little Rock district to be taught remotely rather than in person.
She listed more than two dozen examples of safety hazards that occurred at schools, including a lack of personal protective equipment, a failure to report positive test results and a lack of accommodations for teachers with compromised immune systems.
Still other examples included use of water fountains and a lack of safe drinking water, improper or insufficient mask wearing, unsafe ventilation, parental override of quarantine mandates and premature ending of mandatory quarantines, no disinfecting between class changes, and no social distancing in halls during class changes.
Standardized tests that students will take this week "will add to the trauma that our students are already facing and our parents are going to be overwhelmed and frustrated," Gordon wrote.
"This situation simply cannot be allowed to continue as it puts every one of our students and educators in danger of deadly consequences," Gordon wrote. "We must put a stop to this insanity now."
Gordon also accused Gov. Asa Hutchinson and Education Secretary Johnny Key of "putting our wonderful students at risk knowingly and purposefully."
"You have chosen to manipulate the data to fit your narrative and you have used our love for and loyalty to our students to guilt us into putting them in danger," Gordon wrote. "Every child or educator who falls ill or dies will become your legacy."
SATURDAY RESPONSES
Hutchinson responded Saturday, saying the union "is not being helpful to the students and families of the district."
"I am proud of the dedication of our teachers and staff across the state to provide the best learning environments for their students," the Republican governor said in a statement.
"It is disappointing that the union continues to work to disrupt learning and keep our students out of the classroom. The union is the principal reason charter schools are increasingly seen as an option," he said.
"Parents need to know that there will not be a debate every week as to whether union teachers will be in the classroom for the students."
Key said Gordon's letter is "the latest in a pattern of divisive communication from the union leadership."
"The teachers, staff, and administrators of LRSD have worked very hard to create safe learning environments for students," Key said in a Saturday email.
"The data to date show their work has been successful, as there have been minimal disruptions to onsite learning. I am confident in the ability of [Superintendent Mike] Poore and his team to address any issues that may have arisen during the first two weeks of school."
Key further said Gordon's letter "only serves to create apprehension for students and families at a time when they need stability and certainty."
SURPRISED BY CLAIMS
Poore said Saturday that he was surprised by the claims in the letter after what he considered a successful start to the school year.
He said he had spoken with Gordon at least once a day about issues that have arisen and wasn't aware of any that hadn't been addressed.
"Not once has a thing been brought up to say that a building is struggling with PPE," he said about the personal protective equipment.
He said the state Health Department notifies the district about students who have tested positive and that the district is making accommodations for teachers and other staff members with compromised immune systems.
Poore also said there have been relatively few covid-19 cases in the district of almost 23,000 students and 3,500 staff members.
From Aug. 21 through Sunday, the district's daily reports list a total of 18 cases of covid-19 among students and employees and 151 who have been quarantined.
The district posts daily and weekly reports on students and staff members who have covid-19 or have been quarantined because of exposure or symptoms. That report is at the following link: https://ift.tt/3jU0ULO.
Little Rock Education Association members had voted in August -- before school started -- to teach online only and to do no in-person teaching as a matter of safety for students and staffs. About half of the district's students had opted for 100% virtual instruction and the other half for five-day-a-week instruction on campus.
In response, the district quickly formulated a phased reentry plan in which students who had opted to attend classes on-site were divided into two groups. Those whose last names started with A-M attended classes on Monday and Thursday and those with last names starting with N-Z attended on-site classes Tuesday and Friday. That plan reduced the numbers of students on campus each day, easing the efforts to maintain physical distancing among students and staffs.
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