A Chicago principals organization has presented a phased reopening plan for schools in the city that it believes can “end the divisive impasse between district officials and [the] Chicago Teachers Union. ”
The idea comes at a time when the Chicago Public Schools (CPS) – for the second consecutive day – instructs parents not to send their children to their facilities for any personal learning, while their struggle against the union continues.
The two sides have not yet reached agreement on conditions for reopening during the coronavirus pandemic – and the stalemate is putting the district’s expected date of February 1 to bring K-8 students back to face-to-face classes in danger.
“It’s us who deliver the plans, right? … There is no more important group of people to be involved in this process than we are,” said Troy LaRaviere, president of the Chicago Board of Directors and Administrators, on Wednesday in announce your organization’s plan. “And for some inexplicable reason, the district has not done that and is still not consulting us.”
Pre-kindergarten students listen to their teacher read a story at Dawes Elementary in Chicago on January 11. Chicago public schools wanted thousands of elementary and high school teachers and staff to return to classrooms on Monday to prepare for the resumption of face-to-face learning, but now that return date has been postponed. (AP / Chicago Sun-Times)
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“Even the NBA had enough sense to bring in the players union to help design the process that led to the successful resumption of the season,” he added.
The organization’s plan calls for Chicago to begin returning students to school by opening only about 75 facilities and then scaling up every three to four weeks, if possible.
“Open a small group of schools in a representative sample of Chicago communities where the administrative staff and an adequate number of teachers and paraprofessionals feel they have what is necessary for a safe return. Make this team a priority for vaccinations before the start of the pilot “, says. “Consider allowing some schools in the pilot to personally open specific grade levels to make up for a lack of staff or space, and expand as readiness issues are addressed.”
The plan, for example, states that Chicago could have more than 400 of its 642 schools open for face-to-face learning by April 15 if it follows a safe and successful step-by-step approach.
“A pilot approach will allow the stress test needed for the district to assess individual schools’ needs compared to the current plan’s one-size-fits-all approach,” the document says.
“Schools brought in for subsequent pilot phases would not have to endure the constant and confusing updates and changes in policies that we currently experience because the pilot period would give CPS time and space to develop and adjust a coherent package of guidance materials and support with based on the questions, concerns and experiences of schools in the initial pilot, “adds the plan.
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The Chicago Association of Directors and Administrators plan was drawn up after a survey of 377 local principals and assistant principals – less than 17% of whom, they say, feel the district is prepared and ready to open schools on February 1.
“We welcome the district’s goals,” LaRaviere said in a statement. “However, his plans are not realistic or safe for most of our schools.”
LaRaviere said the survey revealed that its members do not believe that there will be enough staff in schools to reopen safely, or enough security supplies to protect themselves against the spread of COVID-19. And, he said, members did not receive adequate district guidance on how to reopen schools that have been closed since March.
LaRaviere added that the organization presented its plan to the CPS on Tuesday.
But Mayor Lori Lightfoot said the plan continues to receive K-8 students on Monday, and the union said its members will continue to teach remotely without an agreement, but will picket if they are blocked from education systems.
Chicago Public Schools CEO Janice Jackson said the district implemented the kind of gradual approach that principals are pushing when opening schools for pre-K and special education students this month.
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“They have been back in school for three weeks and the plan is working,” she said on Wednesday during a school board meeting.
However, statistics provided by CPS to Fox News on the same day indicated that only 485 – or about 28 percent of its pre-K and special education teachers – attended Wednesday, up from about 66 percent (1,126 teachers) ) Last day.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.