Classified employees preparing for a new way of life

Reopening schools in the age of COVID-19

Classified employees preparing for a new way of life

There are many questions in the age of COVID-19 as the pandemic continues changing the way our local communities and the world at large operates. One of the main concerns is how schools and the 625,000 staff who support our public education system in the state of California can continue providing an equitable, quality education and support to the more than 6.5 million students and the families they serve.

In mid-July, the governor took some decision-making out of the hands of local education agencies (LEAs), emphasizing what he called “California’s bottom line: learning is non-negotiable. Schools must provide meaningful instruction.” He has mandated that every school district residing within a county on the coronavirus monitoring list must begin the year doing distance learning. This includes California’s most populous counties such as Alameda and Santa Clara in the Bay Area, northern counties like Sacramento and Merced and those further south including Los Angeles, Riverside and San Diego, “reinforcing that no part of our state is immune from the transmission of this virus,” Newsom said.

In mid-July, the governor took some decision-making out of the hands of local education agencies (LEAs), emphasizing what he called “California’s bottom line: learning is non-negotiable. Schools must provide meaningful instruction.” Due to safety concerns, every school district residing within a county on the coronavirus monitoring list must begin the year doing distance learning. The Governor’s mandate was made in conjunction with the California Department of Public Health (CDPH), with guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and California Department of Education (CDE). This includes California’s most populous counties such as Alameda and Santa Clara in the Bay Area, northern counties like Sacramento and Merced and those further south including Los Angeles, Riverside and San Diego, “reinforcing that no part of our state is immune from the transmission of this virus,” Newsom said.

“reinforcing that no part of our state is immune from the transmission of this virus.”

“The one thing we have the power to do to get our kids back in school is to look at this list,” Governor Newsom said, citing the need to continue physical distancing, washing hands, wearing a mask and following other COVID-19 guidance that has been issued by the state and county health organizations.

Under these new guidelines, schools may physically open for in-person instruction when the county has been off the monitoring list for 14 consecutive days and can remain open even if the county goes back on the monitoring list. The governor also shared that schools must engage in rigorous distance learning and listed other new statewide requirements, including mask requirements for students third grade and up, physical distancing and other adaptations to protect students and staff alike, such as regular testing and dedicated contact tracing.

In response to these guidelines, CSEA Association President Ben Valdepeña said, "CSEA supports the governor's decision that schools in monitoring-list counties cannot reopen for in-person learning until it is safe to do so, and we appreciate the state's comprehensive approach, utilizing multiple data points, to determine which counties are on that list.”

“We thank Governor Newsom for prioritizing the health and safety of both our students and the staff members who play an essential role..."

“We thank Governor Newsom for prioritizing the health and safety of both our students and the staff members who play an essential role in their education, and for recognizing that masks will be a key safety measure for safe reopening,” Association President Valdepeña said. “Whether safely in person or virtually, we look forward to seeing our students again soon.”

At the beginning of June, when there was hope that most schools would reopen for in-person learning, the CDE released its guidance, titled “Stronger Together: A guidebook for the safe reopening of California’s Public Schools.” The CDE guidance was designed to complement the original CDPH guidelines released days earlier.

Combined, they serve as a guide for LEAs on how to accommodate our students and staff being back on campus in a way that keeps them safe. There are no mandates within the CDE document. Instead, it details: what students will need for academic and social success; how to remove the barriers to learning both in the classroom and remotely; and how to ensure students, families and staff are emotionally and physically safe.

The CDE guidance was informed by many health experts and safety organizations, including the Centers for Disease Control, California Division of Occupational Safety and Health, and health officers from around the state. CSEA played a critical role in its development with David Schapira, our Director of Governmental Relations, co-chairing the CDE Health and Safety Committee, which developed a safety checklist for school reopening plans.

photo by Alyssa Mah

“To be clear, we know how to re-open schools,” Schapira said during the June 16 Assembly Education Committee Informational Hearing about Reopening California’s Public Schools for the 2020-21 school year. “Our members do it every year, usually without incident. But unique times call for unique measures.”

“As the Superintendent said throughout the process, while we’ve considered what it takes to reopen schools safely, we’ve been cognizant of distinct local conditions. For example, schools might need to utilize very different solutions to limit the number of students reporting to campus at a time in order to meet physical distancing requirements. Some schools will have staggered schedules; others might use cohorts; and some might even be able to manage distancing without scheduling changes.”

“Every California student and all school employees deserve these sorts of minimum protections."

He continued: “On the other hand, there are some issues which should be addressed consistently across the state to meet the health and safety needs of all California students. Our committee referred to these sorts of guidelines as ‘universal truths.’ For example, students and staff with temperatures over 100.4 degrees should be sent home whether you’re in Oakland or Oakhurst, Long Beach or Lone Pine. Every California student and all school employees deserve these sorts of minimum protections.”

Although things are changing rapidly, one thing that remains constant is CSEA’s ongoing commitment to its members. It is important to execute a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in each district to ensure enforcement of these guidelines, according to the CSEA Field COVID Taskforce, comprised of Sacramento Field Director Kyle Tomlinson and Senior Labor Relations Representatives Stacy Trujillo and Jason Ter Keurst, which later evolved into the CSEA Return Team, adding Orange Field Director Tiara Cox and Senior Labor Relations Representative Michael Breyette.

“A big part of that will be supporting bargaining in every chapter."

“This team listens to the needs of our members and field staff to serve as a liaison between departments and to drive our field strategy aimed at a safe reopening for our members,” they shared. “A big part of that will be supporting bargaining in every chapter.”

The committee has worked with Governmental Relations, in addition to the Legal and Communications departments, to create Frequently Asked Questions and bargain templates as well as providing comprehensive communications between the LRRs, the Director of Field Operations and other department heads. Their focus is primarily on driving reopening or “return” agreements for a safe return to in-person instruction.

Following is just a snapshot of some classified job classifications and the changes that they expect to see and work through when schools reopen.

Transportation constraints will impact drivers, students

Shannon Hamlyn-Burton, bus operator and president of Butte College Chapter 511, and Patty Littlepage-Maaske, bus driver and Oakdale Unified Chapter 830 treasurer, share their perspectives on what the CDE guidelines mean for the future of transportation.

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Custodial needs at an all-time high

With sanitation requirements increasing tremendously at school sites due to COVID-19, John Sullivan, custodian with La Mesa-Spring Valley Chapter 419, and Adam McQueen, lead custodian with Lake Elsinore Chapter 598, offer insights into the impacts on their jobs.

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Food service needs increase

Even though most California schools will kick off their year in an online-only environment, Cathy Sigsworth, cafeteria worker III and negotiations team member for Bonita Chapter 21, and Chrissy Thurman, food service worker and member of Rocklin Classified Chapter 773, talk about how food service is more important than ever before.

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Logging into learning

Kevin Stein, network engineer and immediate past president for Martinez Chapter 99, and Ivannia Ramirez, IS systems support technician and member of Ontario-Montclair Chapter 108, give a behind-the-scenes look at how they are supporting students as they navigate in their ever-evolving learning environments.

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Paraeducators adapting learning models

One-on-one instruction is an integral part of being an instructional assistant. Francine Morales, a paraeducator, negotiations team member and steward for Rowland Chapter 133, and Suzette Williams, special education instructional aide and member of Riverside Unified Chapter 506, talk passionately about how the new educational models will take adapting and patience for educators and families alike.

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It really just goes to show how much we can achieve, and the adversity we can overcome, when we are all pulling together as one.

With nearly every single classification impacted by the guidelines, the Teams both reiterate how essential it is that members communicate with their chapter negotiations team about the impacts of reopening plans on their classifications. There may even be the need to negotiate new classifications in order to carry out new guidelines that will ensure safety and health.

“We all know that our most important work is done by our members in their own chapters, holding LEAs accountable,” Tomlinson said. “This effort is no different.” The Return Team is also keeping track of which LEAs do not adhere to the intent of the recent, historic budget deal that granted protections for classified employees, and which states the intent to preserve all classified positions for the 2020-21 school year. “There are a lot of very hard decisions that will need to be made, but we are ready because of the CSEA member leadership,” Tomlinson said. “It really just goes to show how much we can achieve, and the adversity we can overcome, when we are all pulling together as one.”