SEA President: Saline Teachers Face Overwhelming Anxiety About Prospect of Returning to Class

Saline teachers are facing overwhelming anxiety about returning to the classroom, according to Brian Boze, president of the Saline Education Association, which represents educators in the district.

Along with serious concerns about health risks to students, themselves and their families, teachers are struggling to plan with so little known about what the school year will look like.

“There’s an overwhelming anxiety about returning to the classroom. Some teachers are ready to go back into the classroom. Some staff members are incredulous we would even consider returning to the classroom,’ Boze said. “There are so many unknown variables. If we had some answers, perhaps some anxiety would subside.”

Boze is basing his comments on a survey conducted by the union three weeks ago. Approximately two-thirds of the membership responded to the survey.

The district is planning options for in-class, virtual and hybrid models. Superintendent Scot Graden has said he hoped to share a draft of a framework with educators this week and then share a final plan with parents the week of Aug. 14. 

“There are so many questions. We have a lot of staff concerned about health. Some teachers are concerned about how teaching will look. Is it going to look different at the high school level than the elementary school level. Some teachers are concerned about what the trauma young students are going to face in what might seem like a scary environment,” Boze said. “On top of this, we don’t know about the financial impacts about where we are with the budget and what that means. It’s been a tough summer for education.”

In a normal summer, you’d start to see more activity in the elementary schools by the beginning of August, as teachers enter the buildings to start preparing their classrooms. This year, teachers still aren’t sure if they’ll be returning to their classrooms.

Superintendent Scot Graden has said there’s enough anxiety and stress without announcing decisions the district would have to retract two weeks later. On his blog, Graden said the district leadership is reviewing guidance from the Centers for Disease Control, Michigan Department of Education, Washtenaw County Health Department and from peers in county school districts.

Despite anxiety around all the unknowns, Boze said the SEA reports Graden’s stance.

“We understand that there’s too much ambiguity for any one entity to invest hours and hours and hours in a plan only to have it change the next week,” Boze said. “It’s a challenging time. We have a great team in the district. We’re committed to working together collaboratively to solve problems.”

Graden posted his call for patience on July 22. Later that day, Ann Arbor Public Schools, the biggest district in the county, announced its plan for a 100 percent virtual start to the school year.

“I don’t know if we have any other choice,” AAPS Trustee Rebecca Lazarus said, according to the Ann Arbor News. “I mean, if we’re putting student safety at the forefront, virtual, virtual, virtual is what we have to do until we can get this under control.”

Other school districts, like Novi, have committed to in-person learning in accordance with Gov. Whitmer’s blueprint while offering virtual options.

It's unclear what impact, if any, Ann Arbor's decision will have on decision-making in Saline. But Republican lawmakers have drafted legislation  that would cut funding to school districts that don't offer in-class instruction for students. In his blog, July 22, Graden noted that the district's plan will result in Saline receiving full state aid.

Community members are invited to join Graden for a Facebook Live conversation Thursday.

Boze was among several Washtenaw teachers union leaders to sign a letter to stakeholders in Washtenaw County. The letter is below.

Washtenaw County Educators, July 24, 2020

To Our Many Stakeholders,

The decision to reopen public school buildings affects students, educators, building staff, parents, and employers. All of these stakeholders want a safe, engaging, supportive, and intellectually stimulating environment for our students, but the challenges of the COVID-19 virus are causing anxiety and concern.

As educational professionals, we have great concern about the role COVID-19 continues to play in the education of our students, in the health and safety of our educational communities, and in the districts’ abilities to afford and accommodate the best practices established by the CDC and state government. Our concerns include but are not limited to:

• The best way to deliver instruction to the students of Washtenaw County, specifically:
  • Identifying and reducing the impact enhanced PPE and physical distancing will have on our youngest learners
• The many unanswered questions, such as:
  • How will student learning hours be defined when remote learning is implemented?

○ Servicing the needs of our students with special needs

○ Ensuring the social and emotional health of all students

○ Providing students with a high-quality education that includes the challenging and socially just curricula they would get in an in-person model.

○ What will this year’s state education budget (cuts) likely be?

○ Will seat waivers be granted for those students who do not return to the classroom this year and instead choose to learn remotely?

○ Will local districts have enough resources to fully implement both the governor’s recommendations as outlined in the Back to School Roadmap and those defined by the CDC?

○ How to implement student lunch in compliance with CDC guidelines?

○ How will recommended bus guidelines (social distancing, windows down) work during inclement weather?

Additionally, staff members are also affected. A significant number of staff members throughout Washtenaw County are concerned because they, or loved ones living in their homes, are considered at increased risk based on the CDC’s guidelines regarding underlying medical conditions. How will their needs be accommodated?

○ How will time off be applied if a staff member is exposed at school?

○ Will substitute teachers be available to support students if a teacher’s health or their family member’s health is compromised?

As nearly fifty thousand University of Michigan students and twenty thousand Eastern Michigan University students return to Washtenaw County next month, the risk of COVID-19 being spread within our adjacent communities greatly increases. Many Washtenaw County schools closed in March, even before Governor Whitmer issued the official order. Those districts believed their buildings—and the people who worked and attended school within them—were at high risk at that time. If schools closed when cases were at a minimum in the spring, it doesn’t seem logical that they would reopen when cases in our county are now growing and have the potential to increase further.

We understand and appreciate that parents want their children to be in schools and taught by teachers. We understand the economic insecurity that children being home creates, along with the challenges some learners face attempting to manage their lessons remotely. We too believe in-person, on-site teaching is best for most children.

Taking all these concerns together, we ask that our districts’ leaders and school board representatives reflect on the answer to this question: Is in-person instruction worth the health risks imposed on the students, students’ families, and the school employees our communities value so much?

We propose that districts pause plans for hybrid or in-person reopening and shift their focus to virtual learning to ensure we get the start of school right. We need to give the federal and state governments time to make school funding decisions so district leaders can determine their budgets. Further, it gives the state legislature time to answer the many unanswered questions posed to them, allowing the reopening of schools to proceed in a deliberate and thoughtful manner.

We also ask that our communities support the decision to start the year with remote schooling. We realize many community members want their students back in the classroom—as do their teachers—but until we have answers to the many questions posed and ​ ​a decrease in the potential risk of contracting COVID-19 across the county, we believe remote schooling is best for all students and staff.

The educators of Washtenaw County are among the most professional and capable in the state, and we would not be asking this if we thought in-person instruction, at this time, was best for our students. Thank you to all of our wonderful communities for your ongoing support of public education.

Sincerely,

Washtenaw County Educators

More News from Saline

• County Announces 4 Clean-up Days, All Require Registration Washtenaw County Water Resources Materials Management Division announced the 2024 County Clean-Up Day schedule.
• LAX: Nishioka Scores 5 as Saline Bests Dexter Maddie Nishioka scored five goals to lead Saline to a 9-4 victory over Dexter Monday night at Hornet Stadium.