Around AEA
6 ADVOCATE | FALL 2020
Sources:
https://www.abc15.com/news/getting-back-to-school/j-o-combs-unified-school-district-cancels-classes-tuesday-wednesday-as-teachers-continue-sick-out
https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/arizona-education/2020/08/17/j-o-combs-unified-school-district-remain-closed-after-teacher-sick-out/3387214001/
https://fronterasdesk.org/content/1613893/jo-combs-teacher-union-president-reacts-new-plans-start-person-classes
https://kjzz.org/content/1611046/jo-combs-unified-school-district-governing-board-reverses-course-votes-delay-person
A
rizona teacher Dave Nelson was stunned when
school board members in the J.O. Combs Unified
School District voted 3-2 in early August to order
educators and students back into schools on August
17, 2020, against the recommendation of state health
officials.
Teachers didn't have adequate PPE or sanitizing
supplies. They had no idea how many students would be
in their classrooms. Many educators in this small, rural district
have medical health concerns, or their spouses, children or
parents have health concerns, and they fear Arizona is nowhere
near having its COVID-19 pandemic under control.
The state was reporting about 900 new COVID-19 cases a day
as the number of cases in the state exceeded 200,000 and deaths
near 4,600. Statewide, the percentage of COVID-19 test-takers
who test positive was about 10 percent, higher than the national
average of 6.5 percent and much higher than its neighbors in
New Mexico (2.5 percent) and Utah (8.6 percent.)
"Our belief is that it's not safe. These are minimal standards
to reduce the risk of exposure," said Nelson, of the
state metrics around reopening.
With help from the Arizona Education
Association, Combs teachers met, talked into the
night over Zoom, and decided they simply couldn't
risk the lives of their family members and students by
rushing into in-person education.
That week, they began informing administrators
that they wouldn't be at work on Monday, August
17—instead they'd be using medical leave or expanded
family and medical leave provided by the Families First
Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA).
With a "sickout" in place, district officials had no
choice but to cancel classes on Monday.
And Tuesday. And on Wednesday. In the face of
continued, united opposition by educators, on August
19, the J.O. Combs school board members voted 4-1 to
reverse their previous decision to open schools. Instead,
educators would provide virtual learning to students until
at least August 27, when school officials will re-evaluate health
and safety indicators. At the time this publication went to print,
the school board met once more and delayed in-person learning
to September 8, 2020.
What's next isn't clear. Nelson, who also is president of the
AEA-affiliated J.O. Combs Education Association, hopes that
educators, parents and administrators can work together on a
plan that relies on remote learning until it's safer for students
and educators to return to classrooms.
Afraid but United, Arizona Teachers
Stage Sickout to Stop Reopening