PICKERINGTON, Ohio — Frustrations were on full display in the Pickerington Local School District this week.
They were at the forefront of Monday’s school board meeting, which was streamed online.
“Although we understand the complexity of opening school during a pandemic, teachers and parents are frustrated by the district’s lack of communication,” said Heather Tinsley, president of the Pickerington Education Association, at the meeting.
The union represents 685 educators in the district. And, on an Aug. 2 survey, 77 percent reported they did not feel safe teaching in person with the safety precautions put in place so far.
“The educators feel uneasy, uncomfortable because things aren’t like they’ve been in the past, and we don’t get the answers that we need or we feel that we need from our district, as you can see from the statement we read at Monday night’s board meeting,” Tinsley said.
Tinsley says teachers are concerned about not having the proper personal protective equipment (PPE) and cleaning supplies for their classrooms.
That was brought up at the Monday meeting, and she says the district has since reached out to her to learn more about which buildings are still lacking.
In addition, the district reported to 10TV the following information:
Installed 650 hand sanitizing dispensers in classrooms and other building areas like playground doors, common areas, etc.
Each building received 500 KN90 masks, 500 disposable masks, 10 disposable gowns, 10 shields.
Installed 75 hand sanitizer dispensers on our buses
Every clinic/nurse was provided 35 N-95 masks
Every clinic also received 20 KN95 masks, 100 disposable masks, 2 touchless thermometers, 1 container of cleaning wipes (500), 10 disposable shields, 10 gowns, and two air purifiers.
Every staff member in the district will be provided with at least 2 reusable face shields; these are currently being delivered to the buildings
The district has ordered a supply of 56,000 disposable medical masks (will be shipped in increments of 8,000 masks/month from September through March)
Dolfin cleaning pods are being distributed this week to each clinic for cleaning
High school science rooms received alcohol wipes to wipe off equipment and sanitizing cabinets to sanitize goggles
High school athletics and activities have received air purifiers, as well as multiple sprayers and other cleaning agent dispensers provided to sanitize large areas. Additional outdoor port o’ john’s were also installed in outdoor areas, including increased cleaning and sanitizing of these items
The district has ordered and received 3,500 pair of medium nitrile gloves, and 1,500 pair of large nitrile gloves; these are currently being provided to our special education department
Multiple plexiglass barriers have been installed or are being installed throughout various areas of the district, including the clinics and office areas; additional plexi-glass barriers are being dispensed to areas of the district where close contact between individuals is difficult to maintain (e.g., special education therapy delivery rooms, etc.)
Additional supplies will be delivered to the buildings this week
But Tinsley says teachers also worry about class sizes hindering the ability to properly socially distance. She says, while the in-person hybrid model is designed to cut the student population in half, that doesn’t necessarily mean the students will be spread equally throughout the classrooms, so some classes may be larger than others.
“We’re on week three of being in school, and we still don’t have students because there’s so much work that needs to be done before we receive students, and we’re thankful for those days because, like I said, we’re still working on the cohorting, trying to get students so they’re 50 percent or less in the classrooms, but if we didn’t have that time, there’s no way we would be prepared for students to be in the buildings with three or four days,” Tinsley said.
10TV received statements from two teachers who wanted to remain anonymous.
I am very concerned with the amount of unknowns we still have for the hybrid schedule and we’re within days of students arriving. Daily logistics and protocols are incomplete, many of which relate to student and staff safety.
Not only are teachers concerned with the exposure, lack of PPE, and dwindling cleaning supplies, but we’re being inundated with new information each day and planning on the run. I’m mentally and physically exhausted, and the school year hasn’t officially begun. A tired, weakened immune system isn’t something I want during a pandemic.
Here are specific concerns many of us share:
-Lack of effective PPE. The only district provided PPE was a gaiter which is ineffective.
-The only cleaning supplies given was one spray bottle of solution and a nearby hand sanitizer station. This is not enough.
-Teachers were polled and 77% of us were uncomfortable with in-person teaching yet there have been no substantial changes by the district since then. We aren’t able to attend board meetings to voice our concerns because they’re happening in a closed room, or ask questions either. We don’t feel heard or taken seriously.
-With more COVID-19 research coming out each day, many teachers are afraid for their health. Some are immunocompromised and the district hasn’t done anything to provide accommodations for them. I personally know of multiple teachers who were denied to teach in the Virtual Learning Academy, some of which will see hundreds of students within a week.
-Social distancing isn’t really possible with up to 18 kids in a classroom cohort. Many rooms are too small for this. Kids and teachers are going to be at higher risk across the district, being together hours a day.
-Some teachers I know at multiple levels are going to be exposed to over 200 kids each week, within their own classroom. How are they able to correctly sanitize with that many sharing desks, tables, and supplies?
Of course in-person teaching is the preferred method, but only if it’s safe. Some of our basic procedures haven’t been decided yet. There are still too many unanswered questions. I don’t see how we can start safely next week.
A second teacher wrote:
Although we are excited to meet our students and families, teachers are still worried about keeping them safe. Social distancing and fear of community spread throughout our school buildings continue to be an issue as many teachers (even those signed up for virtual learning academy) will be spending all day with multiple groups of students. The limited PPE we were given is subpar and many pieces are still missing. It doesn’t seem enough to hope we don’t lose students, and students do not lose family members or teachers to Covid. We need a strong safety plan that is securely in place and communicated honestly with staff and families.
And it’s not just the teachers who are raising concerns. Joie Moore, president of the Pickerington Support Staff Association, also spoke at Monday’s meeting.
“I’m just letting you guys know this is how it feels and how we’re underappreciated, overworked, and we’re getting asked more this year and taking less and less time to do it,” Moore said at the meeting.
She also brought up concerns about the reduction in hours for workers in her union. She says, not only are their hours being cut when they are needed more than ever, but she also says they were given very little notice.
In fact, the district finalized that move at the Monday meeting, one week prior to the start of classes.
“It’s hard to stomach when we know these students are going to need more help than ever this year because they’ve been out of school for much longer than what we normally have in a normal summer,” Tinsley said of the move.
The district released this statement in response:
On August 24, we had to make the very difficult decision to make partial reductions in the hours of many support staff members, media specialists, and food service workers. For most employees, staffing hours on Wednesdays were cut in half, while regrettably, others had their Wednesday hours temporarily eliminated. These reductions will save an additional $430,000 in wages and benefits, and will more closely align our staffing needs to our current service delivery models.
These reductions recognize the need for us to wisely and prudently expend our resources to match service levels that we are able to provide during the pandemic.
Some teachers also brought up concerns about not being accepted into the Virtual Learning Academy, the district’s all-online teaching plan. Others who were accepted are concerned that they will still have to report to the classroom.
District officials had this to say:
If a teacher was approved for VLA, we're still requiring them to report to the buildings unless they have a medical concern that has been documented or the building can use their space that they would normally occupy to further assist with social distancing if classroom space is a concern in specific buildings. This is because we feel it is important for all staff to report to their buildings for professional development, peer collaboration, and assignment to duties as allowed within the negotiated agreement for those staff teaching within the VLA (without documented medical concerns to be consistent with all other teachers within the school district). For example- if a teacher is teaching in the VLA but doing so from their assigned building, they can still assist with greeting our in-person students as they arrive in the morning in the hybrid model, monitoring them between class periods in the hallway, etc.
We did allow several teachers to work remotely that were selected for VLA. It is not feasible for a teacher that teaches in the hybrid model to work remotely for students that attend in-person. The VLA teachers that were approved to work remotely by the Human Resources Department are those with documented health concerns or were approved to work remotely because the building could benefit from having additional open space to make available to our hybrid model teachers and students. We have 25 teachers that have been approved to work remotely for the 20/21 school year. But, the majority of our VLA teachers are being required to report to their assigned buildings to serve our VLA students.
Also at the Monday meeting, district officials reminded everyone that it will take teamwork and everyone following the ruled – both wearing masks and social distancing – in order to keep everyone safe.
There are designated quarantine rooms in each school right now. And officials say they will re-evaluate the current plan after five weeks. And, while switching to all-virtual could happen right away, if needed, if leaders decide to change to all in-person learning, everyone would get at least two weeks’ notice.
For an extended statement from the district, see below:
Pertaining to supplies:
The district has exhausted nearly all of its initial share of CARES Act funding provided by the Elementary and Secondary Schools Relief Fund (ESSERF) to purchase massive quantities of COVID-19 mitigation supplies and materials, including masks/face coverings, hand sanitizer, disinfecting sprays, signage to communicate safe practices, and many other items. These are being used to provide teaching and learning environments that meet the guidance provided by the Ohio K-12 Schools Guidance document. This initial round of federal funding provided about $705,000 for the district to use to address its many needs in addressing the COVID-19 pandemic.
It should also be noted that our district intentionally delayed starting school until August 31 so that we had additional time to prepare for the challenges of the upcoming school year. These challenges have included supply-chain issues and interruptions, and the time it takes to receive, properly account for, and then deliver these items to our buildings.
At this point in time, we have delivered much of the supplies and materials to buildings, but many more items are still arriving at the District Office and are being delivered to buildings as fast as possible. To date, we have done the following:
1. Installed 650 hand sanitizing dispensers in classrooms and other building areas like playground doors, common areas, etc.
2. Each building received 500 KN90 masks, 500 disposable masks, 10 disposable gowns, 10 shields.
3. Installed 75 hand sanitizer dispensers on our buses
4. Every clinic/nurse was provided 35 N-95 masks
5. Every clinic also received 20 KN95 masks, 100 disposable masks, 2 touchless thermometers, 1 container of cleaning wipes (500), 10 disposable shields, 10 gowns, and two air purifiers.
6. Every staff member in the district will be provided with at least 2 reusable face shields; these are currently being delivered to the buildings
7. The district has ordered a supply of 56,000 disposable medical masks (will be shipped in increments of 8,000 masks/month from September through March)
8. Dolfin cleaning pods are being distributed this week to each clinic for cleaning
9. High school science rooms received alcohol wipes to wipe off equipment and sanitizing cabinets to sanitize goggles
10. High school athletics and activities have received air purifiers, as well as multiple sprayers and other cleaning agent dispensers provided to sanitize large areas. Additional outdoor port o’ john’s were also installed in outdoor areas, including increased cleaning and sanitizing of these items
11. The district has ordered and received 3,500 pair of medium nitrile gloves, and 1,500 pair of large nitrile gloves; these are currently being provided to our special education department
12. Multiple plexiglass barriers have been installed or are being installed throughout various areas of the district, including the clinics and office areas; additional plexi-glass barriers are being dispensed to areas of the district where close contact between individuals is difficult to maintain (e.g., special education therapy delivery rooms, etc.)
13. Additional supplies will be delivered to the buildings this week
Finally, the district also recently was provided $546,000 in Coronavirus Relief Funds (CRF) that will be used throughout the 2020-2021 school year to address ongoing COVID-19 issues. CRF funds are to be used for the same purposes as the ESSERF funds, and must be exhausted by December of 2020. The district will use these funds to continue to provide school environments that meet the guidance provided by the Ohio K-12 Schools Guidance document provided by Governor DeWine and the state of Ohio.
500 KN90 masks, 500 disposable masks, 10 gowns, 10 shields have already been delivered. 2 reusable visors will be delivered to each building tomorrow. Special education will receive additional supplies that they have requested and additional PPE will be provided this week to all of our buildings. Furthermore, the district has an unlimited supply of undiluted cleaning solutions that we dilute as needed to refill the bottles located in each classroom. We’ve always had this supply of undiluted cleaning solutions. A touchless hand sanitizer dispenser is also located in every classroom.
Regarding the Virtual Learning Academy:
We have 74 full-time Virtual Learning Academy (VLA) teachers that will be delivering their instruction 100% to students that are in the VLA. We have 10 teachers that have their teaching assignment split between .5 VLA and .5 Hybrid.
82 teachers in grades K-8 have been identified as VLA teachers.
We have many junior high and high school teachers teaching at least one section of VLA within their normal teaching schedule. No special education teachers have been identified as being VLA 100% of their time.
We had 66 teachers apply for teaching in the VLA. In grades K-4, only one regular education teacher (minus special education) that applied to teach in the VLA was denied due to not enough sections being needed at his/her particular grade level.
25 teachers were approved to teach in the VLA remotely due to medical concerns, or to free up additional classroom space to maximize social distancing with the buildings for our hybrid staff and students.
Regarding reduced hours for staff:
During the 2019-20 school year, Pickerington Schools had an operating deficit of nearly $3.8 million. For the 2020-21 school year, that operating deficit is forecasted to be about $5.5 million.
Our financial difficulties are being further exacerbated by the realities of COVID-19, specifically its impact on our day-to-day operations.
While the district has received and expended federal funding to purchase COVID-19 mitigation supplies and equipment, we are not able to operate in the traditional manner in which schools typically operate.
Said differently, our staffing numbers and our operating procedures are built for day-to-day in-person instruction.
In our current hybrid approach, most students are only physically present 40% of the time; many other students are fully virtual.
While we are making every effort to safely and effectively educate our students and serve our community in non-traditional approaches, we must make the tough decisions to reduce our expenditures in many areas to match the current levels of service that we are providing.
Accordingly, on August 10, the district approved $1.2 million in reductions in operational expenditures for purchased services, supplies and materials and other equipment.
And, on August 24, we had to make the very difficult decision to make partial reductions in the hours of many support staff members, media specialists, and food service workers. For most employees, staffing hours on Wednesdays were cut in half, while regrettably, others had their Wednesday hours temporarily eliminated. These reductions will save an additional $430,000 in wages and benefits, and will more closely align our staffing needs to our current service delivery models.
These reductions recognize the need for us to wisely and prudently expend our resources to match service levels that we are able to provide during the pandemic.
We sincerely hope to return to serving our students in daily, in-person instruction as soon as it is safe to do so. But until that time, we believe that we are making reasonable reductions in our operational spending to match our financial challenges, while continuing to meet existing student and community needs.
About communication regarding guidelines and plans:
Our leadership team has regular meetings with our principals...who have been in the loop with back-to-school and COVID-19 related plans throughout the process. Our principals then share info with their building staff. We also have a “COVID-19 Task Force,” which is composed of administrative staff, union representatives, and a school board member. This team worked together to produce and publish our 50+ page “Flexible Learning 2.0” back-to-school plan. That plan has been published on this webpage since it was released: https://www.pickerington.k12.oh.us/flexible-learning-2-0-plan-qa/ Additionally, to answer our community’s ongoing questions about the plan (and to condense the Flexible Learning 2.0 plan for easier consumption by the public), we published a Q&A page at https://www.pickerington.k12.oh.us/back-to-school-2020/. This page has been updated nearly every day since the plan’s release with new answers to questions we receive from the public and staff. We have widely publicized these pages full of information to our staff and community since they were published.