Teachers
From districts large and small, teachers are on the front lines of the education debate and AFT MA is here to offer information, advice and support so that they can all do their jobs with courage and confidence.
Join us in telling Governor Baker that we need to start the year with remote learning until districts and the state can meet our health and safety criteria!
Community transmission of COVID-19 is on the rise again in Massachusetts, and lengthy delays in testing mean we won't know whether a sick student has the common cold or the deadly virus. Years of chronic underfunding have left us with unsafe schools facilities: windows that don’t open, bathrooms that lack hot water and soap, ventilation systems that need upgrading, and nurses that treat sick students in converted closets with no room for social distancing.
AFT Massachusetts has outlined several public health and safety criteria that districts and the state must meet before it is safe for students and educators to return to the classroom, and it's clear that a period of remote learning will be necessary before those criteria are met. Read the full statement here, and fill out the form below to tell Governor Baker to prioritize the health and safety of students, their families, and educators by starting school remotely this fall.
AFT Massachusetts Calls for Remote Start to School This Fall
"We miss our students terribly, and we all wish we could be back in the classroom with them. But it's become clear in the last few weeks that an in-person return to schools would unacceptably put the health and safety of our students, their families, and educators at risk. Parents, grandparents, and educators – maybe even students – would die," said AFT Massachusetts President Beth Kontos. "Community transmission of COVID-19 is on the rise again in Massachusetts, and lengthy delays in testing mean we won't know whether a sick student has the common cold or the deadly virus. In the schools AFT Massachusetts represents, especially in Boston and our Gateway Cities, years of chronic underfunding have left us with unsafe schools facilities: windows that don’t open, bathrooms that lack hot water and soap, ventilation systems that need upgrading, and nurses that treat sick students in converted closets with no room for social distancing. We've outlined a series of criteria that districts and the state must meet before it is safe for students and educators to return to the classroom, and it's clear that a period of remote learning will be necessary before those criteria are met. Now, we must focus on working with our local school teams to redesign remote learning so that it works for all students."
AFT Massachusetts outlined several public health and safety criteria that the union believes are necessary in order for in-person learning to resume.
Take Action To Ensure Full Funding for Our Schools
The COVID-19 pandemic and recession have caused unprecedented trauma and disruption for students and workers in our public schools and colleges.
From personal protective equipment and changes to school buildings, to safe staffing levels and additional services for students who cannot safely attend in-person school, we know that a deliberate and careful approach to reopening our public schools will require significantly more funding. But instead, state and local revenue shortfalls are leading to budget cuts, pink slips, and furloughs. We need action at the federal, state, and local level to ensure our schools have the full funding they need. Here’s how you can help:
Summer Leadership Institute 2020
Join us for our Summer Leadership Institute, a series of virtual workshops for local leaders and members to refine their leadership skills as well as to promote participation and initiative in our union! We will still be socially distancing for much of the summer, but with this institute we aim to come together across the state for conversation and learning.
We have a range of different classes, including a training on the new Connect 2.0, information about the para to teacher pipeline and increasing power in your local through building representatives. We also have a series on the role of elected leadership in the union presented by our colleagues at AFT national.