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Hi TEA!
There has been a plethora of emails, texts and messages going back and forth amongst our office and members. In order to get back to the majority of people in a timely fashion I’m hoping this will help to answer some of the most recent and most asked questions.
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Yes, TEA has been working with the district since notice of the fire and the first closing of Heritage and Legacy. TEA has been in contact and is speaking with the district several times a day trying to stay up to date with the information being sent to you by your admin, as well as the information that is going out from the district as a whole.
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TEA made sure that Thursday remained a NON Report day for all educators and did not turn into a planning day or a “please report and do optional meetings” a few hours after being told that it is a non report day.
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TEA was in communication and sent an email to the TUSD School Board on Thursday night demanding that if it was district wide for sites to go online then educators needed a planning day to prepare. The letter also stated concerns for online learning and the overall feelings of teachers having to prepare to do online teaching again, for anytime.
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Through that process and the weekend, we also stated that the least amount of planning for individual educators as they move and are fluid through the process would be best. Thank you to our TOSAs who created slides and work packets.
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Yes, TEA understands that it seems inequitable that some grades have to be online while others do not, we also understand that the district has the right to make these choices and to adhere to the emergency orders to offer a free and public education during this time. Please remember that all resources have been provided to hopefully make this less of a hassle. As I said in an email Thursday - TUSD teachers are remarkable. You will all want to change and provide the best teaching possible, but you are also human, and deserve to just do your best through any time you may have to spend online. Please see this as grace and allow yourselves to not over plan. You may change and personalize everything and find out tonight your site is back in person the next day.
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TEA has asked TUSD to explain why some grades are online while others are doing packets. There are reasons I have been told but we have asked them to provide to members a reason as to why that decision was made.
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We do not know how long the cleaning of sites will take. The release of sites last night was already a surprise. There are multiple agencies working on each site and going through many safety protocols in order to clear the site as a whole. Once a site has been cleared by multiple groups, then it is also cleaned on top of the clearing and checking by outside and additional paid groups. There are more players than just the district working on this.
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Yes, it is inequitable that some sites will be in person and some will be online, but the intention is that being online is meant as a short term filler until your site is complete and given the all clear. Some are further away and have been checked and cleared. Other's are waiting for one portion or all portions to be cleared. This is not a system of favorites or TUSD choosing who is cleared, it is a long process and decided upon by the distance to the fire vs. any amount of debris found on your site.
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Some sites will take longer to clear and others will be cleared throughout the next day to week. TUSD will be notifying everyone as they open each site. That means some will start back in person tomorrow and others will be waiting. Just as if we had a wildfire and some had to evacuate and others didn’t.
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If your site has been cleared and you are worried because there have been hotspots erupting into fire again at the site. TUSD is checking with all parties involved before having you report back to your site. Please let the admin. know any of your concerns as well so that they may also carry those back to the district.
I wish that we had this on the Bingo card of things that could happen, but no one ever warned us that we would be having to work around the burning of a historic building that has sat as a centerpiece of sorts in of our county, that happened to be built using state of the art for the 1940’s but are now deemed unsafe for us to be near.
You are all amazing and do exceptional work. This week, if that work is not your best….do not worry, you have spent one day and are able to move and teach and be flexible. If other sites are back and you are online, while that totally stinks, it’s what is needed for safety. TEA agrees and hears you. We wish we could make things equitable at all times, but that flew out the window the moment the Hangars started glowing red with fire.
Please take care of yourselves and each other.
In Unity,
Lisa Hickman
President, Tustin Educators Association
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