That didn't last long - SOMSD teachers not returning for in-person instruction

berkeley said:

"These questions are being discussed everywhere. Not just here."

The large majority of school districts across the state and country seem to have reconciled to the idea that 100% bubble cannot be created. I'm not sure that's the case here. Or is it just posturing by the union? If so, to what end?

The context of that section of the brief is the return to full-time classroom instruction, as it was before the pandemic, when no bubbles were needed. 


The schools were shut down immediately when the ventilation issue was discovered and that was months ago. Seems to me there is an issue with district and/or union leadership if we can’t move past that. 
Do the teachers want to work in a district with all new facilities? Then they probably need to look elsewhere for work. This is getting ridiculous.


berkeley said:


Do the teachers want to work in a district with all new facilities?

From the SOMEA brief:

“It is the understanding of SOMEA that the District, either with or without SOMEA’s financial assistance, will procure these filters prior to the next phase of expansion of in-person instruction on April 19th. It is further SOMEA’s understanding that with the filters in place, there will be sufficient classrooms available for the District to successfully expand in-person instruction as scheduled on April 19th and to potentially add to that expansion all students in Grades 3 and 4. To be clear, SOMEA fully anticipates that the District’s next phase of expansion of in-person instruction will occur as scheduled.”


I’ll believe it when I see it!

I put responsibility w admin also...Why are we still talking about these blanket-y blank filters???


I think that people in SOMA underestimate the level of similar discord and problems in other districts.  Yes, some have more scheduled in-person schooling and some are succeeding better than we are and some are doing worse although you wouldn't know that from the local Facebook group posts or discussions here.  

I have seen posts from people in a lot of different towns making complaints very similar to what I read here.  It truly isn't just SOMSD. And teachers unions are generally fairly strong in this state/region, but I haven't seen any indication that SOMEA has outsized strength compared to other New Jersey teacher unions.  

I'm certainly open to correction on any of these points if they are based on reliable sources.  


berkeley said:

I’ll believe it when I see it!

I put responsibility w admin also...Why are we still talking about these blanket-y blank filters???

 Because money alone cant fix it.  Desire can't fix it.  Finding the correct contractors and hiring them when tons of other districts are also hiring them is difficult or impossible, and only one or two companies nationally repair the defective motors and controllers.  Those companies are seriously backed up.  This has all been discussed publicly before.


When all of the family’s of means either send their kids to private schools or move to districts where schools do actually operate will they fix it? Someone up there in the powers that be surely must realize a reckoning is a coming. It’s time for this district and it’s teachers to either get serious about resolving this or get prepared for a far worse situation down the road. 


bigorangesplotmpwd said:

When all of the family’s of means either send their kids to private schools or move to districts where schools do actually operate will they fix it? Someone up there in the powers that be surely must realize a reckoning is a coming. It’s time for this district and it’s teachers to either get serious about resolving this or get prepared for a far worse situation down the road. 

 Fix what? You have to be more specific.  I'm happy that they are talking to each other.  


Fix what? Umm. Kids haven’t been inside a school in over a year. Fix that.


This conversation has hit specifics more than generalizations lately, so I was thinking you had more than "somebody do something"


Somebody do something!!!! Kids have been out of school for over a year! "Glad they are talking" is a low bar.

https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/jerseycan-releases-first-new-jersey-public-study-on-covids-impact-on-learning-loss-301258385.html

Options? 

1. Wait for the two qualified contractors to fix the vents.

2. Try something else. Just one idea: https://apnews.com/article/macys-converted-into-high-school-vermont-79ab42cb178f6a26e5239d6688caed8d


Maybe if most of the rooms are usable the gym and cafeteria can become a few temporary rooms for the spring.  Having windows open will be a big help.  But all of these ideas are for this spring.  What is evolving and difficult is next fall.  I had thought we could be back to relatively normal, but I'm not completely sure now.  If they have to do hybrid hopefully they can drop to two shifts instead of three, getting each group far more days in the building.  I think parents screwed the pooch on that one in the HS at least.  So many responded yes to hybrid that they made three cohorts instead of two.  I think a lot of parents then kept their kids home, making each cohort undersized.  I wonder if they could have done two from the start.  I have no hard data for this, just what I've seen and heard from others.


If you look at current SOMA home sale prices, the people moving in can afford private school, and I imagine many will if there's no district/union consensus about the fall. That's not a good long-term trend for the district.


chalmers said:

If you look at current SOMA home sale prices, the people moving in can afford private school, and I imagine many will if there's no district/union consensus about the fall. That's not a good long-term trend for the district.

Actually, I don't think losing a few handfuls of kids to private school is the biggest concern. We have budget (mostly teacher salary) and overcrowding issues in district, and reducing enrollment numbers might actually help ease it.

I would guess the people who paid those ridiculous amounts for the houses after leaving the city assuming that they would be catered to by the public schools are the ones who will be making the most noise.


berkeley said:

Somebody do something!!!! Kids have been out of school for over a year! "Glad they are talking" is a low bar.

https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/jerseycan-releases-first-new-jersey-public-study-on-covids-impact-on-learning-loss-301258385.html

Options? 

1. Wait for the two qualified contractors to fix the vents.

2. Try something else. Just one idea: https://apnews.com/article/macys-converted-into-high-school-vermont-79ab42cb178f6a26e5239d6688caed8d

 And we have a Macy's or similar in or near our school district where?


bigorangesplotmpwd said:

Fix what? Umm. Kids haven’t been inside a school in over a year. Fix that.

That's easy to say ... not so easy to do.  Maybe you would like to run for BOE and see if/how you can improve things?  

I certainly think we have issues but I do not think they are unique to our district nor unsolvable.  But these things take time and the solutions are not instant or obvious.  It's easy to complain online and a lot of people seem to be doing that but what else are the complainers DOing?  I believe that the teachers and the administration and the BOE are trying to do what is best for the schools.  And there are certainly things that could be done better but I do not believe that our COVID issues/situation are unique.  However, we do have some "perfect storm" of problems to deal with now and I believe/hope that those involved ARE trying to do the best they can to address them.  Parents and others in the community are not really being helpful with all of the online attacks and incorrect assertions about how wonderful things are everywhere else and how horrible here.  Also there are many families, particularly families of color, who are preferring to remain virtual and are not being heard from as much, just as many of the white protestors are claiming concern for those students.  So there is definitely a disconnect there as well.


bigorangesplotmpwd said:

Fix what? Umm. Kids haven’t been inside a school in over a year. Fix that.

Plain and simple, thank you!  

"Give them the third best to go on with, the second comes too late, the best never comes."

Robert Watson-Watt


Options?

1. Wait for the two qualified contractors to fix the vents.

2. Try something else. Just one idea: https://apnews.com/article/macys-converted-into-high-school-vermont-79ab42cb178f6a26e5239d6688caed8d

"And we have a Macy's or similar in or near our school district where?"

Well the county was able to find a couple of empty big boxes. And I don't think they are using the entire building at Sears, for example. I'm not an educator or real estate expert. This was just an example of thinking outside the box. I think a lot of people have had to be creative in how they do their own work esp if it involves dealing with the public. 

The point is that the current "solution" is not working for many/most families. Yes, some minority parents are happy with the current arrangement for individual reasons, but the statistics show that the achievement gap will be increased the longer this goes on.


berkeley said:

Options?

1. Wait for the two qualified contractors to fix the vents.

2. Try something else. Just one idea: https://apnews.com/article/macys-converted-into-high-school-vermont-79ab42cb178f6a26e5239d6688caed8d

"And we have a Macy's or similar in or near our school district where?"

Well the county was able to find a couple of empty big boxes. And I don't think they are using the entire building at Sears, for example. I'm not an educator or real estate expert. This was just an example of thinking outside the box. I think a lot of people have had to be creative in how they do their own work esp if it involves dealing with the public. 

The point is that the current "solution" is not working for many/most families. Yes, some minority parents are happy with the current arrangement for individual reasons, but the statistics show that the achievement gap will be increased the longer this goes on.

Re Macy's, Sears, whatever - Last I checked, we are the South Orange and Maplewood School District, not the Essex County School District. There are some who suggest that we should consolidate districts, The county IS doing a good job with vaccines. Are you suggesting a county takeover of schools? Perhaps that would be a good thing or perhaps not, but it's beyond the scope of the current conversation and certainly not something that could happen quickly.

Of course the current situation is not good, but that doesn't mean that a better solution is instantly available nor that nobody is trying to make things better.


sac said:

That's easy to say ... not so easy to do.  Maybe you would like to run for BOE and see if/how you can improve things?  

I certainly think we have issues but I do not think they are unique to our district nor unsolvable.  But these things take time and the solutions are not instant or obvious.  It's easy to complain online and a lot of people seem to be doing that but what else are the complainers DOing?  I believe that the teachers and the administration and the BOE are trying to do what is best for the schools.  And there are certainly things that could be done better but I do not believe that our COVID issues/situation are unique.  However, we do have some "perfect storm" of problems to deal with now and I believe/hope that those involved ARE trying to do the best they can to address them.  Parents and others in the community are not really being helpful with all of the online attacks and incorrect assertions about how wonderful things are everywhere else and how horrible here.  Also there are many families, particularly families of color, who are preferring to remain virtual and are not being heard from as much, just as many of the white protestors are claiming concern for those students.  So there is definitely a disconnect there as well.

Oh boy. Just saw this. Aren’t we all online? Where do you suggest I “complain” instead of online? I vote. Aren’t our leaders meant to handle this stuff?  What’s my incorrect assertion? I’ve got two kids who haven’t stepped foot in school for over a year because the schools aren’t open for their grades. Schools around the world and domestically are up and running at the least hybrid and many much more than that. 

This a once in a lifetime pandemic (knock wood) but perhaps it’s time to stop giving our leaders so much slack. 




bigorangesplotmpwd said:

Oh boy. Just saw this. Aren’t we all online? Where do you suggest I “complain” instead of online? I vote. Aren’t our leaders meant to handle this stuff?  What’s my incorrect assertion? I’ve got two kids who haven’t stepped foot in school for over a year because the schools aren’t open for their grades. Schools around the world and domestically are up and running at the least hybrid and many much more than that. 

This a once in a lifetime pandemic (knock wood) but perhaps it’s time to stop giving our leaders so much slack. 



The majority of private schools have been open with the occasional COVID quarantine closures. SOMSD is a highly politically charged District with issues relating to pedophilia, perverts, race, Board incompetentcy, a strident union and so forth and so on --- WORST District EVER, despite some of the good teachers. Admin is an embarrassment. 


tuxedo said:

The majority of private schools have been open with the occasional COVID quarantine closures. SOMSD is a highly politically charged District with issues relating to pedophilia, perverts, race, Board incompetentcy, a strident union and so forth and so on --- WORST District EVER, despite some of the good teachers. Admin is an embarrassment. 

 This is an example of why we have issues.  Lots of claims and assertions without much to back it up.  Just an opinion.  It's absolutely ridiculous, if not just ignorant, to compare our district to private schools.  And calling a union strident for standing up for its'  members might as well be a republican talking point.  Your post is ridiculous.  I hope you are not a recent product of our district.


tuxedo said:

...

 I wont dignify it by repeating it, but suffice it to say that that comment can be ignored in its entirety. 


The president of SOMEA on Facebook: “75% of SOMEA members were already vaccinated or had already scheduled appointments.”

The latest filing by parents who are suing the district to fully reopen: “Now, even though more than 75 percent of the teachers in the district have been vaccinated, the argument SOMEA seems to be putting forth is that they cannot rely on the vaccine to protect themselves or their families from the virus.”

The SOMEA post did not say that 75 percent of its members had been fully vaccinated, nor that those who had been fully vaccinated were past the two-week threshold for full protection.


Federal Judge Declines to Order South Orange-Maplewood to Reopen for Full In-Person Instruction

By Bruno J. Navarro April 18, 2021

A federal judge declined to order the South Orange-Maplewood School District to reopen schools for full-time in-person learning , ruling on April 16 that the case was more likely an issue for state courts to decide and saying the plaintiffs had failed to show that remote learning violated equal-protection laws necessary for federal intervention.

“This is a serious issue, but legally I don’t think there’s a strong case for federal involvement,” U.S. District Judge John Michael Vazquez said in his wide-ranging, hour-long ruling. He added that, while he understands the practical issues, he couldn’t say that rolling out a gradual reopening was “irrational in light of the guidance that’s provided.”

The ruling effectively puts an end to a lawsuit filed in January against the school district, the Board of Education and Superintendent Ronald Taylor. An amendment to the lawsuit in March added the South Orange-Maplewood Education Association and its president, Rocio Lopez.

A separate lawsuit the school district brought against the teachers union is scheduled for a hearing before the Chancery Division of state Superior Court on Monday, April 19. Last month, Judge Jodi Lee Alper denied the district’s request for a temporary injunction to force teachers back to the classroom after SOMEA said its members would only return virtually due to what it claimed were unsafe ventilation issues in the schools.

More at: https://villagegreennj.com/schools-kids/federal-judge-declines-to-order-south-orange-maplewood-to-reopen-for-full-in-person-instruction/


sprout said:

Federal Judge Declines to Order South Orange-Maplewood to Reopen for Full In-Person Instruction

By Bruno J. Navarro April 18, 2021

A federal judge declined to order the South Orange-Maplewood School District to reopen schools for full-time in-person learning , ruling on April 16 that the case was more likely an issue for state courts to decide and saying the plaintiffs had failed to show that remote learning violated equal-protection laws necessary for federal intervention.

“This is a serious issue, but legally I don’t think there’s a strong case for federal involvement,” U.S. District Judge John Michael Vazquez said in his wide-ranging, hour-long ruling. He added that, while he understands the practical issues, he couldn’t say that rolling out a gradual reopening was “irrational in light of the guidance that’s provided.”

The ruling effectively puts an end to a lawsuit filed in January against the school district, the Board of Education and Superintendent Ronald Taylor. An amendment to the lawsuit in March added the South Orange-Maplewood Education Association and its president, Rocio Lopez.

A separate lawsuit the school district brought against the teachers union is scheduled for a hearing before the Chancery Division of state Superior Court on Monday, April 19. Last month, Judge Jodi Lee Alper denied the district’s request for a temporary injunction to force teachers back to the classroom after SOMEA said its members would only return virtually due to what it claimed were unsafe ventilation issues in the schools.

More at: https://villagegreennj.com/schools-kids/federal-judge-declines-to-order-south-orange-maplewood-to-reopen-for-full-in-person-instruction/

What a waste of resources, time, and money.  


Just wondering  - .Noticed a yellow school bus drop 2 children off on Ridgewood Rd yesterday and today the bus went down my street this morning. First time I had seen this. Could they be for private schools?


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