A coalition of educator unions on Cape Cod and the Islands is urging local officials to consider whether reopening public schools is worth the risk of students and staff members contracting COVID-19.
In a letter published Friday, 15 local unions, which represent more than 4,000 educators across the region, said they would like to return to in-person school but “safety has to be paramount.”
“How and when we decide to reopen schools must be carefully considered. A phased reopening may be able to address the multitude of concerns we are encountering,” the groups wrote. “These include buildings without air conditioning, outdated or dysfunctional air ventilation systems, social distancing issues with transportation, lunches, and bathroom breaks, as well as other logistical considerations associated with safe in-person education.”
The letter was written by unions in Barnstable, Bourne, Dennis-Yarmouth, Falmouth, Martha’s Vineyard, Mashpee, Monomoy, Nantucket, Nauset, Provincetown, Sandwich, Truro, and Wareham, as well as the Cape Tech Association.
The groups said they support recent recommendations from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which call for social distancing, personal protective equipment, regular disinfecting, and coordinated testing and tracing. The only way to safely return to school, they wrote, is ensuring there are “strict policies” to prevent the spread of the virus, as well as protocols for when a student or educator gets sick.
The groups urged their school districts to rehire teachers who have been laid off — or fill any open positions — to be sure there are enough staff members to “safely and effectively educate our students.” Students and faculty who can’t safely return to the classroom also need accommodations that take “into account all members of our communities,” the educators wrote.
“Returning to learning requires more money and more staff: smaller classes, more bus capacity to enable physical distancing, more nurses and counselors and Education Support Professionals to address student needs, and an unwavering commitment to using the appropriate PPE and following health and safety protocols,” they wrote. “In this critical moment for our region, the state, and the world, we call on our federal and state legislators to ensure adequate funding exists to meet these many needs.”
The coalition also asked that school districts “shift our focus” away from MCAS testing, whether students ultimately return to in-person school, learn remotely, or have a hybrid experience. Doing so will acknowledge “the wider breadth of issues that have affected students physically, cognitively, and emotionally” during the pandemic, they wrote.
The educators said they are in a unique situation on the Cape, where tourists and Massachusetts residents flock for the summer months and could be bringing the coronavirus with them. The groups asked for districts to prepare for the fall with the goal of making schools a place for “community building, compassion, and collaboration.”
“As experienced education professionals, we believe that remote learning can be improved, and we are ready, when we are confident that the safety of everyone can be secured, to return to in-person instruction,” the educators wrote. “We, as educators working in districts spanning the Cape and Islands, will continue to advocate for a return to learning that is guided by science; puts the safety and well-being of our students, staff, and faculty first; and takes into account our unique situation as a major summer destination for thousands of visitors here on Cape Cod and the Islands.”