UEA survey: urban / rural divide among teachers, low support for sick leave



[ad_1]

SALT LAKE CITY – While teachers are happy to see students again after the long Thanksgiving weekend, there is “apprehension” about a possible increase in COVID-19 cases, according to officials from the Utah Education Association.

“We want to be in schools with our students with face to face learning, but we also want to be safe,” said UEA President Heidi Matthews. “And what is happening now is not working.”

Matthews said the teachers’ union was trying to be proactive with its failed request to Gov. Gary Herbert to move high schools from high transmission areas to online education until at least early January.

“Because when we react with this virus, people get sick and people die and that’s what we’re trying to avoid,” she said.

After polling member teachers, the UEA reports an equal divide between urban and rural Utah teachers over whether schools should temporarily switch to online learning.

42% of teachers said all school buildings in the state should close temporarily, while 42% said these decisions should be made at the local level and the UEA should not focus on solutions to the statewide.

One option in the survey asked whether the UEA should ‘organize a statewide employment action (such as a’ work stoppage ‘or some other action that would interrupt work for a day or more) to draw the immediate attention of state leaders to the concerns of education and schools? “

UEA tells KSL that overall only 16% of teachers supported action for employment. However, in some urban districts, nearly 30% of teachers said they would support a work stoppage. While only 8% of teachers in rural districts said they would support such action.

Matthews said she read more than 300 pages of commentary from Utah teachers and 88% responded they were overwhelmed and stressed by the increased workload.

“I can’t even tell you the level of desperation,” Matthews said. “The workload is simply unbearable.”

While acknowledging the stress teachers are going through this year, Granite School District spokesperson Ben Horsley said transmission of the virus in the classroom was very low.

“Last June and July, when we were planning this school year and thought we would have a transmission rate of less than 2% or 3% on school property, we would have been very excited about these numbers,” said Horsley said. “So it’s phenomenal to have this kind of data through our contact tracing.”

Horsley said it was important to continue to learn in person, as families facing poverty lack the resources to support home learning. Additionally, the district has found that students socialize when school is not in session.


I can’t even tell you the level of desperation. The workload (of the teachers) is simply unbearable.

– UEA President Heidi Matthews


“It is very painfully evident in children, when they are made redundant, that not only does learning decrease, but also their safety,” Horsley said.

It is hoped that new statewide testing requirements for high school students will help track the spread of the virus among college students.

“With an increase in testing, we can keep sick children at home and we can keep children who are negative in an effective learning environment,” Horsley said.

Starting Monday, any student or staff member involved in extracurricular activities outside of the regular school day will be tested once every two weeks.

“What we learned from high school football testing is that the kinds of things we preach people to do – wear their masks, maintain their physical distance – work,” said Tom Hudachko, communications director for health. department. “And so we hope we start to see that as we branch out into other extracurricular activities over the next few weeks.”

Related links

Related stories

Ladd Egan

Other stories that might interest you

[ad_2]

Source link