Philadelphia educators to defy district, maintain all-virtual schooling Monday
Thousands of Philadelphia public school teachers are set to defy their district’s order to return to classrooms Monday. They will instead work virtually. This week marks the third attempt by the school district of Philadelphia to reopen school buildings in the midst of the pandemic. The district has been remote-only since last March.
District officials demanded that approximately 2,000 kindergarten through second-grade teachers prepare classrooms beginning February 8 so that students could return on February 22. Nine thousand students are scheduled to enter buildings first, with further grades phased in later.
Following the policies of Democratic Mayor Jim Kenney, Democratic Governor Tom Wolf and the Biden administration, the district is issuing threats, lies and trying to browbeat teachers into acquiescing to its demands. “If you are expected to be in your building on Monday and choose not to do so
Updated on February 11, 2021 at 7:44 am
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Philadelphia public school teachers bundled up in winter coats, gloves and hats sat outside on folding chairs on a bitter cold Monday morning as a show of solidarity over concerns about coronavirus safety amid a planned return to classrooms.
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It was blistering cold outside the Southwark School in South Philadelphia as teachers taught online classes outside.
Philly Teachers Bundle Up to Teach Outdoors in Back-to-the-Classroom Battle NBC10 Staff
Two teacher bundle up in winter clothing teach virtually outdoors
Philadelphia public school teachers bundled up in winter coats, gloves and hats sat outside on folding chairs on a bitter cold Monday morning as a show of solidarity over concerns about coronavirus safety amid a planned return to classrooms.
It was blistering cold outside the Southwark School in South Philadelphia as teachers taught online classes outside. Teaching outside for safety inside, one of the teacher s signs said.
The protest scene played out at other schools around Philadelphia as the public teachers union showed solidarity and went against an order to report inside school buildings to prepare for the return to partial in-person learning.
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Jerry Jordan has headed the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers since 2007. (Emma Lee/WHYY)
Updated 4:22 p.m.
The Philadelphia Federation of Teachers has directed its members to stay home on Monday because of COVID-19 concerns.
In a statement, PFT President Jerry Jordan said the district’s school buildings aren’t safe for occupancy.
“I am disgusted that the district would continue forward with a path towards reopening buildings that again puts my dedicated members in harm’s way,” said Jordan.
According to Superintendent Dr. William Hite’s reopening plan, teachers, and staff who work with children in kindergarten through second grade are due back on Monday, Feb. 8. Children in that age group who are opted into the hybrid plan will return on Feb. 22.
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More than 30 public schools in Philadelphia have either no ventilation system or a faulty one that needs fixing, and some of those schools will be part of a Feb. 22 planning reopening for 9,000 elementary school students.
The district will utilize window fans as the main component at those schools to ventilate the air in classrooms, and Superintendent William Hite Jr. on Thursday defended the reopening. He cited federal guidelines that approve of the air flow provided by those fans and promised daily monitoring in every classroom.