'Simply obscene': Philadelphia teachers union rebukes district as more schools move remote
'Simply obscene': Philadelphia teachers union rebukes district as more schools move remote
The Philadelphia Federation of Teachers believes the School District of Philadelphia ignored its warning to pause in-person learning for a week following the holiday break as COVID-19 cases continued to rise propelled by the omicron variant.
PHILADELPHIA - The Philadelphia Federation of Teachers on Tuesday rebuked the School District of Philadelphia's "outrageous eleventh-hour plan" to move over 80 schools to remote learning for the first week of 2022 amid staffing shortages worsened by the omicron surge.
"Instead of heeding our call for a 7-day pause on in-person learning to effectively plan for adequate mitigation measures, the District undertook an outrageous eleventh-hour plan that parents and educators alike learned about on social media late last evening," Union leader Jerry Jordan said in a letter.
According to the union, over 90% of Philadelphia schools reported staffing shortages and more than half said they lack access to testing supplies. Further, over a quarter of responding schools reported shortages in masks, hand sanitizer and air purifiers.
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More than 1,100 PFT members and nearly 2,000 household members have reported positive cases since Dec. 23. The school district cited this as one of the reasons schools have been switching to virtual learning.
Jordan said before the winter break the union called for "the immediate implementation of a host of course corrections related to mitigation strategies" and proposed a seven-day pause on the return to in-person learning.
"This failure to plan left parents, students, and educators scrambling yesterday evening and today. Amidst a 38% positivity rate in the City of Philadelphia, this approach is simply obscene," Jordan said.
The district on Tuesday added General Louis Wagner Middle School, Anne Frank School and Northeast Community Propel Academy to the growing list of schools that will move to remote learning for the first week of the year.
"It is clear that the Omicron surge in the Philadelphia area is adding yet another layer of complexity to challenges we have been experiencing since the start of this school year," Superintendent William R. Hite, Jr., Ed.D. said.
"Yet despite these challenges, one thing remains clear – in-person learning is essential for the physical, social, emotional and academic well-being of our students, especially after nearly two years of trauma caused by the pandemic and other matters."
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