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PUSD, Health Department Looking at Waiver Process to Reopen Schools

District still has no agreement with teacher union

Published on Wednesday, September 30, 2020 | 3:18 pm
 

Although the County of Board Supervisors approved a waiver process that could lead to some K-2 students returning to school, Pasadena teachers’ union and PUSD have not agreed on terms to a contract, meaning local schools will likely remain closed.

School superintendents around the county must submit school district waiver requests to re-open for approval by the local Health Officer. The decision to grant a waiver will be based on ensuring that schools are able to open in full adherence with L.A. County school re-opening protocols.

The process also requires consultation with the California Department of Public Health prior to accepting or rejecting waiver applications.

The move comes after the county avoided a feared Labor Day spike in coronavirus cases.

Meanwhile, teachers in the Pasadena Unified School District have not agreed to a contract, which means they most likely will not be returning to in-person instruction.

“They had a negotiation on September 2nd and then on September 22nd. And I think the next one is on October 8th,” said Scott Phelps, vice president of the Pasadena Unified School District School Board.

“There’s a noticeable lack of urgency in that schedule where it’s 20 days between the first two and then 16 days. I wish they were negotiating more,” Phelps said.

The union has told its members that their health and safety are the union’s top priority.

“Until the conditions set forth by the Pasadena Department of Public Health and those documented in our MOU (memorandum of understanding) are met, there will be no further discussion on returning to in-person instruction,” said Union President Allison Steppes.

The city’s Health Department revised its emergency order on Sept. 8 to allow K-12 schools to offer limited in-person learning and services for students with specific needs beginning on Sept. 14.

The order includes students with Individualized Education Plans (IEPs), students requiring instruction for English as a Second Language (ESL), and/or students needing assessments or specialized in-school services. Students returning to campus must not exceed 10 percent of total student enrollment.

“We have been working directly with PUSD and with other schools in Pasadena to prepare them for the waiver application process,” said city Health Director Dr. Ying-Ying Goh. “All requirements for the application have been available on our website for several weeks, and we expect to open the portal for waiver applications in the next two weeks.

Goh said the Pasadena Public Health Dept. has not received “reports of outbreaks at schools, yet.”

“We have already been working with schools directly to allow small cohorts of students on campus for in-person activities, separately from the waiver process,” Goh said.

“So far allowed activities on campus has been limited to childcare activities, office activities supporting remote learning, youth sports in line with protocols, and small cohorts. SAT/standardized testing in small cohorts has been allowed recently, too,” Goh said Wednesday.

A spokesperson for United Teachers of Pasadena, UTP, could not be reached for comment on this story.

PUSD Superintendent Brian McDonald said the district’s first priority throughout the pandemic has always been the safety and well-being of students, employees, and families.

“We are now considering the impact that the early reopening of elementary school grades would have on our students and will make a decision soon,” McDonald said.

“We are also working on ways to provide in-person services during the physical closure of school campuses for small groups of our most vulnerable students, including students with disabilities, English learners, foster youth, and students experiencing homelessness.”

McDonald said the district has questions about the kindergarten-second grade waiver process and how it will be implemented.

“We are committed to making this decision carefully and thoughtfully, taking into account the health and safety of our community, the impact on learning and the social-emotional well-being of our students, and the training time needed to prepare to welcome our students back to campus,” McDonald said.

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