Few teachers opt to return to classrooms, unions say
There could be a shortage of teachers and monitors in January if survey results reflect what association leaders are hearing.
There are 166 articles by Laura Faith Kebede :
There could be a shortage of teachers and monitors in January if survey results reflect what association leaders are hearing.
Shelby County Schools plans to phase in students with disabilities by their grade, some as early as Jan. 4
The board voted unanimously Tuesday to give the public notice that it would discuss and vote on amending the annual $285,000 contract sometime in November.
National public health officials have encouraged businesses and schools to improve their air systems to reduce the chances of infection through the air.
Joris Ray’s overall score was 4.13 out of 5, showing that he “completely met expectations” during the 2019-20 school year.
District leaders speculate some students left in favor of in-person learning at charter or private schools because SCS started the year all online.
Gov. Bill Lee and Education Commissioner Penny Schwinn said the annual state tests, known as TNReady, will be administered as planned, but teachers and schools should be held harmless for the results.
Three SCS board members said January is the earliest they feel comfortable reopening school buildings, especially as county health officials this week declared the virus’ autumn “surge” has arrived.
The state requires 6.5 hours of daily instruction, which can be met through recorded lessons and students independently completing assignments, as well as teacher-led live lessons.
The threshold is not as strict as a demand from teacher protesters who called for keeping all classes online until the county reported no new coronavirus cases for 14 days.
The state will pay day care centers to care for small children and supervise school-age children of essential workers who are employees at airports, medical facilities, schools, restaurants, grocery stores, government agencies and construction companies.
Shelby County Schools students will be attending school remotely from home this fall, but the basic rules of school will still apply, with penalties for tardiness, truancy and dress code violations.
Shelby County Schools will have more than 95,000 students online simultaneously when classes begin Aug. 31, Superintendent Joris Ray said. "We're going to learn from our mistakes and we're going to get better and better each and every day."
The threshold is dramatically higher than other cities across the nation. New York City’s mayor has said school buildings must shutter if the positivity rate exceeds 3%, and other school districts have vowed to limit in-person learning when the rate hits 5%.
To find candidates for the open jobs, Shelby County Schools is hosting a virtual hiring fair from 2 to 5 p.m. Friday, Aug. 14.
“However, it is our expectation that they show up to school appropriately dressed,” Maria Stewart, the district’s director of policy, said of the virtual learning rules.
Churches, day care providers and other places are scrambling for state permission or funding to provide schoolchildren supervision and space to log on to online learning during the day.
About 80% of public school students are under Shelby County Schools and will start the academic year online. But some suburban schools, charter schools, and state-run schools plan to have a mix of online and in-person instruction.
A Memphis protest echoes a growing call from teachers to start the school year online as coronavirus cases rise nationwide. A recent study of nearly 65,000 people in South Korea showed that children over age 10 spread the coronavirus as easily as adults do.
Under the 2020-21 calendar approved by the Shelby County Schools board, students and teachers will have a fall break in October and start the second semester in February instead of January.
SCS Superintendent Joris Ray said Memphis students will start the school year online if coronavirus hospitalizations and cases continue to surge.
Starting in August, Shelby County Schools plans to offer both online and in-person instruction for students — and parents can choose which option they want.
Shelby County Schools mostly relies on district-employed school resource officers as security staff. They do not carry guns but have pepper spray, the district said.
Superintendent Joris Ray’s lowest score was in his relationship with district staff, especially in implementing a “rigorous, accurate” employee evaluation system.