Open Letter: Fairfield Schools Not Ready To Open, Union Head Says

Dear members of the Fairfield community:

Fairfield Public Schools are not ready to open effectively and safely:

1. Protocols to keep students safe are not adequately in place as was evidenced by our soft openings this week. Classrooms are not set up for social distancing. Desks were not cleaned. Hallway passing was not at a safe distance. Building specific ventilation reports have not been provided.
2. Livestreaming and recording — The administration notified teachers Wednesday that livestreaming/recording would be a required element of instruction. Buildings are not equipped with the appropriate equipment to achieve this. Teachers have not been trained in how to effectively livestream or record.
3. Remote Learning Academy — The decision to launch this academy was made on Aug. 28. Teachers participating in this academy have no details on how the academy is going to operate.
4. As of Thursday, there are still teachers in the district that are not assigned to a class, building or grade level.
5. There is no consistency. Teachers are getting different instructions about practices, protocols, technology and curriculum in different buildings from different administrators.
6. Curriculum has not been modified to teach all students. Teachers need to deliver instruction to many different types of students. It is still not clear how the hybrid model will provide an equitable education for all students.

As professionals, Fairfield Education Association’s almost 1,000 members all know that students learn best when in the classroom. However, it is critical that the district has a well-planned educational program that provides for the safety of students and staff while meeting the academic and social/emotional needs of students.

Any involvement that the teachers had in the development of the current hybrid and remote learning plans ended June 17, weeks before the state issued its school reopening guidelines. As a result, we are in the process of scrambling to figure out how to implement plans created by the administration.

Please know this: There is no place teachers would rather be than in the classrooms they love, with the students they love, doing the work they love. However, our Fairfield students deserve much better. Let’s get this right and reopen effectively and safely.

Bob Smoler

President, Fairfield Education Association