Union Sickout Forces District 65 To Cancel 2 Days Of Classes

EVANSTON, IL — In a piece of good news for children who do not want to attend school and bad news for parents who are unable to miss work, administrators at Evanston/Skokie School District 65 announced Friday afternoon that class would be canceled Monday and Tuesday ahead of Thanksgiving break.

Superintendent Devon Horton said in a message to the school community that he wanted to give "as much notice as possible that it will be necessary to cancel school next week," which he described as a decision "made both in the interest of safety and the mental health of our team."

Horton suggested that administrators only learned on Friday that there would be insufficient staffing to proceed with school Monday and Tuesday.

"Based on numbers received today, we do not have adequate staffing or sub coverage to provide the necessary care or to support high quality learning next week," he continued. "We believe this is a result of educators and support staff needing to rest and focus on mental health and also to tend to their own families."

The superintendent said the district would not be able to operate under COVID-19 health guidelines, even with the assignment of substitutes and staff from the district's central office. Administrators requested help from child care providers and community groups, but determined it was not feasible due to staffing shortages and "other concerns," he said.

"We recognize this news is difficult and may put working families in a bind," Horton said.

The union representing District 65 teachers appears to have encouraged the short-notice school cancellation.

Maria Barroso, president of the Illinois Education Association affiliate District 65 Educators Council, sent messages on Thursday and Friday asking union members considering taking time off to provide notice to the district.

"If you are having a difficult time and are feeling overwhelmed, please take a sick day or two next week. You are human and need to take care of yourself," Barroso said. "There is a substitute crisis, but there is a need to be able to have a day to just breathe."

Barroso said teachers were being "professional and responsible" by announcing on Thursday that they planned to take sick days on the following Monday and Tuesday because that allowed administrators to "plan accordingly," according to the message, which was first reported by the Evanston RoundTable.

"If there are not enough subs, the district will have to make a decision about next week," the union president said.

Barroso sent another message on Friday clarifying that the union was "not mandating you take a day but asking that you put in the days very soon."

The cancellation requires District 65 to extend the 2021-22 school year by two additional school days, which means the last day of school for students in kindergarten through eighth grade will be June 8, according to the superintendent's message.

Last month, Barroso addressed a series of complaints about district administrators in a statement to the school board. She described the district as a "toxic working environment" that is "short-staffed" with "power-hungry administrators that do not center students" and micromanage teachers with "an immense amount of paperwork."

The announcement of the cancellation of classes Monday and Tuesday in District 65 came a week after Evanston Township High School district officials canceled in-person classes due to a shortage of staff. However, the high school still held remote classes.

A District 65 spokesperson told Evanston Patch that an "increasing number of requests" for time off meant that the district's substitute fill rate was just 21 percent as of midday Friday.

"Staff can use their benefit time as needed and at their discretion. However, we ask for as much as lead time as possible to help ensure appropriate coverage and continuity in learning," Communications Director Melissa Messinger said in an email. "In this case, we did not have near enough coverage to ensure student safety or high quality teaching and learning nor could we operate remote learning at this fill rate."

No information was immediately available about how many teachers requested paid time off after Barroso's letter, how many staff were available to work, and what is the minimum number of staff required to keep the district operational with students in school buildings. Any additional details received will be added here.

Patch has also requested comment from Barroso or another representative of the District 65 teachers union. Any response received will be added here.

Related: Teachers Union Agrees To Teach In Person When District 65 Reopens