MEMPHIS, Tennessee —
Memphis-Shelby County Education Association said it believes all students should begin the 2020-21 school year virtually for at least nine weeks before, and then Shelby County Schools (SCS) should assess the plan at that point. MSCEA's executive director and educator for 41 years, Keith Williams, said beginning virtually would at least create an equitable education plan for all students.
"Trying to do this now without answers we may be in a worse situation by the end of the first nine weeks," Williams said.
He is critical of SCS's S.A.F.E plan for school reentry because it does not provide a "deliverable" curriculum for parents to look at as they decide to have their child return to in-person or virtual learning. Williams said MSCEA, which represents more than 3,500 teachers, was never consulted about the plan.
"We were not involved with it at all," Williams said.
SCS Superintendent Dr. Joris Ray said in a letter to the Shelby County Commission, which provided answers to a number of questions from commissioners about the reentry plan, that teachers were consulted in the reentry planning process.
"Claims that teachers and other educators were not involved in the ‘data gathering which resulted in the Reopening Plan’ are simply untrue," Dr. Ray said.
"We have conducted surveys, held focus groups, and met with teacher leaders from across the District. In addition, we had two educators that included the president of the U.E.A. teacher association to serve as members of our ReEntry Task Force, and we’ve received anecdotal feedback from hundreds of teachers."
Williams said teachers have not yet been briefed on Florida Virtual School, which is the curriculum virtual classrooms will be using.
"I’m hoping it meets the standards the students might be accessed over and it will be something accessible for teachers to do," Keith Williams said.
One of the concerns Keith Williams has is the guarantee that SCS can ensure lower-income students will be equipped with consistently working technology. He said there is no guarantee your child will have the same quality of education virtually versus in-person.
"It’s going to be a learning curve for everyone, but we cannot be assured that even our students can maintain utilities in their homes to keep a computer operable," Williams said.
SCS has told parents the curriculum will be the same for virtual and in-person learning. Williams said SCS should have better invested in textbooks over the past few decades, so we could have a curriculum that is well-known in this time of uncertainty.
"If we had invested in them there would be no reason to turn to Florida Virtual and anyone else to try to get a curriculum online," Williams said. "We would have it and we would be able to use it and access it. The children would have the book at home and online."
MSCEA board member and educator for more than 20 years, M. Raquel Williams, said she has looming questions about the plan, as she feels it doesn't dive deep enough into the many issues that can inevitably rise during a pandemic. She said SCS has not told teachers who have pre-existing health conditions if they will have priority for teaching virtually from home.
"Within the document itself it has been stated that virtual teachers will have to report to their school," M. Raquel Williams said.
MSCEA board member and SCS teacher for 21 years, Brian Bigard, said he thinks this plan can be implemented with "fidelity," but considering looming uncertainty for the months ahead, teachers, parents, and students will have to adapt frequently.
"I believe it’s realistic, however, we don’t know what the next second will bring, we don’t know what tomorrow will bring within the district, within our school building, with the teachers, with the students or parents," Bigard said.
Bigard said learning virtually worked efficiently for the remainder of the last school year, but it will take consistent discipline from everyone to maintain a successful classroom virtually.
"I think parents and students have to be responsible enough to say this is what I have to do for that day," Bigard said.
SCS parents need to make their decision about whether to have their child return virtually or in-person to school by Saturday, July 18. SCS said the decision cannot be changed after the deadline.