Educators Face 'Burnout' Due To Schedule Changes: D308 Teachers

OSWEGO, IL — About 72 percent of the teachers at Oswego School District 308′s Plank Junior High School signed a letter to the Board of Education decrying any changes to the current phase of hybrid learning for students.

The school has a total of 60 teachers, and 43 of them have concerns about the third phase of the hybrid learning plan that was approved by the board during the Monday meeting. The letter was read to the board members at the public forum hosted by the district.

"On behalf of Plank Junior High School teaching staff, we have concerns regarding recommending Phase 3 plans of reopening. In addition to the pros and cons presented by the district to the board, and the lack of them generated versus actually shared that made it sound like teachers support option B, we request that our staff expertise and perspective be considered in planning for Phase 3," the letter said.

This is not the first time teachers have felt that they should be a part of the district's planning process. In January, the Oswego Education Association asked the administrators to include teachers in the discussions about reopening schools and bringing students back for in-person learning.

The letter continued, asking the board to allow schools to remain in Phase 2 and only make alterations "within that structure."

"The repeated changes to schedules are placing more stress on students, families, and teachers, not to mention other departments in the district by having them make constant changes to their delivery," the letter said. "While all parties involved are doing an exceptional job meeting the constant new demands, this does not mean it isn’t impacting their physical, mental, and emotional health. Teachers are experiencing an unprecedented level of burnout; and while some are fine, many are struggling."

The teachers said that if the adults who teach the kids are struggling, then it is hard to ensure that the students to continue to thrive.

"In addition, many students are currently struggling with an extensive amount of screen time, and the thought of potentially extending that screen time, as proposed in Phase 3, is not advisable."

According to the new plan, there will be no changes for elementary students, and they will attend school in-person for four mornings a week for instruction in reading, math and writing. However, a change was approved for junior high and high school students, who will now be attending in-person learning four days a week for five hours each day. Wednesdays will remain in remote learning days under the Phase 3 plan, with students taking part in Go Live! sessions.

The letter listed some points in the new plan that they did not support:

• Schedule options that extend screen time for students.
• Students taking their masks off for eating lunch throughout the buildings and in classrooms.
• Making more drastic changes to the current schedule — especially changes that eliminate Student Support Time.

The teachers asked for certain considerations, including keeping the current Phase 2 schedule for students, keeping Student Support Time, which the letter called "a critical component to the success of many students," and an option to give building administrators the right to increase days for special populations of students, such as those with 504 or IEP plans, SEL students, and “struggling learners."

The teachers appreciate the district and the Board of Education wanting to continue to offer new options to the community, but, they also want to teach students in a manner that meets students’ needs in a safe environment for all parties involved.

"We do not support students removing masks for any period of time. With the updated CDC guidelines being released and supporting keeping students in cohorts when possible, social distancing being a priority, and wearing masks at all times, we feel the refinement of Phase 2 as opposed to a complete change to a new Phase 3 better meets these updated guidelines," the letter said.

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