Teachers Protest Hybrid Classes, Threaten To Work Fewer Hours

ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY, MD — Teachers don't feel safe, and their union isn't afraid to say so. The Board of Education voted Wednesday to offer hybrid classes to elementary schoolers, but the union isn't convinced the plan is viable.

The Teachers Association of Anne Arundel County has long advocated for a cautious return to schools during the coronavirus pandemic. Despite their worries, the union claims it was frequently excluded from reopening discussions.

The Board of Education met three times this week, debating the hybrid option on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. Members initially rejected the proposal on Monday, voting 4-3 with one abstention and one absence.

Union President Russell Leone claims the superintendent sent him a copy of the plan a few hours before the vote. Leone claims that wasn't enough time to offer meaningful feedback.

"[The] Board of Education meeting raised more questions than answers about a hybrid model,” Leone said in a Tuesday YouTube video. "This is not collaboration."

While the Board of Education met in a closed session on Tuesday, Leone planned a noisy protest. The next day, more than 400 people joined a car caravan past the school system's office building, Leonne says. As board members deliberated inside, teachers honked their horns in dissent outside.

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"[The] caravan is not the end," Leone said. "We will continue to put pressure on the Board of Education."

By Wednesday, the board was ready to support Superintendent George Arlotto's proposal, passing the plan 8-0 with one absence.

Board members were open to the idea on Monday, but they wanted time to speak with their constituents. With written testimony from more than 300 residents and a steady flow of emails, the members asked to sleep on the motion.

"My phone has literally not stopped shaking for five hours now," Dana Schallheim, the board member for County Council District 5, said during Monday's meeting. "I’ve been getting pinged on social media nonstop."

Teachers continue to demand a formal acknowledgment of their health concerns. Leone has repeatedly asked the board for a memorandum of understanding. This legal document would show that the board of education and the teachers union mutually recognize each other's priorities.

The board has not publicly entertained this request, so the union asks its members to be on the lookout for health risks. Leone called on teachers to submit photos of unsafe conditions in their schools. He hopes this will prove that Anne Arundel County is not yet ready for in-person instruction.

School officials claim they have always proceeded with caution. They point to the already-opened specialty centers as evidence that hybrid classes can be successful.

"The local public health climate reflects more favorable conditions to support the transition to in-person instruction," AACPS said on its reopening page.

Leone also suggested that teachers may boycott after-school work if the board does not address their concerns. The president reminded teachers that their contracts only obligate them to work late on back-to-school night.

"We are together," Leone said. "We are unified and we are demanding safe schools for all."

The Plan

On Wednesday, the Anne Arundel County Board of Education adopted a staggered hybrid plan that will send some students back to school in November. The track is optional, so students can continue distance learning if they prefer.

Students in pre-K through second grade can start hybrid classes on Nov. 16. Early Childhood Intervention, a youth special education program, also moves into a hybrid model the same day.

The remaining elementary schoolers can begin hybrid learning on Nov. 30. Teachers will return to the classroom on Nov. 2 to start streaming lessons.

Students taking hybrid classes will be split into two groups. One group will attend in-person classes on Mondays and Tuesdays. The other will head to school on Thursdays and Fridays.

These students will learn remotely on the remaining three days. Teachers and students must work from home on Wednesdays while schools undergo a deep clean.

Anne Arundel County Public Schools will reach out to families on Oct. 9, explaining how to indicate whether their child will start hybrid classes. Families can choose from:

• A hybrid model
• A year-long distance learning plan
• A half-year virtual instruction track with the option to adopt the hybrid route in February of 2021

More information about each option is available at this webpage. Families must submit their choice by Oct. 15.

For the time being, classes will remain online for middle and high schoolers. School officials said they hope to return these older students to the classroom by mid-December.

AACPS's developmental and specialty centers opened at limited capacities to start the school year. Wednesday's move allows these sites to gradually welcome more students back to the classroom.

Some students in the English as a Second Language program have been in school for a month. These students will continue to return in waves, according to the board's plan.

Anne Arundel County Health Officer Dr. Nilesh Kalyanaraman reviewed the proposal and offered strict coronavirus guidelines. The Anne Arundel County Department of Health approved the phased reopening, AACPS said in press release.

The board says more information will be available on its website by Oct. 9.

Coronavirus Statistics Update

The most recent data clock Anne Arundel County's positivity rate at 3.55 percent, which is 0.68 percent higher than the statewide clip. The county's positivity rate hit its pandemic low of 2.29 percent on Aug. 16. After jumping to a recent high of 4.45 percent on Sept. 7, the rate started to settle.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says municipalities should aim to keep their positivity rate below 5 percent. When counties hit this mark, Maryland health leaders say it is likely safe to return to schools for hybrid instruction.

Though Anne Arundel met the positivity rate recommendation, school officials still started the fall semester with online classes for most students. AACPS previously committed to distance learning for the first two marking periods.

The state challenged AACPS's initial decision to remain online. Hogan recently urged schools to start considering a hybrid model. AACPS responded by reaffirming its immediate commitment to remote learning while also speeding up its plans for eventual hybrid classes.

Some students, like those in special education and English language programs, started their year under the hybrid model. Seeing their success, Anne Arundel County Executive Steuart Pittman teased a universal hybrid strategy.

"My goal first and foremost in all of this is to save lives," Pittman said at his town hall on Sept. 15. "We’re still at-risk and we still have people that are likely to die from this. We want to save as many lives as we can."

Anne Arundel County has been under the 5 percent benchmark since June 22. The local positivity rate topped out at 28.24 percent on April 16.

While the jurisdiction meets the percent positive guideline, it does not meet the state's infections-per-capita marker. State health officials say municipalities should aim for less than five new coronavirus cases-per-day per 100,000 people. When an area hits this case rate goal, the state says it is probably safe to reopen the district's schools for expanded in-person learning.

Anne Arundel County's case rate has aligned with Maryland's trends. It hit an initial peak of 13.84 on June 3 before receding to its minimum of 3.53 by June 26.

A second surge spiked Anne Arundel's case rate to its overall peak of 14.26 on Aug. 2. Infections quelled by Aug. 20, dropping the case rate to 6.93.

After a brief downturn, another wave accelerated the county's infections. The case rate hiked to 12.78 on Sept. 18. Nine days later, the case rate fell to 8.56, but it has already returned to 9.52. That's nearly double the requirement to return to expanded in-person instruction.

The county must average less than 28.96 new coronavirus infections-per-day over a rolling week to meet the state's per-capita suggestion. Anne Arundel County has averaged 55.86 new cases-per-day during the last seven days.

Anne Arundel has the fifth most coronavirus infections in the state, with 10,655. The virus has killed 242 county residents.

Coronavirus-related hospitalizations have seen a upswing recently. The virus had 21 Anne Arundel County residents in the hospital on Sept. 27. That was the fewest since April 3 when 21 locals were hospitalized.

Thursday saw 41 hospitalizations. That's the second most since Aug. 7.

Fewer than 50 coronavirus patients have been in the hospital at a time since June 14. The county's recent high of 49 hospitalizations came on July 24. More than 170 people were hospitalized in Anne Arundel County on the pandemic's April 21 peak.

"We’re all a little bit wary of this pandemic," Pittman said at the town hall. "We all just wish it would go away."

RELATED:

• AACPS Adopts Hybrid Model, Eligible Students Can Opt In
• Bars, Malls Can Further Reopen In Anne Arundel County
• AACPS Reopening Talks Haven't Been Inclusive, Teachers Union Says
• All County Businesses Can Open, But Eateries Can't Expand Seating
• Movie Theaters Cleared To Reopen As Coronavirus Cases Surge
• Anne Arundel Teases Hybrid School Plan At Coronavirus Town Hall
• Schools, Jobs: How Staying In Stage 2 Affects Anne Arundel County
• Movie Theaters, Concert Venues Can Reopen: Hogan's Plan Explained

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