Montclair Teachers Union: Here’s Why Reopening Schools Is Unsafe

MONTCLAIR, NJ — It’s tough enough trying to run a school amid a coronavirus pandemic. But when you’re turned into a scapegoat for simply trying to protect your co-workers and students, it can be pretty “disappointing,” Montclair’s local teacher union says.

There are more than 1,000 local public school employees that belong to the Montclair Education Association (MEA), including teachers, paraprofessionals, nurses, secretaries, operational aides, certified support staff, custodians and building/grounds staff. And they all have one thing in common, according to the MEA: they deserve to know they aren’t putting their lives on the line to run the town’s schools.

Montclair was one of several districts in Essex County that started the school year with all-online classes due to the coronavirus pandemic. Since then, officials have repeatedly hit the brakes on their plans to reopen for a hybrid model, which would include a mix of in-person and remote learning.

Parents would be able to keep their kids home and stick with an all-remote option. Learn more about the Montclair Public School District's reopening plan here.

The district was moving full steam towards another set of reopening dates. PreK-5 students were due to start the hybrid model on Jan. 25. And students in grades 6 to 12 were set return for their hybrid, in-person schedule on Feb. 8.

Due to return back for training on Jan. 19, a cadre of MEA members put on a display of solidarity, declining to show up and choosing to continue working online. Since then, the union has entered mediation talks with the district in an attempt to find a pathway forward.

Meanwhile, a group of Montclair parents have been insisting that schools should reopen. READ MORE: Montclair Parents Protest At Edgemont: 'Open Our Schools'

Here are the latest updates from the MEA.

‘A SAFE AND HEALTHY WORKPLACE’

According to a statement from the union:

“On January 21, during a meeting with Dr. Ponds, the MEA proposed the two parties find a resolution with the assistance of a third-party mediator from the Public Employee Relations Commission (PERC). The MEA received no response from the board until the afternoon of Friday, January 22. Mediation is scheduled for Saturday, January 23.”

The MEA offered a “sampling” of its members’ concerns. They included:

General safety for buildings and staff – “Staff were told they would receive latex gloves and hand sanitizer. The secretarial staff working in the buildings have gone months without hand sanitizer and the gloves were locked up so they ‘would not be stolen.’ The MEA has requested documentation regarding the cleaning supplies the district is using, specifically the application method of one of the disinfectants. The MEA has been told that a nonaerosol liquid cleaner is currently being used in foggers, to spray rooms. As the MEA leadership understands it, this use violates federal regulations. Additionally, the EPA has stated that foggers should not be used indoors in any setting except in healthcare settings. However, Anthony Bispo, director of buildings and grounds, said he's been using this product in foggers within district buildings. At a meeting in the fall, the MEA requested documentation of products and application methods to confirm they were consistent with regulations. Bispo promised he would share such documentation, but never has. Again, these are just a few examples of the many issues we have encountered with regards to general safety.”

Building plans for instruction – “The district’s solution to ventilation is to keep all windows in each building open two hours before the school day and remain open all day long. Not only will this be too taxing on the very old ventilation system, it will also create less than adequate teaching and learning conditions. The district’s suggested solution to staff was to have students in the classroom wearing coats, hats and gloves. The district has yet to give a firm number of returning teachers and students, making confirmations of building placement difficult if not impossible.

Unsafe buildings and lack of remediation evidence – “The old ventilation systems and air circulation vents remain a significant threat to our safety. Many are broken or in disrepair. In one classroom, the motor from an uninvent was pulled out of its casing and was just sitting atop the unit. And, just recently on January 20, we learned that a crew from the Montclair Fire Department responded to a school as a motor was smoking and overheating. In the fall, after a series of walkthroughs with our industrial hygienist, the MEA found over 164 sinks in the district that did not function, meaning widespread hand washing would be impossible. We reported the issue, in the fall, and they remain unfixed.”

“These and other questions remain unanswered and unaddressed,” the MEA stated.

“We long for the days when we could walk into a classroom full of students and teach like we did back in February,” the union continued in its statement. “Right now, the safety of our students, their families, our school staff, and community must take precedence over ease and convenience. There is no place we’d rather be than back in our classrooms with our students like normal times.”

“Unfortunately, these are not normal times,” the MEA added.

• See related article: Montclair Teachers Leery Of Reopening Schools As COVID Cases Rise
• See related article: Parents, Teachers Dig In As Montclair School Reopen Battle Continues

‘WE ARE MADE THE SCAPEGOATS’

On Jan. 27, the union released the following update.

“The association was, is, and always has been committed to restoration and healing. It was our hope that going into mediation would help us bring our issues to a resolution, ensuring safe buildings and safe conditions for students and staff, as well as making sure our community is in a position where the spread of COVID-19 is more contained. Unfortunately, the district has not been able to agree to our reasonable requests for information nor our request to remain remote until the surge in transmission rates and positive cases has decreased to safer levels.

“The last time we went remote the transmissions were high with many positive cases. However, the transmission rate and cases are considerably worse. When Superintendent Jonathan Ponds originally decided to stay remote on November 11, 2020, he stated, "Unfortunately, the data I received this morning demonstrates an increase in community spread of COVID-19. It is with a heavy heart that we must continue with fully remote instruction for all students until it is safe to change course. The health of our community, students and staff is paramount and pausing our hybrid plan at this time is in the best interest of public health due to the increase in the rate of infection." The rate of infection on the day of the statement, according to COVID Act Now, was 1.14, and averaging 42.8 cases per 100k people. The rate of infection today is 1.15, and the cases per 100k people are 65.4. These numbers have been trending up since the holidays, as expected. With limited people in our school buildings, our schools have been shut down nine different times, making it difficult to feel safe when increasing the buildings' population.

“Secondly, we are disappointed that the district lied about their commitment to fix or update the needed spaces, as there never was a second engineering report attesting to the remediations. Our records show that we have, for example, 164 sinks that need to be fixed. The district has no evidence to share with us whether or not these sinks will be fixed, as these are clearly an important fixture in pandemic hand-washing requirements. Reports from our findings with an industrial hygienist (www.facebook.com/myMEAnj), as well as the first engineering report from EI, list many areas of concern. Without evidence that these issues have been resolved, it begs the question, how can we be sure the buildings are safe for our students and staff?

“Instead, we are made the scapegoats for our advocacy of the health and safety of students and staff. At this time, we do not know what steps will occur next. What we do know is that we will not let this effect our educational plan to give Montclair students the very best instruction. We will not let this prevent us from being creative and innovative in our instruction. We will not let this taint the care and compassion we, all 1000 MEA members, have for our students and community.

“In the meantime, we have been, and still are, committed to a mediation process and are willing to collaborate with the district. We will keep you updated as this matter unfolds.”

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