Parents, teachers’ union head knock 10-student classroom limit, mask rules

A plan to limit classrooms to 10 students and force every kid to come to school with their own mask is not sitting well with some Boston parents and the city’s top teachers’ union official.

The state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education’s proposed new rules suggest a limit of 10 students per classroom and putting the burden of purchasing and supplying personal protective equipment on parents and school districts.

Massachusetts Teachers Association President Merrie Najimy said Monday the MTA is vehemently opposed to the purchasing burden.

“It will be communities of color — which have been historically subjected to structural racism through disinvestment in their public schools and other crucial services — that will be the least able to afford PPE and will be once again disproportionately impacted,” Najimy said in a statement.

Lisa Green, a member of the Boston Coalition for Education Equity, questioned the plan’s PPE guideline, echoing Najimy’s worry for underprivileged students.

“As a parent I just don’t see how that happens,” Green said of both the PPE guideline and classroom-size suggestion.

Krista Magnuson, a mother of two young city students, said social distancing for kids will be difficult.

“Even if you could get the kids to stay 6 feet apart from others, there’s no way they’re going to stay away from their teachers,” Magnuson said.

Najimy called the suggestion for schools to provide one disposable mask per child per week “tone deaf” to families who can’t provide their own masks.

“Added to that is the impracticality of expecting young children to be able to follow this guidance, including remaining 6 feet apart, washing their hands frequently, and keeping their face masks on all day,” Najimy’s statement said.

The DESE will grant $193.8 million in federal CARES Act funds to districts to purchase supplies associated with the coronavirus pandemic, a department spokeswoman said Monday. BPS alone is slated to receive more than $32 million in funds.

A Boston Public Schools spokesman said Monday it is reviewing the state’s guidance.

“The health and safety of our students and staff remains the top priority of the Boston Public Schools,” spokesman Xavier Andrews said on behalf of BPS. “As we continue working to meet the expanding needs of our students and families during this second phase of remote learning, we are also developing plans for this summer and the eventual reopening of our school buildings.”

The DESE memo didn’t discuss lunch time, after-school or recreational time guidelines.

Magnuson, who also voiced doubts over the remote learning the school turned to once the coronavirus pandemic erupted in March, was “cautiously optimistic” for schools’ fall reopening.

“I feel like we probably could have started this conversation a little sooner,” Magnuson said. “At least we’re having it now and not in August.”

from Boston Herald https://ift.tt/2AfDDmq