Mar 13, 2020 | Press
DENVER – As schools begin closing across Colorado to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus, the Colorado Education Association has a message for school districts: feed children and pay staff.
“Student safety is the top concern of every educator and CEA members respect the decision of many districts to close schools in an effort to slow the spread of the coronavirus. We must be mindful, though, that our public schools are safe, supportive environments for Colorado children and provide critical resources that our students can’t afford to miss for a prolonged period,” said CEA President Amie Baca-Oehlert, a high school counselor.
“Educators are keenly aware that many children only receive hot, nutritious meals by way of school breakfasts and lunches. We applaud the districts that have already created plans to ensure students have access to food during the school closures and we are calling on all districts to utilize the UDSA waiver to allow emergency feeding programs for students in all districts that are experiencing closures,” Baca-Oehlert said.
Baca-Oehlert emphasized that districts have a responsibility to compensate dedicated teachers and school support staff during school closures too.“The people who keep our schools running – custodians, food service workers, secretaries and bus drivers just to name some – are most vulnerable to distress and losing their sense of economic security during a long school closure. Districts must value the immeasurable contributions of education support professionals to student success and compensate them with the full pay and benefits they would normally receive during the school year.”
CEA also calls on the Colorado Department of Education to reassess and waive standardized testing requirements for students. We are also calling for discussions on the impacts of school closures at this point in the year on educator evaluations.“Districts should focus resources to student needs,” observed Baca-Oehlert.“Our educators, students and families have enough stress and uncertainty in their lives right now and high stakes testing that is linked to educator evaluations shouldn’t be yet another weight on their minds.”
The coronavirus will test our school communities to be at their best for students and employees, Baca Oehlert added, and those that rise to the challenge will be remembered for lending comfort and care at this critical time.
“Districts attempting to solve one crisis can create a different kind of crisis for students and educators by not keeping a ‚Äòpeople-first’ sense of purpose. The last thing we need at this time is to create any more anxiety for people than is already out there,” Baca-Oehlert concluded.
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Aug 20, 2019 | Blog
Community members in new study question effectiveness of rigid physical security measures in public schools
DENVER РThe Colorado Education Association and Padres & Jóvenes Unidos presented a study today on best practices to improve school climate to legislative members of the bipartisan Colorado School Safety. The findings reflect ongoing community engagement and research from both organizations on how school safety is positively impacted by a welcoming school culture.
“Safety is the overriding concern on the minds of educators every school day and we consider the health and well-being of our students in everything we do for them. Including community and educator voice is critical to getting school safety right and we hope the lessons presented today will give the committee members a community perspective to guide their important work as we all do our best to make the public school the absolute safest place for our kids to learn and thrive,” said CEA President Amie Baca-Oehert, a high school counselor.
The new report School Climate and School Safety: A Community Perspective concludes a positive school environment improves safety and learning in our public schools. CEA and Padres & Jóvenes Unidos presented the community vision for how educators, administrators and policymakers can work together to decrease incidents of school-based violence by following three major recommendations to cultivate a welcoming school culture:
- Integrate Schools into the Community
Schools should be spaces where all members of the school and school community feel welcome.
- Focus on Social-Emotional Learning
At a minimum, increase the number of counselors, social workers, and mental health professionals.
- Create Authentic Engagement Between Community and Policymakers
Policymakers often focus school safety discussions on physical security and making schools into hardened targets, but community members (especially students) said these measures make students feel less safe. This highlights a disconnect between how policymakers view school safety and what community members, students and educators know is best.
School culture is a great concern to Lorena Lim√≥n, a Padres member and parent of five children who described in the study how quickly small issues can escalate into interactions with police enforcing rigid school discipline policies.“The environment in many of our schools is toxic and criminalizes students of color,” she said.
Restorative practices are an effective alternative to police interaction, according to Kathy Zaleski, a teacher in Adams 12.“I use restorative circles in my class that allow students to understand classmates’ perspectives and connect on shared experiences. Teachers using restorative practices often have success improving the classroom climate and ending the toxic culture.”
The report recommendations mirror consensus on the importance of school climate in school security that both CEA and Padres & Jóvenes Unidos have seen over time as they have engaged members and community allies.
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