CEA media release: Colorado Education Association and groups from Colorado’s medical community announce COVID-19 information and advocacy partnership

Sep 16, 2020 | Press

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 16, 2020

Colorado Education Association and groups from Colorado’s medical community announce COVID-19 information and advocacy partnership

Health and education experts will share advice and insights with parents and educators about COVID-19 related topics

DENVER – The Colorado Education Association (CEA), along with a coalition of Colorado health care organizations, has announced a partnership to offer advice, insights and answers to health questions related to COVID-19 and to advocate collectively for what is best for educators and students in this environment. Partner organizations include the American Academy of Pediatrics, Colorado Chapter (AAP Colorado), Colorado Academy of Family Physicians (CAFP), Colorado Association of School-Based Health Care (CASBHC), Colorado Association of Local Public Health Officials (CALPHO) and Colorado Medical Society (CMS).

“This is a chance for us to cut through all of the noise and hear firsthand from medical experts on how we should be dealing with COVID-19 and the current circumstances we face,” said Amie Baca-Oehlert, high school counselor and president of CEA.“It’s vital for Colorado students, parents and educators to have access to health guidelines and recommendations from those who know best.”

“Educators, physicians and clinicians all share the goal of children returning to their classrooms this fall. It’s why AAP Colorado strongly stands by our state’s educators, so that all students and teachers can resume in-person learning as safely as possible during these unprecedented times,” said Rusha Lev, MD, FAAP member.

The partnership will host a series of webinars for parents and educators beginning on Wednesday, Sept. 16 at 4:30 p.m. and running through Wednesday, Oct. 7.

The webinars will address the concerns and challenges educators, students and parents face when working to safely continue learning and instruction in the midst of an ongoing pandemic.

The individual webinar topics will include:

• Protecting Yourself and Your Family: Mask Guidance and PPE Best Practices – Wednesday, Sept. 16 at 4:30 p.m.
• Who to Call When: Outbreak Guidance and Other Classroom What Ifs – Wednesday, Sept. 23 at 4:30 p.m.
• These are the People in Your Neighborhood: Working with Medical Professionals in Your Community – Wednesday, Sept. 30 at 4:30 p.m.
• Where’s COVID: Colorado Data, Trends and Executive Orders – Wednesday, Oct. 7 at 4:30 p.m.

A registration link for each webinar will be available on CEA social media channels prior to the webinar events.

About the Colorado Education Association
The Colorado Education Association is a membership-based organization that represents 39,000 Colorado educators. The CEA promise to our students and communities is that the members of the Association will lead the way in guaranteeing every student access to the best public education. By working collectively with all education stakeholders, we will provide the best public education for every student and assure Colorado’s standing as an excellent state in which to learn, live, work, and raise a family.

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CEA statement on President Trump designating teachers as “essential workers”

Aug 21, 2020 | Press

Statement from Amie Baca-Oehlert, high school counselor and president of the Colorado Education Association (CEA), on the Trump administration designating teachers as“essential workers”:

“Today, President Donald Trump designated teachers as ‚Äòessential workers’ in yet another attempt to force public schools to re-open despite the deadly COVID-19 pandemic gripping our nation. His actions underscore his willingness to make re-opening our schools a political decision instead of one based in science. Over the past few weeks, Colorado school districts, educators, students, and parents have grappled with the complexities of re-opening our schools in the midst of this pandemic that is both conducive to student learning and makes safety the number one priority. Just in the past week, we’ve seen several Colorado schools forced to rethink those plans in light of positive COVID-19 cases among students and staff.

“If President Trump and Secretary DeVos are truly interested in getting schools back to normal, they would make their decisions in the interest of public health and safety. They would give school districts and educators the resources they need, and they would send a message to both educators and students that our safety is the top priority, not political games and showmanship.”

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