The Seattle Education Association is the voice for educators standing with our students united to address the needs of our community and to transform our district into an anti-racist school system where every student thrives. |
SEA Demands Safety, Transparency, and Communication in Response to the Current Crisis
Friday, January 14, Association Representatives, Board of Directors, and SEA members came together to advocate for how SPS can address the impacts Omicron has had on our school communities. Educators may not be public health experts, but we are on-the-ground experts regarding the conditions in our buildings and in what it takes to safely and sustainably provide instruction in-person.
SEA is calling on SPS to:
- Clearly communicate and be transparent about staffing levels to the school community daily.
- Provide weekly rapid (self-administered) COVID tests for all staff working in person.
- Provide KN95 masks to all staff and students in person.
- Clearly communicate and be transparent about the lack of contact tracing to the school community and resume contact tracing.
- Join SEA in advocating to the state for flexibility in instructional days and hours.
In addition, SEA is calling SPS to the bargaining table to negotiate the Continuity of Operations Plan metrics and include educators’ voice in the decision-making process.
If SPS cannot meet these demands by January 21, SEA will call on SPS to pivot to District wide remote instruction for at least one week.
SEA will send updates throughout the week.
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2022 Legislative Priorities: Educators Speaking Up!
Click here to read about how Seattle educators and others from across the state are advocating for more mental health professionals and protecting voters' rights.
School Counselors, Samantha Pacampara and Kathryn Feder, both testified in House and Senate education committee hearings this past week to share the dire need for more nurses, counselors, psychologists, and social workers.
SEA Treasurer Vallerie Fisher testified before the Senate State Government & Elections Committee in support of the Washington Voting Rights Act, HB 5597, which strengthens the Washington Voter Rights Act by putting systems in place to call out or identify potential impediments to the ability for all Washingtonians to vote.
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Isolation and Quarantine Guidance for K-12 Schools
On January 4, 2022, the CDC recommended applying updated isolation and quarantine recommendations to K-12 settings. Public Health - Seattle & King County adopted these recommendations. We encourage everyone to read the full guidance here.
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UPDATE! Reporting Absences Due to Isolation and Quarantine
SPS has simplified the process for reporting absences due to COVID. If an employee is absent for any reason, the employee must report to their supervisor and record the absence in ESS as soon as possible. If an employee’s position requires a substitute, follow all normal processes to request a substitute in Frontline. Reporting and recording absences in ESS do not create a substitute request in Frontline. If the absences are for COVID related reasons, select “sick leave” for the Frontline reason, and place in the Frontline “Note to Administrator” that employee is out due to COVID. Changes will take place immediately. Employees should send COVID positive test results by email or text to their supervisor.
Upon verification of the employee’s COVID positive test result, supervisors will compile a list of all employees and send the list to HR. The Leave Department will record the absences with a District pay code (or change/correct absences that were previously entered with other pay codes) for the employees on the list. Employees do not need to file a claim with L&I or call Corvel as previously directed unless their absence extends beyond 10 days. To read this process in more detail, go to the Survey FAQ: Q12.
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Drop in During SEA Governance Office Hours |
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SEA Governance is hosting Office Hours every Tuesday and Friday in January in order to connect with SEA Members directly as we start our full bargain. Please drop in to the Zoom room during your 30-minute duty-free lunch period to ask questions, share concerns, or provide input on the issues that matter most to you.
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More Upcoming Engagement Opportunities
Thursday, January 27, 7:00 – 8:30 PM. SEA School Counselor Organizing Meeting. Join your school counseling colleagues to discuss the newly ratified Senate Bill 5030 which effectively requires all school districts to develop a comprehensive counseling program for the 2022-23 school year. This is an opportunity to share what you consider opportunities and challenges to a comprehensive counseling program and any other issues related to its implementation. Register in advance for this meeting: https://washingtonea.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJ0udO2hqjktGtIAu1JZVPrt4c9JleCAy3vb
Saturday, February 12. 2022 WEA HCR Leadership Conference. Save the date for our 2022 WEA Human and Civil Rights Leadership Conference – February 12, 2022, 8:30am-1:00pm. Registration will open in mid-January.
The HCR conference provides training and mentoring for our historically underrepresented women and members of color for the purpose of diversifying our governance leadership and that includes elected positions and appointed positions at the national, state, council and local levels. The emphasis is to gather as many women and people of color into a leadership development space and provide inspiration, skills, networking and mentoring for the purpose of engaging and developing new WEA leadership.
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