Locking Your Doors
 
KEA is hearing reports that building administrators are requiring that classroom teachers keep their classroom doors locked. As in the past, KEA is strongly recommending that you do not follow this directive. It puts our members at risk for accusations that are difficult to defend if no outside access exists. In fact, KSD legal has recommended that adults never work with students behind locked doors because it puts the district at risk as well. KSD maintains that “there has been no directive from security that classroom doors must remain locked during the day – rather this was only a recommendation”. In summary, there is NO directive that you must keep your doors locked or closed. If your building admin is requiring this practice, please contact our office.
Upcoming Events
 
Oct. 7
Kent Educators of Color
4:30 p.m.
 
Oct. 7
Rescheduled Student Loan Forgiveness
4:30 p.m.
 
Oct. 8
Teacher's Workshop
 
Oct. 13
Rep Council
4:30 p.m.
 
Oct. 18 - 22
Elementary Conferences
WEA Select Plan Disbursement

Before the SEBB plans were implemented, we participated in the WEA Select Dental/Vision/Life plans. WEA has been working to wind down the plans and is now in the process of disbursing the remaining funds from the associated 501(c)(9) trust account to members/employees who were enrolled in the plan on the last day it existed (12/31/19). Over the next several weeks WEA will be sending checks to those eligible participants. The check and a letter of explanation will come in a plain white size 10 (4.125” x 9.375”) window envelope, with the WEA Select logo in the return address window, as seen below:
Any funds remaining in the Aetna/UnitedHealthcare 501(c)(9) accounts will be disbursed in 2022. We will provide an update when more information is available.

WEA has provided an FAQ, that can be found here.
"Pivot Plan" Bargaining Update

KEA has been working to help KSD develop their “Pivot Plan." We have been bargaining this MOU for weeks and are no closer to finishing it than we were at the start. After team KEA presented their counter this past Monday, KSD has cancelled follow up meetings, then rescheduled and cancelled them again making it impossible to get a response from them. We are far apart in our discussions. Some of the major sticking points continue to be addressing IE student/educator needs, dual platform instruction, the need for distribution of student materials, the ability to work remotely if we were shut down, and the new guidelines from OSPI for instructional minutes to name a few.
 
One major issue that continues to plague this bargain is that we are bargaining against people who have never worked in education and have no idea the time and effort it takes to do this job well. Reaching an agreement for this MOU has been difficult and concerns KEA as we begin to prepare for our FULL OPEN bargain later this Spring.

Maybe next week will be the week we hear from Team KSD… but only time will tell.
P O Box 6587
Kent, WA 98064-6587
(253) 852 1350