ICYMI: MEA working to raise member voices about pandemic school safety
With all the focus on the election, it would have been easy to miss the advocacy work MEA has been doing to ensure schools are safe for students and employees alike, including helping members lift their voices with the media and public. Here are some of the latest, in case you missed them:
– MEA President Paula Herbart put out a video and press release continuing to advocate for mask-wearing in schools and making health and safety the top consideration as districts make decisions (with input from their employees).
– Ann Arbor EA member Chris Thomas was among the teacher-leaders who put on a series of webinars to improve virtual learning skills for fellow educators during the pandemic. He penned an op-ed in Bridge Magazine about what educators need (hint: it’s not U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos calling remote learning “a tragedy”).
– Warren Woods EA member Andy Jarema submitted a guest opinion in the Macomb Daily about the need for front-line educators to have a voice in district decisions about coronavirus.
– Lansing school nurse and MEA member Randi Trumble’s op-ed in the Lansing State Journal focused on the important role of school nurses in this crisis and the health and safety decisions that need to be made for in-person learning.
MEA is currently surveying members about coronavirus and schools – watch your email for a link to participate. We are also encouraging members to participate in MSU’s Education Policy Innovation Collaborative (EPIC) second COVID-19 educator survey – the 15-minute survey can be accessed here thru Nov. 13.
