KY120 United-AFT: 'Our kids are depending on us.'

By KY120 United-American Federation of Teachers

An open letter to public school administrators and the KY legislature:

We have watched. We have waited. And now, here we are. Frustrated. Scared. Tired. Angry. Confused.

It’s roughly two weeks into the school year, and we have heard the stories of our colleagues, our students’ parents, and our own children. Stories overflowing with emotion. Rage. Sadness. We have been attacked on social media. Called lazy. Our love for the kids we serve has been questioned, along with our motives. Our integrity. So, who are we?

We are the rank and file. The worker bees who drive buses. We work in the cafeteria line. We clean your schools. We shine the floors. We put together classroom furniture. We teach your children how to read and do long division. We wipe their tears when the learning process is hard. We share in their joy when they succeed, and we lift them up when they fall short.

We are your neighbors. We sit next to you at the ball field and in the pews. We bring casseroles to the church potluck. We laugh. We cry. We are part of each of your communities. We are mothers. Daughters. Fathers. Sons. Friends. We are public school employees.

We don’t take our responsibility to our communities lightly. Often times, we are the largest employer in a county. We drive the economy. We are a source of pride on a Friday night under the lights of a football field.

And we need your help.

The pandemic has ripped through the state. It is leaving in its wake sick people, mounting hospital bills, exhausted healthcare workers, and more than 7,000 Kentuckians sent to early graves. And through all of this, we have done our part.

No one can get through life alone. It takes a community to band together in tough times to make it. Sadly, we are as divided as we have ever been. It doesn’t have to continue like this.

What do we need in order to continue to safely and effectively do the work we have been entrusted to do?

We need leaders to lead. We need elected officials to stop playing political games. To put down the swords and extend an olive branch. We need folks to work together. Not for US, but for our kids. For the future. For Kentucky. This cannot wait. The dam is crumbling and will not hold. To pretend otherwise is a failure of leadership.

Public school leaders must begin to clearly and effectively communicate safety protocols to their staff. While mitigation efforts may vary depending on district size and COVID spread, the protocols MUST be consistent from building to building inside that district. Rank and file voices must be heard in order to explain what we see in classrooms in terms of what works, and what doesn’t. We are on the front line. Why are we not included in these discussions?

Safety of students and staff must be a priority.  There is federal money available to do everything possible to ensure this. Use it.

COVID leave days should be given to every vaccinated employee who needs them. We must have COVID tests readily available at work locations. No exceptions.

COVID tracker dashboards MUST be clear AND accurate. No hiding or fudging numbers. Rank and file talk to rank and file. We know deception when we see it. Be honest and transparent.

To our legislature: we have grown tired of the nonsense that drowns out any hope of consensus. You passed a school safety bill a few sessions ago. This IS a safety emergency. It shouldn’t be political. It should be about the common good for the Commonwealth.

Step up. Lead. Show political courage to do what is right. Leave your personal feelings at the door. It isn’t about what you believe, but about what is the best thing for kids.

Non-traditional instruction should be an option during this crisis. Period. Keeping our students in school buildings when a variant of this virus is putting more children in the hospital than ever before is dangerous, yet the legislature has put an arbitrary cap on NTI days that is crippling school districts’ ability to implement virtual learning. Leave the educational decisions to educators so that we can keep our students safe.

What isn’t ok is to toy with the health and safety of children and the people who care for them, just to garner votes or move a step higher on the political ladder.

Public schools have long been the dumping ground for societal problems that we don’t want to admit exist. We cannot continue this way. Not now. We cannot just handle this pandemic and make it go away. We can’t put a bow on it and make it appear as if nothing is happening. What we can do is educate. Show up. Protect. But we can no longer do the heavy lifting without the help of our neighbors, our supervisors, and our representatives in Frankfort.

It’s time to come together, Kentucky. We are ready and willing to work together to defeat this virus. But you have to do your part too. You have to DO right and stop trying to BE right.

We can do this. We believe. We have faith. We are still here. We hope you join us, if  even for just this moment in time. We are prepared to do whatever it takes to protect our students. If you cannot lead, we will.

Our kids are depending on us. They are watching. We cannot fail them.