Greetings NEA-Jurupa Family,
I hope this email continues to find you and your loved ones safe and well. Here we are, back for another school year, albeit completely unprecedented and unfamiliar to any of us. For some of us, last year never ended and I personally still think that it’s March despite what the calendar says. Some of you have been back at work for at least a week or more. I hope that you were able to find time for much need rejuvenation, relaxation, and rest over the break.
Many of you probably spent a dedicated amount of time trying to figure out how the opening of this school year was going to look and how best to provide optimal educational opportunities for your students. In a “normal” year, we would all be grappling with the issues that always come along with the return to school, but this one will be way different. As you begin, please remember that this is a work in progress and things are in constant flux. Allow yourselves some flexibility and extend yourselves grace, patience, and understanding. You all did amazing work in the spring and will continue to be amazing this fall despite of the obstacles that we find in front of us.
Here are a couple of clarification points based on questions that have come in. Your site administration was notified and should have shared this with you.
Attendance:
Attendance is taken based on synchronous attendance only, and not work product. This may change if state audit guidelines change.
Secondary– Teachers can take attendance at any time during the period. If a student arrives late, they can be marked tardy.
Elementary-Teachers take attendance during the first section of synchronous instruction (only). If students attend, they are present. If they are not present at the first section but arrive for a subsequent session during the day, they are tardy. If they don’t attend some session after the first one, still present.
Absences/Subs:
Substitute Assignments
• Secondary sites will continue to have Resident Substitutes to assign in the case of a Teacher’s absence. Elementary sites will now have one Resident Substitute to assign for absences. Human Resources staff will work with school sites to assign Resident Substitutes.
• Day-to-day Substitute Teachers will be assigned for absences in addition to those filled by Resident Substitutes.
Reporting Absences
• Teacher is responsible for reporting their absence on Frontline (according to the site protocols for reporting absences—ie. at some sites, the secretaries enter absences for teachers). A substitute will be required for any absence taking place during the scheduled instructional day.
• Substitute Teacher who accepts job will report to the school site and will work from a designated station or classroom. (Site responsible for designated station/classroom space.)
Lesson Plans:
• Teachers are responsible for preparing substitute lesson plans, which will be provided digitally by uploading to Frontline. In the event that you can’t upload plans, please email them to the site secretary. Teacher will also have posted assignments/classwork on PSL page for students to continue learning in the teacher’s absence. Teachers are required to provide emergency lesson plans.
• Resident Substitutes will have access to the Teacher’s PSL page. A day-to-day Substitute Teacher will not have that access and will depend entirely on the lesson plans provided by the Teacher in Frontline.
Instruction:
• Teachers are responsible for providing link (on PSL page) to synchronous instructional session. If the session is a Microsoft Teams or a Zoom meeting, the teacher will be responsible for making the substitute teacher the “co-host” of the meeting to ensure that the substitute teacher can access. If the synchronous session is on Google Meets, the Substitute Teacher can simply access the link that the Teacher has already posted on the PSL page.
Training Modules from Keenan and Associates:
Each year we are required to complete certain training modules. This year the entire district is required to complete COVID-19 trainings, however, the majority of us will not have to complete harassment trainings. We will also be required to complete the Mandated Child Reporter trainings at some point as well.
Again, as this year is a “work in progress”, please continue to forward your questions/concerns to me, the NEA-Jurupa officers, area directors, or site representatives. We will continue to address them as quickly as we can and resolve issues as they come up, either through my daily conversations with the district or our monthly contract management meetings. Please be assured that we will continue to be a part of the conversation in as many ways as we possibly can…
Wishing you good luck tomorrow and best to all you!
In Unity-
Wendy Eccles 🙂
NEA-Jurupa, President
Office Phone: 951-681-7997
Non-district email: president@neaj.org
Website: www.neaj.org
Follow us on Facebook
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
#AskAnEducator
“If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together“- African Proverb