Dawn Nichol-Manning, EOEA President
March 2020
Women’s Month
March is here! This is Women’s Month. I would like to celebrate and honor all women who make the world go around. Mothers, grandmothers, and aunts are the first teachers of our lives. They for the most part create culture, tradition, rituals, and routines that develop us into the adults we are today. I do hope despite any indifference, that you celebrate the women in your life that have contributed to the growth and health of your family, community, and society.
Contacting the Office
When contacting the office from the hours of 9am to 1pm please note that I am an office of one. Our office secretary is part-time and comes in by 1pm or upon my call. If you are put on hold and cannot remain on the line please call back or email the office. If I try to contact you for information please try once again to call the office back. Many times, members have questions that need some time to seek out a response or answer. Whenever you have questions pertaining to your paycheck please notify your administrator and payroll. The office does not hold such information. After you have done that and you are finding that an infraction has occurred in regard to your pay then I can step in and find out where the problem lies. I am here to assist you and making sure the contract is upheld as well as your rights. Yet, I need for you to be your first advocate in making sure you have taken the needed steps in assisting with resolving your matter.
Coronavirus
All of the presidents of the collective bargaining units met with Dr. Harvest and Ms. Champagne to address COVID-19 on Monday, March 9, 2020. Our Governor has mandated that each district have a plan in place in case schools should have to be shut down. There will be a survey sent out for teachers to give to parents to find out which students do not have internet service. The information from the survey will assist in laying out the format in which instruction will be carried if classes are not held. Should classes have to be canceled instruction must still be delivered. The method in which this is done will account for covering the mandatory 180 school days. Preparation for this will be done during the half-day in-service and staff meetings. Teachers we must make sure to constantly inform our students to wash their hands with soap for at least 90 seconds. Ask parents to contribute to ensuring cleanliness by asking them to donate disinfecting wipes and sanitizer. Let’s work together as a village to keep our classrooms sanitized and our children safe as we go through this season. You are allowed to have students wipe down their desks with disinfecting wipes during the course of the day. You can go to the Center of Disease Control to find lists of products that schools are allowed to use to combat the virus. If you are sick you must stay home. If you get a fever while at work, go home. If you are out for three days you must report to DLRES with a doctor’s note saying it is safe for you to return to work before returning to your school building. If you are quarantined voluntarily or by doctor’s orders you must use your sick days. Your sick days will not have to be used if the district has been shut down by the state. If a child reports to school with masks and gloves it is their right to do so. They should be sent to the nurse to make ensure that they are feeling well. As educators you may exercise this right also, but you too will be asked questions about your well-being. I know there are many questions during this time. Please do not hesitate to call or email for more details when in doubt. Your administrators have been informed and should be rolling out more information to you very soon. Let’s work together to defeat this virus. Working together and sanitizing as much as we can will control this epidemic. Let us not give into fear but use our knowledge to be proactive for the good of all in our district. We want our students to know that their health is of high concern.