As you have likely heard, we are entering a new paradigm with regards to the Coronavirus question. The Centers for Disease Control has recently shared that the United States is likely to see clusters of coronavirus infections in some American cities. As things evolve and move forward, we must ensure that schools are prepared and our members are protected.
In order to encourage conversations that must be held at the school level, we have compiled the attached resources to assist you.
The first document is a letter sent to schools on February 5, 2020. This letter was sent as a collaboration between The NYS Department of Health and The NYS Education Department. It provides guidance related to symptomatic students, students with family who have recently traveled from China and how to coordinate with the school’s local health department for answers to specific questions.
This joint letter was accompanied by a sample letter to parents to be used as a guide for schools. It is educational in nature and covers some the basics regarding symptoms, transmission and prevention. It is best practice for schools to be originators of basic educational materials regarding health concerns in the community. Therefore if your school has yet to send information out to parents, refer to this letter as an option and advocate that they have a plan for educating parents.
Next, we have attached a bulletin for educators from the AFT. This document offers our activists talking points regarding what schools should be doing in order to protect staff, students and the community. It touches on talking points related to infection control, educational materials, best practices that are specific to school nurses and custodial staff and more. This document is best suited to prepare leaders for direct conversations with school administrations about their plans to protect the school community.
In order to ensure these conversations are supported, we encourage leaders to contact their Labor Relations Specialists to pursue a dialogue with their school administrations. One of the great places to begin is by engaging your school’s school safety and health committee. If they are meeting, they should be reviewing these materials and working with the school to prepare. Additionally, meetings with district administration should be arranged to discuss the efforts being made to bolster the school’s infection control plan and educate the community.
For additional information from the American Federation of Teachers visit their informational page on the topic. AFT: Coronavirus
And for the latest with regards to guidance from the federal government, forward people to the Centers for Disease Control website. Centers for Disease Control: COVID-19
As we move forward, we will keep you updated on any additional initiatives or guidance.
On Thursday night, CNN is hosting a televised Global Town Hall on the Coronavirus on Thursday night in their New York City studio. It will be hosted by Anderson Cooper and Dr. Sanjay Gupta. Their goal is to address the facts and fears surrounding the virus. They have asked if any educators would like to submit questions to be addressed on air, and to potentially participate in the town hall in person.
We are sharing the information on how to submit questions in case you would like to share it with any of your members. The link to submit questions and the information provided by CNN is below.
If you have any questions about the Coronavirus itself, please refer to the resources we circulated in our February 28 email.
SUBMIT QUESTIONS FOR CNN GLOBAL TOWN HALL CORONAVIRUS: FACTS AND FEARS
New York City
Thursday March 5th
CNN is hosting a 2 hour special town hall event in our New York City studios at Hudson Yards on Thursday March 5th starting at 10pm.
Anderson Cooper and Dr. Sanjay Gupta will tackle the facts and fears surrounding the coronavirus.
If you would like to attend and submit questions to potentially ask please click the link below. You can submit up to 3 questions, no more than 450 characters each.
Please submit your questions now in order to be considered
