The changeover at Allan Hancock College
Challenges and rewards of teaching online
By Mark James Miller
Even before Gov. Gavin Newsom’s shelter-at-home order, Allan Hancock College was gearing up to meet the challenges the COVID-19 virus presents to an institution of higher learning.
For faculty and students, this new normal brings with it many issues regarding how best to continue the mission of education — providing the students with the highest quality of instruction — while trying to remain free of the virus and maintain social distancing.
Up Front with CFT President Freitas on Facebook Fridays at 3 pm
Join us at this live update with for educators and staff
Please join CFT President Jeff Freitas every Friday at 3 pm as he answers some of the most frequent and pressing questions from CFT members in a Facebook Live broadcast via the CFT Facebook page.
Listen to the CFT Tele-Townhall
Townhall addressing COVID-19 draws nearly 12,000 members
More than 12,000 members were able to join one of the two CFT Tele-Townhall meetings held on March 18. Combined, the meetings were the largest gathering of CFT members ever.
You can listen to the CFT Tele-Townhall here! (The recording starts at the 12-second mark.)
On the calls we received encouraging words from State Superintendent of Instruction Tony Thurmond, who offered his support and thanks to CFT members and discussed the many efforts the governor’s office and the Department of Education are taking to support our schools.
The Coronavirus, the CFT and You
From the CFT President
By Jeffery M. Freitas, CFT President
Over the past few days, our lives have changed significantly. There have been many fast moving coronavirus-related developments.
We will continue to work with decision-makers to protect you, your students, and your communities. With the situation continuing to develop quickly, we are doing our best to stay on top of it.
We want to provide as much information to our members as possible, but we hope not to overwhelm you with too much.
Legislature passes three emergency coronavirus bills
Legislative Update
The California Legislature took emergency action yesterday and passed Senate Bill 117 to address several of the issues confronting schools and their employees during the COVID-19 pandemic. SB 17 and two other emergency bills passed by the Legislature will take effect immediately.
The CFT will continue to monitor the situation and provide updates from the California Legislature.
Coronavirus: Education headlines
Quick takes on the news that matters for educators and staff
APRIL 6 | Newsday: AFT President
The school year is far from lost
AFT President Randi Weingarten’s opinion piece in Newsday
discusses the impact of school closures and the COVID-19
pandemic on students. She says, “At this extraordinary time,
let’s trust teachers. I propose giving teachers the latitude to
sum up either the semester or the school year, depending on how
long schools are closed, by creating age-appropriate capstone or
term projects that demonstrate students’ learning for the year.”
APRIL 6 | CNN follows AFT Nurses
Inside an ER during the coronavirus outbreak
CNN aired an exclusive look inside the University Hospital of
Brooklyn, which is part of the SUNY Downstate Health Sciences
University and has been designated as a COVID-19 hospital. The
piece features AFT members working on the frontlines of the
coronavirus crisis and shows how vital our work is to fighting
this pandemic. It’s an incredible reminder for Americans that
healthcare workers are stretched thin during this time and are in
vital need of personal protective equipment, which our union has
been fighting for.
APRIL 1 | Governor’s Press Conference on Education
Governor Newsom confirms that schools will be closed
through the end of the year
The governor references Superintendent Thurmond’s memo
to superintendents saying schools will likely not reopen this
academic year, but that the goal is to increase the education
occurring at home. Gov. Newsom has worked with labor to get
comprehensive protocols to advance distance learning. In order to
do that, the state needed private sector support. Google
stepped up in a partnership that will provide “100,000 points of
access” to provide wifi and high-quality access to broadband
internet for the next three months to address the
digital divide. In addition, Google will be
providing thousands of Chromebooks. And the governor thanks
moms for the extraordinary work they are doing at home now, and
offers his deep respect and admiration for the work of mothers.
Tony Thurmond, State Superintendent of Public Instruction, joined the press conference to say schools are continuing to provide education, but from home, where it is safe. Out of an abundance of caution, he has urged superintendents to educate our kids at home only through the end of this school year. “We urge these efforts to be accelerated by providing wifi and more training for our teachers,” Thurmond said. “Our campuses are closed to kids, but school is not out for year.”
- Special Education: The CDE is offering webinar tomorrow for how to deliver special education from a distance. Sign up here from CFT’s Webinars & Zooms page.
Linda Darling-Hammond, the president of the State Board of Education, said almost every district is launching a distance learning program, with increased wifi connectivity and hot spots to allowing distance learning where needed. She said today the CDE will post guidance on graduation requirements and grading and that some districts are planning hold commencement ceremonies in the fall. The CDE will also issue a joint statement today about college admissions. The colleges have agreed to accept Pass/No Pass grading and have extended flexibility for payment, financial aid and more. Students will not have to take the SATs for admission.
- Food distribution: The state received a waiver from the federal government that will allow more Grab-n-Go meals to reach students. Hammond said the CDE is making sure as many students are being fed as possible. About 5,200 sites across the state are offering students Grab ‘N Go meals.
- Child care: A number of districts are setting up child care centers for kids of essential workers. Districts are organizing where they can to partner with other community organizations to provide this care.
APRIL 1 | Community College Chancellor’s Office
Summary of Wednesday, April 1st Webinar
Chancellor Oakley covered a range of topics. First, he asked all
colleges to apply flexibility and equity when it comes to the new
grading policy, and said the new Pass/No Pass grading policy is
intended to allow students to continue their education. The
chancellor is urging everyone to spread the word about on
completing the U.S. Census. Participating in the census is
one of the ways we can ensure that the community colleges get
their fair share. The College Futures Foundation has established
a $5 million fund to provide $500 in direct assistance to
community college, CSU, and UC students (some terms apply). The
Academic Senate is organizing professional development and
training webinars for faculty, including a segment on how to run
an effective “Academic Senate Meetings on your Campus.”
The Chancellor’s Office continues to work on the issues below:
- Temporary distance education blanket addendum
- Impact of FON penalties on districts
- 67 percent rule for part-time faculty
- Implementing flexibility with the Board of Registered Nursing
- Reporting deadlines and extensions on grants and programs
- Dual enrollment/middle college
- Work Study for credit students
- Grades relevant to financial aid and attendance accounting
The weekly Zoom webinar on Wednesdays at 9 am is open to everyone Join the webinar here: https://cccconfer.zoom.us/j/299858221
MARCH 31 | California Dept. of Education
Thurmond issues memo to local superintendents saying schools
likely to close for remainder of the year
Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond sent a
letter to superintendents throughout the state and the media
stating that it “appears that our students will not be able to
return to school campuses before the end of the school
year.” This is not a state Executive Order, but it is
an expectation that all the schools will shut down.
MARCH 30 | Community College Chancellor’s Office
New guidance memo outlines technology resources available
to educators
This new guidance memo provides information for colleges to
understand the technology resources and applications available
through the Chancellor’s Office partnership with the Foundation
for California Community Colleges and California Virtual
Campus-Online Education Initiative (CVC-OEI)
MARCH 30 | Santa Maria Times
AFT
local union president shares experience of switching to online
teaching
Mark James Miller, a part-time English instructor at Allan
Hancock College, talks about the challenges and rewards of
the immediate switch to online teaching required because of the
coronavirus pandemic. Miller has a regular column in the Santa
Maria Times, where this article first appeared.
MARCH 30 | AFT Tele-Town Hall
Join
a Tele-Town Hall with AFT President Randi Weingarten
Monday @ 5:30 pm EST (2:30 pm Pacific)
You’re invited to be part of a telephone town hall discussion
with AFT President Randi Weingarten on the union’s response to
the COVID-19 pandemic this Monday at 2:30 p.m. PST.
Simply register your phone number here by 12 pm EST
(9 am PST), on Monday the 30th and you will
automatically be called at the start of the town hall — no need
to call in! Hear about the steps AFT is taking to respond to this
global pandemic.
- Register to join the telephone town hall with the AFT President.
MARCH 29 | The White House
National stay-at-home order extended to April
30
The White House Task Force on the Coronavirus and President Trump
extend the national stay-at-home order until April 30.
March 27 | U.S. Congress & White House
Trump signs federal stimulus package — CARES Act —
passed by Congress
The $2 trillion Coronavirus Aid, Relief, And Economic Security
Act (CARES Act) provides workers direct checks, additional
unemployment insurance benefits, retirement plan rules changes,
loans to small businesses, loans to particular industries,
student loan suspension, rent relief, veterans benefits, and much
more. California will be receiving $15.3 billion, but it’s still
unknown how this will impact school and college districts. Read
AFT’s initial analysis below.
- AFT Summary - CARES Act
- AFT Summary - CARES Act - Unemployment Provisions
- Center on Budget and Policy Priorities - State allocations from CARES Act
March 27 | CFT President
UpFront with CFT President Jeff Freitas on
Facebook
Watch the video on Facebook with President Freitas as he
answered some of the most frequent and pressing questions
from members during our first Facebook Live broadcast from the CFT Facebook
page. The questions were submitted to our website and last
week’s CFT Tele-Townhall, which more than 12,000 CFT
members took part in, many asking important questions
about their jobs and the health and well-being of their families
and their students. If you have a critical question or comment
for CFT, please take a moment to share
your concerns and your inspirational stories.
- Join the CFT President every Friday at 3 pm on the CFT Facebook page!
March 27 | Community College Chancellor’s Office
Chancellor issues Executive Order about grading policies,
pass/no pass requirement
The chancellor has issued a new Executive Order (2020-02)
and guidance memo about course grading. It suspends title 5,
section 55022, requirement that students select the “pass or no
pass” grading option prior to the 30 percent mark of the term.
- The EO is titled Temporary Suspension of Various Specified Grade-Related Regulations to Address the Continuity of Education in Community Colleges During the COVID-19 Declared State of Emergency.
- The guidance memo is Grading Policies and Term Extension Guidance Due to Covid-19 Pandemic.
- Find their permanent home in our Union Toolkit (under Community Colleges) along with other summary updates from the Chancellor’s Office.
March 27 | Governor’s Office
Executive Order creates statewide moratorium on evictions for
renters
Governor Newsom issued an executive order banning the
enforcement of eviction orders for renters affected by Covid-19
through May 31, 2020. The order prohibits landlords from evicting
tenants for nonpayment of rent and prohibits enforcement of
evictions by law enforcement or courts. It also requires tenants
to declare in writing, no more than seven days after the rent
comes due, that the tenant cannot pay all or part of their rent
due to Covid-19.
March 26 | NPR
Coronavirus relief package offers up more
than $30 billion for education
The U.S. Senate’s $2
trillion coronavirus relief package includes more than
$30 billion for education, with more than $14 billion for
colleges and universities and at least $13.5 billion for the
nation’s K-12 schools.
March 25 | #ThankATeacher
Parents newly appreciate teachers after one week of
homeschooling
Last week, as schools began to close due to the spread of the
coronavirus, social media sites were flooded with messages from
parents and students getting used to homeschooling, sharing their
appreciation for the teachers and support staff who keep our kids
learning, fed and on a schedule. We are asking our communities to
join us in thanking our teachers and school support staff as they
share their distance learning stories
— #ThankATeacher.
March 25 | Governor’s Office
Californians can get a 90-day grace period on mortgage
payments
Financial institutions will provide relief to Californians
economically impacted by COVID-19 by offering a 90-day grace
period to make mortgage payments. Governor Newsom secured
support from Citigroup, JPMorgan Chase, U.S. Bank, and Wells
Fargo and nearly 200 state-chartered banks, credit unions, and
servicers to protect homeowners and consumers. Also (under the
applicable guidelines), financial institutions agreed to:
- accept that payment relief will not negatively impact individual credit reports;
- not initiate foreclosure sales or evictions for at least 60 days;
- waive some fees such as late mortgage payments or early CD withdrawals.
What does the transition to “remote learning” mean?
For classroom faculty with traditionally scheduled on-campus classes
Note: This helpful article was written for a local community college audience, but many of the principles apply to all of higher education as well as K-12 education.
By Jim Mahler, President, AFT Guild, Local 1931, San Diego and Grossmont-Cuyamaca Community Colleges