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To our members,
Thank you for your patience. We know this has been a stressful week, and we want to share some good news with you. First and foremost, we are concerned about maintaining the health and wellness of our students, teachers, and other educational employees while finding ways to provide students with learning opportunities during school closures.
This morning, the Hawaii State Teachers Association and Hawaii State Department of Education signed a letter of agreement that provides a framework to allow our members to work from home for the duration of preparations and response to the coronavirus (COVID-19).
The agreement includes the following:
- For the duration of March 23, 2020 through the end of COVID-19-related school closures, teachers shall not be required to report to a worksite.
- Teachers will be engaged in teacher-initiated activities and planning and collaboration activities from a remote location starting March 23.
View the full letter of agreement
What happens next week?
From March 23–27, educators will engage in remote work (except for Thursday, March 26, which is a state holiday) with their administrators and colleagues regarding closures, and potential learning and enrichment activities.
This planning will include no fewer than fifteen (15) hours of teacher-controlled preparation time. In addition, principals will call for virtual meetings such as faculty, department, or grade-level meetings as well as professional development.
Instructions will be sent to teachers regarding the method of virtual collaboration and meeting options by their administrators. According to our letter of agreement, “Teachers without access to necessary resources to engage in work from a remote location, including but not limited to equipment, software and internet access shall be provided such access by the Employer or be held harmless.”
Teachers will be offered the opportunity to enter their workspace on a limited basis to gather equipment, such as laptop computers and preparation materials on March 23 and 24.
What happens on March 30?
Starting March 30 until the reopening of schools, the following expectations will be asked of our members:
“Classroom teachers shall assess their students’ essential educational needs and determine the learning and enrichment activities needed for students for the duration of COVID-19-related school closures. Classroom teachers shall have the freedom to use their professional training and judgment to determine the scope and method to be utilized in providing appropriate learning and enrichment activities.”
“Non-classroom teachers shall assess their current work in consultation with their supervisor to prioritize the most essential functions which can be done during school closures due to COVID-19. Non-classroom teachers shall have the freedom to use their professional training and judgment to determine the scope and method to be utilized completing their work tasks.”
The agreement also includes protections for teachers and students, including:
- Due to digital equity issues, students may not be penalized for failing to complete the learning and enrichment activities during school closures.
- All teachers with responsibilities for students with special needs will be provided comprehensive guidance and support from the HIDOE regarding Chapter 60 requirements. The U.S. Department of Education guidance says if the HIDOE “closes its schools to slow or stop the spread of COVID-19, and does not provide any educational services to the general student population, then an LEA would not be required to provide services to students with disabilities during that same period of time.” It is our understanding that Superintendent Christina Kishimoto has closed all schools through at least April 6 and during this time, there will be no educational programming for students, including students with special needs. Teachers with questions related to special education should discuss them with their respective administrators.
This agreement does not stop HSTA’s prohibited practice complaint, which is currently before the Hawaii Labor Relations Board. We also filed an emergency temporary interlocutory order, which is similar to a temporary restraining order, to keep the state from requiring our members to return to work until “such time that HSTA’s complaint has been adjudicated by the HLRB or the coronavirus (‘COVID-19’) outbreak has ended or is controlled.” We strongly believe that schools should not open until the virus is no longer a threat. Setting a return date for teachers on April 6 and students on April 7 is premature and potentially unsafe.
On Friday, March 29, at 3 p.m., HSTA streamed a live briefing to discuss the agreement and answer members' questions. This post has been updated to include video of the briefing. Note: Due to the rapidly evolving nature of this situation, the information provided in this video may no longer be accurate.
As always, please check our web page for the latest official information. We appreciate your patience during this difficult time.