In ‘desperation,’ Ky. teachers in one district turn to Beshear over COVID work rules

Some Pulaski County teachers have sent Gov. Andy Beshear a letter “in desperation,” asking him to act on their behalf during the pandemic “as we are struggling with systems that have not shown proper care for our safety and the safety of our students.”

The teachers say classes continue to be held in-person despite increases in cases, that mask rules aren’t enforced with students, and social distancing guidelines aren’t followed. In addition to a lack of precautions to protect teachers, there has been a “lack of basic empathy” for educators, the group argues.

In a joint statement Tuesday, Beshear and Lt. Gov. Jacqueline Coleman, to whom the letter was also addressed, responded:

“The letter and its claims are very concerning. Even outside of COVID, our teachers sacrifice for their community and their students on a daily basis. We should show them more respect than is suggested in the actions referenced in the letter.”

At a 4 p.m. news conference, Beshear said that starting Monday, all K-12 schools, including private schools, will have to close to in-person classes until next semester (which begins in January). Elementary schools in counties where there are fewer than 25 cases per 100,000 people will be able to reopen Dec. 7.

Pulaski teachers were concerned about practices during virtual instruction and in-classroom instruction.

But Superintendent Patrick Richardson said he does “not believe the letter represents the majority of teachers in Pulaski County. Most of these comments are very misleading and some just not true.”

Before the governor’s order, Richardson said he planned for the district to begin a mixture of virtual and in-person instruction on Nov. 30 after a nine-day Thanksgiving break.

Beshear’s restrictions will change those plans, not long after the area’s Lake Cumberland District Health Department said on its Facebook page that it was getting “numerous complaints from citizens, teachers, students, and parents about several area schools continuing to have in-person classes” despite high numbers of COVID-19 cases.

The health department covers 10 counties in Southern Kentucky. Nine are in the state’s red category, which means they have the worst incidence rates and spread of the virus.

The conflict between the Pulaski County teachers and Richardson is one example of the struggle at some schools across Kentucky as they have made decisions to open, close or offer virtual or face-to-face instruction amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to the Kentucky School Boards Association, as of Monday afternoon, at least 95 of Kentucky’s 171 school districts were virtual this week.

For the two months from August to October that students learned virtually, the Pulaski teachers’ letter to the governor said, teachers had to appear in person at their schools.

“There was no reason given as to why we could not work from home if sick, or why those with elderly and infirm families could not work from home. We were required to come in each and every day,” the letter said.

Parents of students in the district were given surveys asking what they preferred, but the teachers were not given the same courtesy, the letter said.

“There was very little correspondence over the entire summer on what was to happen and absolutely none over how we felt, what we feared, what we wanted, what we needed,” the letter said. There seemed to be a “lack of care” and “active disregard of our safety,” said the letter.

The teachers said when the district returned to in-person schooling, “many students wore masks, though most wore them as chinstraps, and for those who did not, there was little more than a stern glare and a wag of the finger. “

Many rooms, even the smallest, were packed with up to 30 desks for students to use, the teachers said. After some students turned to virtual learning “there are still classrooms with far too many students to socially distance properly. “

The letter cited seven instances of students or staff being placed under quarantine.

“With all of this, we are not given updates; we are not spoken to regularly. We are not asked even simply how we are handling the struggles. Since school has returned, there has been nothing but a lack of basic empathy in regard to the teachers,” the letter said.

“It is with desperation, we reach out to the governor and once more implore him to stand up for educators.”

Richardson said the letter to the governor surprised him, that he had not received a concern or complaint about in-person instruction from an employee since before virtual school started in August, and then, he only got a handful.

“I have actually had many teachers and parents thank me for getting our students back in person,” he said.

Pulaski County Schools has about 9,000 students and 1,400 employees, including 650 teachers.

“Overwhelmingly we have awesome teachers that during these tough times have given 100 percent for our students,” said Richardson, “I had heard that approximately five or six teachers were on social media at the end of last week voicing their negative opinion about in-person instruction from Pulaski County High School. However, to this date, I have not heard from even one.”

“It is disappointing that I must ... defend educating our students and to defend the integrity of the overwhelming majority of teachers and staff who are working tirelessly in this very difficult time,” he said.

Richardson described an overall low number of staff coronavirus cases at 24. As of last week, Pulaski had approximately 69 student cases since the district began state reporting on Sept. 28, before in-person instruction began, he said.

Of those cases, 31 were virtual-only students who have not ever been physically to school yet, said Richardson. The 38 in-school cases have been randomly scattered among 12 schools with no clustering of cases, except for the Pulaski County football team and kindergarten students.

“Our quarantines have been very aggressive, and I do not apologize for them,” he said.

When in session, school staffs and students are “movement controlled, masked, and distance compliant” and are adhering to sanitation and universal daily temperature checks, Richardson said.

In deciding to have virtual or in-person lessons, Richardson said he must consider “all aspects in making this decision, from what is best for students, what is best for parents, and what is best for staff, I do not have the luxury to view this from one perspective.”

This story was originally published November 18, 2020 at 4:07 PM.