Teachers, union reps criticize MCPS leaders over 'inadequate health and safety plans' for school return

Montgomery County school leaders at odds with teachers over safety

Montgomery County Public Schools is refuting what they say are untrue claims about how they will reopen but educators who attended last night’s closed townhall say otherwise, adding, there’s a sudden distrust.

GAITHERSBURG, Md. (FOX 5 DC) - A fierce war of words is going on between hundreds of Montgomery County educators and school district leaders, nearly a month before school starts with distance learning.

The plan “is wholly inadequate to protect the health and safety of students and staff,” the Montgomery County Education Association said in a statement it issued late Friday morning.

Some teachers told FOX 5’s Ayesha Khan, they were debriefed by union leaders in a Thursday night closed session, organized by MCEA to discuss contract bargaining, negotiations and meetings about the fall plan.

More than a dozen teachers who were present during the meeting shared their detailed notes, which appear to differ from what MCPS has told the public and members of the media about the necessary steps it will take to keep children and the staff safe when schools eventually reopen. That includes social distancing in classrooms and on school buses, thorough cleaning and disinfecting practices, required face coverings that MCPS would provide, if needed, and hand sanitizing stations at each school.

But some of the teachers and union claim they are being told the opposite. They believe that MCPS has allegedly failed on having concrete plans on how masking, social distancing, and enhanced cleaning will take place.

Teachers said they’ve been informed that each student and staff member will only receive two masks, for the entire year.

“The trust is just eroding,” said physical education teacher, Susan Loftus. “I mean I’ve been in schools where there’s never even soap or paper towels and now we’re going to trust that you’re going to have a mask for every kid? A disposable one in case they forget their cloth one? I mean come on, does two cloth masks seem reasonable to anybody?”

MCPS representatives refuted the claim about only two masks. FOX 5 spoke with spokesperson, Derek Turner who said that MCPS has ordered millions of dollars of PPE for students and staff.

Some other teachers told FOX 5 that they don’t have a choice on whether or not they return to the classroom.

But MCPS said, that also was not true.

Turner explained that fear could not be a choice and that teachers would have to meet some CDC criteria.

It’s an issue that superintendent, Dr. Jack Smith addressed in a new video, Friday afternoon.

“It’s an issue of need, flexibility and choice and how all that works together,” said Smith. “So we have to have a process for that. So we are going to continue to work with individual employees and with individuals families.”

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“Fear is not a choice but a living situation is a choice,” said kindergarten teacher, Joleen Johnson. “I don’t have a medical condition but I am a single mom with no other family in the area and no other support, so I’m not a risk-taker, I don’t put myself in dangerous conditions.”

FOX 5 also inquired with MCPS about hiring extra custodial staff but we were told that “given that all county agencies are faced with tremendous budget constraints during the pandemic, MCPS is trying to figure out where they would get the funds to hire “extra staff.”

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