Sample EA Petition
Sample Petition with WSEU Demands
[DATE]
To Superintendent [NAME], Mayor [NAME], [NAME OF COUNTY] County Executive [NAME],
and Governor Jay Inslee:
and Governor Jay Inslee:
We are writing to ask that you do everything in your power to support students, staff, and
community members in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak. As [NAME OF DISTRICT]
educators, we are grateful to know that our school district and state have taken key steps
toward stopping the spread of the coronavirus by closing schools until the end of 2019-2020
school year. We are also grateful for the steps you have each taken to promote equity at this
difficult time, including [EFFORTS MADE IN YOUR DISTRICT, COMMUNITY, COUNTY]
community members in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak. As [NAME OF DISTRICT]
educators, we are grateful to know that our school district and state have taken key steps
toward stopping the spread of the coronavirus by closing schools until the end of 2019-2020
school year. We are also grateful for the steps you have each taken to promote equity at this
difficult time, including [EFFORTS MADE IN YOUR DISTRICT, COMMUNITY, COUNTY]
At the same time, we are deeply concerned about the negative effects of the outbreak and
school closures on [DISTRICT] Public Schools students, staff, and community members. As
educators and unionists, we want every member of our communities to be able to emerge from
this crisis physically, mentally, and economically whole. We believe that it is possible to both
ensure safety through social distancing and promote equity through investment in our workers, students,
and their families.
school closures on [DISTRICT] Public Schools students, staff, and community members. As
educators and unionists, we want every member of our communities to be able to emerge from
this crisis physically, mentally, and economically whole. We believe that it is possible to both
ensure safety through social distancing and promote equity through investment in our workers, students,
and their families.
From your respective positions within our school district, city, and state, we ask that you take
the following steps to support the well-being of students, staff, families, and community
members:
1. Address the needs of the whole student for the duration of school closures and throughout
the active transmission period:
a. Support new and existing public programs to provide food, housing, health services, and childcare
for essential workers to meet basic needs such as [NAME LOCAL INITIATIVES]
b. Pass all students with full credit during the closure to next year, grade, or course when
possible, and if not possible, eliminate punitive grading.
2. Protect workers' rights, health, and safety relating to closures and throughout the active transmission period:
a. Ensure a continuity of pay, health care, retirement, and other benefits for all education
workers (subs, bus drivers, hourly working school staff, etc.)
b. Provide custodial staff, food workers, child care providers, healthcare workers, and other
essential staff hazard pay, protective gear, social distancing, and paid leave
c. Promote flexible telecommuting for all educators throughout the closure period, with clear
and meaningful work expectations that serve the specific purposes agreed to by collective bargaining,
while remaining out of their school buildings until the active transmission period has passed.
d. Assure that all employees who took leave because they were ill or within an at-risk group prior to
closures have their leave reinstated and do not require any staff to use personal or sick leave
during the closure period
the following steps to support the well-being of students, staff, families, and community
members:
1. Address the needs of the whole student for the duration of school closures and throughout
the active transmission period:
a. Support new and existing public programs to provide food, housing, health services, and childcare
for essential workers to meet basic needs such as [NAME LOCAL INITIATIVES]
b. Pass all students with full credit during the closure to next year, grade, or course when
possible, and if not possible, eliminate punitive grading.
2. Protect workers' rights, health, and safety relating to closures and throughout the active transmission period:
a. Ensure a continuity of pay, health care, retirement, and other benefits for all education
workers (subs, bus drivers, hourly working school staff, etc.)
b. Provide custodial staff, food workers, child care providers, healthcare workers, and other
essential staff hazard pay, protective gear, social distancing, and paid leave
c. Promote flexible telecommuting for all educators throughout the closure period, with clear
and meaningful work expectations that serve the specific purposes agreed to by collective bargaining,
while remaining out of their school buildings until the active transmission period has passed.
d. Assure that all employees who took leave because they were ill or within an at-risk group prior to
closures have their leave reinstated and do not require any staff to use personal or sick leave
during the closure period
By calling for these policies, we stand in solidarity with our union siblings who are advancing
common good demands in other contexts, including educators in the Chicago Teachers Union,
United Teachers Los Angeles, Massachusetts Teachers Association, Movement of Rank-and-File
Educators, and Caucus of Working Educators as well as educators throughout the state of Washington.
We also stand in solidarity with other grassroots organizations, community relief efforts, and
leaders who are advocating for local families as well as families around the country, including
but not limited to [REPLACE WITH SIMILAR AND LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS, FOR EXAMPLE,
SEATTLE USED THE FOLLOWING: Working Washington, COVID-19 Mutual Aid Solidarity Network,
Seattle Council Parent Teacher Student Association, Seattle Parent & Caregivers During Covid-19
Outbreak, Wa-BLOC, FEEST, La Resistencia/Northwest Detention Center Resistance, Seattle City
Councilmember Kshama Sawant, and Senator Bernie Sanders]. Most of all, we stand in solidarity
with [DISTRICT] students, educators, workers, and families.
common good demands in other contexts, including educators in the Chicago Teachers Union,
United Teachers Los Angeles, Massachusetts Teachers Association, Movement of Rank-and-File
Educators, and Caucus of Working Educators as well as educators throughout the state of Washington.
We also stand in solidarity with other grassroots organizations, community relief efforts, and
leaders who are advocating for local families as well as families around the country, including
but not limited to [REPLACE WITH SIMILAR AND LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS, FOR EXAMPLE,
SEATTLE USED THE FOLLOWING: Working Washington, COVID-19 Mutual Aid Solidarity Network,
Seattle Council Parent Teacher Student Association, Seattle Parent & Caregivers During Covid-19
Outbreak, Wa-BLOC, FEEST, La Resistencia/Northwest Detention Center Resistance, Seattle City
Councilmember Kshama Sawant, and Senator Bernie Sanders]. Most of all, we stand in solidarity
with [DISTRICT] students, educators, workers, and families.
Thank you each for your attention to these issues and for everything you do for our communities.
In solidarity,
__________________________
Comments
Post a Comment