JFT Update: December 21, 2020
JFT Update
December 21, 2020
COVID-19 Q&A
By: Larry Samuel, JFT General Counsel
News
Jefferson Should Move to Virtual Learning
On Friday, the Jefferson Federation of Teachers sent the following letter to Dr. Gray to highlight the concerns of JFT members and request that the district immediately move to virtual learning. You can read this letter in it's entirety
JFT Update: December 13, 2020
General Membership Meeting
Jefferson Federation of Teachers & School Employees is holding the December General Membership Meeting on Zoom:
Thursday, December 17th
5:30 P.M.
If you are a JFT member, click here to register for this virtual meeting.
JFT Update: December 2, 2020
FROM THE LAWYER’S DESK
By: Larry Samuel, JFT General Counsel
COVID-19 Q&A 
JFT members have asked excellent questions about how the school district is supposed to handle certain situations involving COVID-19. This is the first of a series of articles responding to the questions. If you have additional questions, email: info@jft.org.
November Newsletter
Ask BESE for an Instructional Minutes Waiver for 2020-2021
A few members have questioned why 30 minutes are being added to the school day. Here’s the reason: Louisiana law requires all school districts to have a certain number of minutes of instruction each year.
Last school year, those requirements were waived because of COVID, but so far this year, the State has not issued any such waiver. You can help address this issue by sending an email to the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education and Superintendent Brumley to ask them to waive the traditional instructional minutes requirement for this year.
Finally—it’s President-elect Biden
Patience—counseled by former Vice President Joe Biden all election week as Americans waited for votes to be counted—finally paid off Nov. 7, four days after Election Day, when Biden won in Pennsylvania and gained enough Electoral College votes to acquire a new title: president-elect. AFT President Randi Weingarten says the union’s leaders and members “can’t wait to get started” on the work ahead “with an administration that will embrace and fight for the values we hold dear.”
The AFT calls for freedom to teach
AFT President Randi Weingarten today delivered a major address on the crisis hollowing out the teaching profession—massive disinvestment in public education and deprofessionalization. In her speech at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., she called for reinvestment and freedom to teach. It was followed by two panels featuring education leaders who laid out pragmatic solutions.
Your Vote is Your Voice
Early voting is Oct. 16-27 (excluding Sunday, Oct. 18 and Sunday, Oct. 25) from 8 a.m.-7 p.m.
Generally, your early voting polling location will differ from your election day polling location, so it's important to look up your voting sites at www.geauxvote.com.
Election day is Tuesday, November 3rd. Polls will be open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Please click here to see the AFL-CIO/JFT endorsed candidates and amendments.
For additional information visit www.aftvotes.org.
Your vote is your voice
AFT President Randi Weingarten’s latest column outlines the urgency of using our voices—our votes—in this life-changing election, when we will make a choice “between President Donald Trump, who has trafficked in chaos, fear, lies and division, and former Vice President Joe Biden, who seeks to reverse Trump’s failures on COVID-19 and the economy, and to unite and uplift the American people.” Besides the four crises we face—a pandemic, an economic crisis, racism and a climate emergency—democracy itself is on the ballot, as Trump continues to cast doubt on the legitimacy of the election.
JFT Update
From the Lawyer’s Desk
By Larry Samuel, JFT General Counsel
Rittenberg, Samuel & Phillips, LLC
“I’m here From Human Resources and I need to speak with you.”
The day begins as most days do. You get ready to go to work, you go to work, and you begin working….when…suddenly…someone approaches you and says, “I’m here from Human Resources and I need to speak with you. Or you may receive a phone call, directing you to report to Human Resources.