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.

Click here to send an email now!

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.

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.

This school year has had a start like none other! These are unprecedented times. We thank you for your resilience. A special thank you to those who have used the JFT reporting form to document concerns at your school/worksite. We are using this information to inform the district about your concerns and work through resolutions. Please remember, issues cannot be addressed, if they are not documented and shared with our staff.

Please continue to use this form if there are safety concerns at your school/worksite. Your name is not revealed, when sharing the information with the district.

165 Question Update

JFT held member meetings after the Jefferson Strong Start Plan was released. As a result of those meetings, members posed 165 questions. The responses are in green. Questions that have not been addressed at this time are denoted with an asterisk (*). Some questions have been addressed at individual school sites. To see a printable copy of these answers, click here.

Bus/Transportation; Arrival and Departures

Are bus drivers taking temperatures? No. Parents should ensure that their child reports to the bus stop free of COVID-19 symptoms. If a student is sick and exhibits COVID-like symptoms (fever

This week, the School Board decided to delay schools by a few days to address safety protocols around reopening. We are asking you to join us for an urgent meeting to discuss all the outstanding questions and concerns within your schools. We will hold 17 school-specific, virtual meetings.

Below you will see the time slot for your school. Please register here* and we will send you the information to join the meeting.

*You must register by 8 P.M. the night before your meeting is scheduled. We will only send you the login information after verifying your membership.

Summer 2020 Update

2020-2021 Employment Update

During the spring of this school year, schools received their projected staffing allocations for the upcoming school year. That meant gains at some schools and eliminations at others. While most Teacher based employees were able to secure positions in other locations, we still have some support employees who have not reached mutual consent.

For 9 and 10 month employees, the window to reach mutual consent has been extended until July 31, 2020. If mutual consent is not reached by this date, employment, salary and benefits will end effective August 31

PPE FOR LFT MEMBERS

LFT has partnered with our national affiliate, American Federation of Teachers to bring 30,000 masks to Louisiana teachers and school staff. These masks were donated to LFT by the United States Heartland China Association and the Wanxiang Group.

Inadequate Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) has plagued frontline workers throughout the pandemic, which is why LFT and our partners are making these free masks available to any member who needs one. Please contact your local affiliate to get your mask or learn about their individual distribution plan.

DON’T FORFEIT OUR FUTURE: PASS THE HEROES ACT

Today is the beginning of Teacher Appreciation Week!

I hope you and your family are safe and healthy. Even though we’re physically distant, it’s important that we recognize the remarkable work our teachers and support staff do every day.

On March 13th our world changed in an unprecedented way – every public school in the state shut down and we were given little time to prepare for remote learning. Under immense pressure, you worked around the clock

News

November Newsletter

Ask BESE for an Instructional Minutes Waiver for 2020-2021

Your Vote is Your Voice

JFT Update

From the Lawyer’s Desk

Important Back-to-School Updates

August/September Newsletter

165 Question Update

Join Us for a Virtual Meeting about Back-to-School

JFT Summer Newsletter

Summer 2020 Update

2020-2021 Employment Update

The May Newsletter

PPE FOR LFT MEMBERS

DON’T FORFEIT OUR FUTURE: PASS THE HEROES ACT

Teacher Appreciation Week 2020