Brookline teachers have voted to go on strike on Tuesday, accusing school leaders of reneging on a promise to maintain six feet of social distancing in schools.
“We were shocked last week during bargaining when the committee said it would no longer agree to requiring six feet of social distancing in classrooms and other areas of our schools. Every other health and safety agreement we discussed was predicated on that six feet of social distancing,” said Jessica Wender-Shubow, president of the Brookline Educators Union, in a statement.
It is illegal under state law for public employees to strike — an action that can come with hefty fines and penalties — but Wender-Shubow said in an interview on Monday said that union members are willing to take the risk because they are worried more about their safety. About 90 percent of union members who attended a meeting Sunday night approved the strike, she said.
The action immediately raised concerns with Brookline school officials. The School Committee held an emergency meeting Monday morning and approved a motion to file a complaint with the state department of labor relations.
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“It’s unfortunate there will be a strike,” said Suzanne Federspiel, the committee’s chair. “We have not reneged on six foot distancing. That is in effect now and will continue in the future. There seems to be some confusion over that.”
Striking on Tuesday will not cause any disruption to student learning. According to the school system’s website, students have the day off because of the election, but teachers and other staffers are supposed to report to work for professional development. It’s unclear what would happen if the strike continues beyond Tuesday, said interim Superintendent James Marini.
The union and the School Committee have been engaged in negotiations for about three months over work conditions related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Last week, the school officials sought flexibility around six feet of social distancing in the event that conditions around the pandemic improve, such as when a vaccine becomes available.
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Wender-Shubow said, however, that many teachers have found that six feet of social distancing is often not occurring in schools right now. While desks may be six feet apart, it’s difficult to keep students from mingling with one another in classrooms or other areas, such as hallways.
Since the school year began on Sept. 16, Brookline has been phasing in the return of students to classrooms. Preschool and kindergarten students have been doing in person learning since the start of the academic year, while grades 1-9 returned at the end of last month in two waves. The remaining high school students are slated to come back next week.
To keep the number of students down in the schools to maintain social distancing, Brookline has split its 7,000 students into two groups. One group reports to classrooms on Mondays and Tuesdays and the other on Thursdays and Fridays. On days when students are not in classrooms, they learn remotely.
“The Brookline School Committee is taking a dangerously cavalier attitude toward health and safety of students, their families, the workers in our schools, and the community as a whole,” Wender-Shubow said. “We have an opportunity to reach an agreement that addresses the academic, social and emotional needs of students as well as the overall health and safety of this and surrounding communities. The School Committee just unwound all of the work that we have put into the process, and we urge the committee members to reach a binding agreement on health and safety based on local, national and state guidelines.”
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James Vaznis can be reached at james.vaznis@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @globevaznis.
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Brookline teachers to strike on Tuesday in dispute over classroom virus safety measures - The Boston Globe
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