Special Message to the FALA Community - Interim Executive Director Eli Cohen
Hello again. I hope you all had a lovely spring weekend and Earth Day and are gearing up for an interesting and challenging, and frankly I think, exciting and empowering, week.
Further to my emails of last week, I wanted to send a new update of what is planned for this coming week and how FALA will be handling the closing of school, other events, support, etc.
As a brief reminder, the leaders of Arizona Educators United and the Arizona Education Association, representing teachers and educational staff across the state in advocating for increased educational funding and competitive pay for staff, have announced plans for a #RedforEd Walkout beginning on Thursday, April 26.
Firstly, let me just say that both the Board of Directors and administration of FALA fully support our teachers and staff in promoting the educational needs of our students and stand ready to take steps necessary to improve salaries and working conditions of all our school employees. The Board is investigating drafting a more formal statement in the next couple of days and I will keep you apprised of that as it moves forward.
As for the Walkout itself and how the FALA community is affected, attached are a number of pieces of information that I hope will be helpful (in no particular order):
Given the overwhelming support of our teachers for participation in this action, FALA will be closed for the duration of the Walkout, and no classes will be held. As of now, there is no definitive amount of time this is expected to last.
According to state laws and current policies, any day that a school is closed would have to be made up. Scheduled make-up days designated on the school calendar, May 10 and May 11, will be used in that order if available. Any additional days may be added as half-days to the end of the school year.
School closures will not affect either Middle or High School graduation dates, and these ceremonies will be held as planned. If necessary, however, students may be required to come back after the ceremonies to complete the school year to meet graduation requirements.
For students who have travel plans beginning right after the original end of the year that cannot be changed, please inform the office of these plans so that they can be considered excused absences. Just like during the year students have up to 18 absences before it could impact credit.
All offsite events that are currently planned (i.e. plays, recitals, concerts, FALA GALA) will be held as scheduled. Students and parents should contact the teacher directing such events to determine if there are changes to rehearsal schedules and locations. Tickets are still available in the locations already listed. And if you’re so inclined, donations for the GALA are still being accepted…
While this may not directly affect you as a parent, student, etc. of the FALA community, it is entirely possible that you or someone you know will need childcare or lunch services during the Walkout. I believe FUSD is assisting in setting up centers for this and it appears local organizations such as Lowell Observatory and at least one of the Aerial Arts Centers are offering classes and the like during the Walkout. Please check out the FUSD website and both the FALA Facebook page and those of other organizations for more information.
I am fairly certain that the information listed above may only barely touch on some of the questions you have, but I hope it’s a start. We will continue to send updates as more information becomes available, and will also update you via our Buzz newsletter, on the FALA website, and on our Facebook page.
It is my understanding that there will also be other events in the community related to the Walkout that may affect you, so I highly recommend that you seek out some of this information directly.
Lastly, please note that as employees of the state, our staff and administration cannot use their positions or the resources of the school to lobby politically. Naturally we are all able to do so on our private time and with resources at our own disposal. I mention this only so that you are understanding of how teachers and staff are able to communicate with students and the community at large during school hours and in official communications.
As I indicated above, this will be a challenging and unprecedented time for all of us (and certainly for me in my long tenure here), but I am hopeful that this action will bring about positive change for everyone related to the education of the students here at FALA and across the state.
Please do not hesitate to reach out to me here or by phone, or to anyone at the school, should you have questions, concerns, or comments. We will do all we can to answer and reassure.
Have a good evening, and of course don't forget that school is closed today and Tuesday for snow make-up days.
Eli
