Taline Arsenian, president of the Glendale Teachers Assn., responded to the protest that took place outside the offices of the GTA on Wednesday morning.

“I believe these parents and our teachers want the same thing, we both want to be in our classrooms with our students, but only when it is safe to do so. GTA wants a reopening plan that prioritizes safety. This includes the opportunity to receive the full vaccine with enough time allowed after the second dose to allow for immunity prior to any physical return to campus.

“GTA is also concerned about the equity and quality of instruction in a concurrent teaching model. Teachers have not been trained and the District is not offering training for concurrent learning practices. How does a teacher teach an in-class lesson and a remote lesson simultaneously? Planning, preparation and assessment are completely different for each type of instruction.

“GTA is also concerned about the District’s lack of plan to address the needs of specialized programs, such as FLAG, CTE, speach [SIC], language, vision, and mobility services, and all special education services. We want to return when a thoughtful and more considerate plan is developed in collaboration with all stakeholders, particularly educators. GTA leadership has had very little input in any of the plans that are being shared now, which seem to be changing regularly.

“GTA’s top priorities for a safe, sustainable, and equitable reopening of school buildings are vaccines for all educators and school staff, GUSD must meet or exceed all safety measures, instructional materials and resources that allow for equity, and to maintain or improve educational experiences for ALL students.”

United,
Taline