| Louisiana Federation of Teachers

December Newsletter & Special Message from President Carter

“Without a doubt, this year has brought unprecedented challenges to our lives,” says President Carter in a special end-of-year message to the members of Louisiana Federation of Teachers and School Employees. “I am so proud of the solidarity and passion I have seen from LFT members…Whether it’s lobbying BESE, speaking out at local school board meetings, talking to journalists, or participating in socially distanced protests, teachers and school employees have found ways to make their voices heard.”

Many of the results from today's Election Day are still not known. Still, one thing is clear: hardworking taxpayers rejected constitutional Amendment #5. This is a huge victory for Louisiana's working people, particularly our schools and the students they serve.

The Louisiana Federation of Teachers and School Employees worked tirelessly to spread awareness about this potentially damaging Amendment in the lead up to Election Day. Through our members' diligent work all over the state, we reached tens of thousands of voters through texts, calls, digital media campaigns, and radio advertisements.

This election cycle, Louisiana voters will consider seven possible constitutional amendments, in addition to candidates and local ballot initiatives. Each could have a lasting impact on our state.

LFT strongly OPPOSES Constitutional Amendment #5 because it could rob our schools of vital funding, here is our position on all the amendments:

Amendment 1: No Position
Amendment 2: OPPOSE
Amendment 3: OPPOSE
Amendment 4: OPPOSE
Amendment 5: OPPOSE
Amendment 6: SUPPORT
Amendment 7: OPPOSE

To see a full explanation of LFT’s positions, click

LFT Mourns the Death of Nat LaCour

We lost an iconic trade unionist and distinguished educator. Nat LaCour exemplified the best of our union. He was a true visionary with regard to the essential role of unions in helping increase the power, agency, wages and professionalism of educators. He challenged the racism that he had to confront as a Black man, educator and union leader in the South, and he was admired by friend and foe because of his grace, kindness and brilliance. All of us at the AFT are deeply saddened to learn of his passing.

This week we conclude the second week in the ongoing Special Legislative Session, bringing us to nearly the half way point. Due to the oncoming Hurricane Delta, some meetings were moved up until earlier in the week, most notably both the House Education and Senate Education Committees conducted their weekly meetings at the same time on Wednesday morning. They both considered important legislation, but here are some of the highlights:

One of the most important bills that we will hear in this abbreviated legislation is Senate Bill 31 by Senator Cleo Fields. If passed, this bill would prohibit the use of statewide student assessments conducted during the 2020-2021 school year from being used to evaluate teacher performance. Essentially, schools could (and likely would) still have testing this year, but the scores couldn't count against a teacher's performance evaluation.

The Louisiana legislature has convened a Special Session to begin Monday. It shall end no later than 6 P.M. on October 27, 2020 and there are 70 different items that may be subject to legislation during the session. Included in the items enumerated in the Call are state tax revenue and school funding, among others.

Because the session was called so quickly, there are still any number of different bills being written that could impact teachers, support employees and our students. While the session may be short, decisions will be made that could have a lasting impact on Louisiana schools and it is vital that educators stay up to date about the ongoing issues.

SPECIAL MESSAGE FROM PRESIDENT CARTER:

This year, “back-to-school” is unlike anything we’ve ever faced. Some of you are in the classroom, some aren’t. Many students still don’t know when they may return to a school building. Perhaps what’s most frustrating, is that too many school districts left their planning to the last minute, leaving teachers, support staff, parents, and students scrambling.

All over the state, teachers and support staff have come together to demand safety for their students and in their schools. Whether it’s lobbying BESE, speaking out at local School Board Meetings, talking to journalists, or participating in socially-distanced protests, educators have found ways to make their voices heard. I’m so proud of the solidarity and passion I have seen from LFT members in these last few months. Your compassion, dedication, and wherewithal knows no bounds and you have truly made an impact on the lives of your students and their families.

Without the dedicated work of LFT members, many school districts...

School buildings cannot open for in-person instruction until the below conditions are met:
- Community transmission of COVID-19 is under control in the region;
- There is a public health infrastructure to support effective disease surveillance, tracing and isolation in schools;
- Staff who are at high risk have access to special accommodations;
- The district and school have funded safeguards and implemented protocols, including physical distancing, face coverings, access to hand-washing facilities, cleaning supplies, and updates to ventilation and;
- AFT members and leaders, families and community partners are included in the reopening planning process.

Louisiana Federation of Teachers has compiled the following resources to help inform members of their rights as schools begin to reopen in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic:

AFT Frequently Asked Questions Q & A

AFT Know Your Rights

U.S. Dept. of Labor Employee Rights

U.S. Dept. of Labor FFCRA Excerpt

U.S. Dept of Labor FFCRA Q&A