In the name of mental health, Richmond Public Schools will have off additional days for the week of November 1-November 5. Schools were already set to be closed on Tuesday, November 2 for Election Day and Thursday, November 4 for Diwali. Parent/Teacher conferences are also going to be held virtually on Friday, November 5. While the district has plenty of items on the calendar going on next week, Dan McLaughlin pointed out for National Review that it frees up Monday for teachers to campaign for Democratic gubernatorial candidate Terry McAuliffe.
The announcement to close schools for the week was made by Richmond Public Schools Superintendent Jason Kamras, who made a video and written message available for district families. Emphasis is original:
Dear #RPSStrong Family,
Over the last couple of weeks, I've heard directly from dozens of teachers, principals, and support staff about how stressful this year has been. Many have shared that they're on the brink of burning out – even leaving – and it's only October. Tragically, as The Washington Post recently reported, this is a national trend.
Some of the stressors are beyond our immediate control. Chief among these is the toll that COVID-19 has taken on our community. Many staff members are still mourning the loss of loved ones; others are still caring for those who are ill. In addition, many spouses and life partners of our employees have lost their jobs and are struggling to find their footing.
But some of the stressors are within our control. In my conversations with teachers and other staff, the three that I hear the most are: 1) We're doing too much; 2) There's not enough time; and 3) Students are exhibiting significant trauma from the past 20 months and we need more support to help them. Tonight, I'm announcing several changes to address each of these.
We're doing too much – As of today, I'm placing a moratorium on new division-wide programs, initiatives, curricula, etc. for the rest of the year. If something's not already in place, it won't be added this year. Period. In addition, I've asked the Leadership Team to think through ways we can scale back on non-essential activities. We need to do less, better.
There's not enough time – Not having time for a duty-free lunch, and independent planning time not being held sacred, are the two concerns I've heard the most. Many teachers have lost their duty-free lunch because of our COVID protocols which, in many cases, require students to eat in the classroom with their teacher. We simply don't have enough lunch monitors to cover every one of these rooms. To fully free up our teachers, we need 100 additional monitors. So tonight I'm making an urgent appeal to our stakeholders: If you, or someone you know, can serve as a lunch monitor, please complete an application today. We'll expedite the review process so we can get you in schools right away. Please note that you don't have to volunteer; this is a paid position.
As for planning time, yesterday, I authorized our principals to make any necessary changes to hold independent teacher planning time more sacred. This means more flexibility with coach meetings, collaborative planning meetings, and so on.
Students are exhibiting significant trauma from the past 20 months and we need more support to help them – I wish I had a quick fix for this one, but I sadly do not. Many of our students faced multiple pandemics before COVID-19: poverty, racism, gun violence, and more. The last 20 months have only exacerbated these. While we've already invested millions this year for additional mental health clinicians and other supports, we need to do even more. That's why – with the School Board's consent – I intend to reallocate $3 million of our federal relief funding to increase mental health supports for our students.
Finally, in the interest of our employees' mental health, I've also made the decision – after conferring with School Board Chair Burke, my Parent Advisory Council, all of our principals, and dozens of teachers – to close RPS on Monday, November 1, and Wednesday, November 3. We are already closed on Tuesday, November 2, for Election Day; and Thursday, November 4, for Diwali. In addition, there's no school on Friday, November 5, due to Parent/Teacher Conferences, which will be virtual this year to save everyone time and prevent COVID-19 transmission.
I recognize I'm giving our families very short notice of this calendar change and truly apologize for the inconvenience it will cause. After very careful consideration, I made this decision because I think it's essential for our employees' mental health. And because of their mental health, I worry about significant staff absences on November 1 and 3, which could make it very difficult for us to follow our COVID-19 distancing protocols, putting student and staff health in jeopardy. Again, I sincerely apologize for the short notice and thank you in advance for your understanding.
I'm under no illusion that the changes I've shared tonight will eliminate the stress that the RPS Team is feeling. But I'm hopeful they will help. To everyone who has called, emailed, texted, shared at public comment, or grabbed me in the hallway to share feedback and potential solutions, thank you. I'm eternally grateful for your engagement.
With great appreciation,
Jason
One particularly noteworthy passage of the announcement reported on by national and local outlets alike, such as the Washington Examiner and Richmond-Times Dispatch, was that on societal ills. "Many of our students faced multiple pandemics before COVID-19: poverty, racism, gun violence, and more. The last 20 months have only exacerbated these," Kamras emphasized in part of the email.
The superintendent acknowledged that the announcement would come at an inconvenience, which arguably almost makes it that much more inconvenient then. Included in reporting from WTVR CBS 6 are parent reactions, including from those not so thrilled:
RPS parent Scott Garnett believed the superintendent's decision was another instance where the school system was being reactive rather than proactive.
"I think the part that bothers me the most is the last minute announcement that was made," said Garnett. "I'm a small business owner and my wife is a small business owner and we can work around these issues. But for a single parent trying to juggle this, it just doesn't make any sense."
Vice Chair of the school board, Jonathan Young, also said it was a decision he could not support.
"This sudden unexpected announcement is, is really a most unfortunate reminder of a year and a half that many of us would like to forget," said Young.
As Young referenced, schools were already closed from March 2020-August 2021, due to the pandemic.
A subsequent report from Caroline Coleburn with CBS 6 noted that "Richmond superintendent says school closure was not made to dismiss teachers' collective bargaining push."
