Staff FAQs: COVID-19
on school's closure, compensation and expectations
If you are wondering when the information below was updated...
Dear FPS Staff,
I hope this communication finds you and your loved ones safe and healthy.
The Office of Human Resources along with District leaders, union leaders, and City departments wants to ensure that you have information at your hands to alleviate concerns. Please visit the myHr website frequently; we update these FAQs with questions as they arise from you, our staff. Therefore, please do not hesitate to reach out to us with any questions; as I used to say to my students, “If you have questions, your classmates surely have questions as well.” The same applies to staff; no question is too small or insignificant.
Remember that we are here to serve your needs, and we appreciate your continued patience and flexibility as we navigate these unprecedented times.
Be healthy and well!
Inna London
Assistant Superintendent for Human Resources
Highlight of Today: TBE Teachers Expectations
- TBE teachers are to collaborate with their grade level teams during co-planning team time. TBE teachers can assist with the translation of what is listed/ prioritized in the "white boxes."
- SEI teachers will provide the appropriate scaffolds/supports for the English Learners on their list of activities. ESL teachers and/or ELD coach can support the grade level team with selecting the appropriate supports for the tasks/activities.
- TBE teachers are to take the priority standards and grade level decisions during CTT and plan for their TBE classrooms. All TBE lessons must be in alignment to the scope, framework, and agreed upon decisions during CTT.
- TBE teachers will have until Friday at noon or before to link their lesson plans to the remote learning plan. There will be no submissions after this deadline.
- SEI plans (links) do not need to be translated in Portuguese/Spanish as the language of instruction is English. SEI lesson plans must have support /scaffolds for English learners embedded in the lesson.
A: This has been such a difficult time period for so many! We can about your physical and mental health. Please see and make use of the following CONFIDENTIAL City benefits!
A: Mark Goldschmidt, Program Coordinator and Teacher of the Resiliency for Life Program at Framingham High School: The Greater Framingham Running Club will be starting a free virtual Couch to 5K Program on Saturday April 18th. The idea is that if you feel as though you were too inactive throughout the winter and especially during our current Corona situation then you can use this team approach to getting in shape through the 10 week program. The program will culminate with a virtual 5K in June. Mentors from the GFRC will offer tips on conditioning, injury prevention and especially motivation. As most of us know, the hardest part isn't the running, it's finding the will to walk out the door to go run when there is every reason NOT to. For those who are already in 5K shape there will be tips on how to take it up to a 10K or even a half marathon. If you're interested in participating or mentoring please email Mark Goldschmidt (Nala's dad) for details. Mark is 6'5", so the club will be supporting social distancing by encouraging you to stay at least one "Goldschmidt" away from anyone you choose to train with.
A: From Dr. Robert Tremblay, Superintendent of Schools:
Dear Colleagues:
I hope you had a great weekend (once you reminded yourself that it was a weekend) and that this message finds you well and managing as best you can during this unimaginable time. We have been working closely with the Framingham Teachers Association and our school administrators to develop a remote learning plan that is equitable and ensures we are doing everything possible to meet the needs of all of our students. If you have not yet done so already, I encourage you to read these guidelines from the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) which outlines the priority areas each district must consider when developing a remote learning plan.
These guidelines specifically state:
Equity needs to be a top consideration in local planning efforts, especially as districts and schools make plans to manage an extended closure;
Making connections between school staff and students is paramount, particularly for the most vulnerable members of our school communities;
Districts and schools must work to adopt a remote learning model;
Remote learning models must launch in early April;
Districts should support students to engage in meaningful and productive learning for approximately half the length of a regular school day (educator directed and self-directed learning);
Strongly recommend that districts and schools focus on reinforcing skills already taught this school year and applying and deepening these skills;
Districts and schools should also consider ways that student learning can continue offline;
Components:
Connect with one or more educators multiple times per week
Access to multiple hours of academic content directed by educators, which focus on reinforcing skills already taught
Time each day for physical activity
Additional daily time for enrichment activities such as the arts;
Teachers should provide feedback on student work completed at home; and
Strongly recommend academic content be graded as credit/no credit
Before moving forward with determinations of “no credit” schools are strongly urged to consider whether the students have had equitable access to learning opportunities (eg: technology, health, disability, and language challenges).
In accordance with these guidelines, we have developed the remote learning plan outlined below. We are confident this is a sustainable and accessible means of providing meaningful and engaging learning opportunities for our students in a way that is equitable and takes into consideration the needs of all of our students.
While the details of the plan are explained in the table below, the key components of the plan include:
A weekly learning calendar for each grade level and department to provide students with approximately 3 hours of engaging and meaningful learning activities each day focused on review of previously taught skills so as to reinforce and deepen students’ understanding of content;
Support from special education staff and language development coaches to ensure all student have resources to make the content accessible to them;
The inclusion of “no tech” learning options;
Teacher-initiated outreach to students at least twice per week;
A minimum of 180 minutes of office hours per week for each educator so students can have direct and immediate access to their teachers;
Feedback from teachers;
Opportunities for teachers to tailor the learning to meet students’ individual needs; and
Grading incentives to keep students engaged while ensuring those students dealing with challenges are treated equitably.
This work is incredibly important as it provides structure and opportunity for our students and I am particularly grateful to our Office of Teaching and Learning, Special Education and Multilingual Education Departments, and to our FTA partners for developing this model to serve our students as best as we are able during this challenging time.
And to all of our teachers, support staff, department heads, coaches, and directors: We could not do this work without all of you. Your contribution is critical to the success of this remote learning plan for all students, but particularly for our most vulnerable population. We ask that you keep the needs of ALL students in mind as you develop plans, communicate with students and families, and schedule your office hours. If there is anything that you need or anything we can do to support you, please do not hesitate to reach out.
We will, of course, continue to check in with all of you as we proceed.
My best,
Bob
Elementary and Secondary Remote Learning Summary
ELEMENTARY
Video (4:24 in length)
Draft of Calendar of Activities Elementary (white area will be populated by staff and coached and department heads will populate the colored areas)
Collaborative Remote Learning - ELEMENTARY
SECONDARY
A: Yes, here are some guidelines that were collaboratively created by the FTA and the District.
A: This article is very helpful in understanding the answer, which is complicated. But here is the bottom line: Yes, a rights holder could sue a librarian for reading on YouTube. A rights holder can decide to sue whomever they want. But this is ridiculous—who would sue a library or teacher for digital storytime? The case would be thrown out of court. The rights holder that brings the lawsuit would look despicable and get bad press. Moreover, nonprofit state institutions like many libraries and schools have liability protection and cannot be charged statutory damages—going to court is just not worth the trouble. There are a cautious few who want to get permission before reading a book online “just to be safe.” They may feel that they should pay a fee to read aloud online. For those people, recognize that if you can pay a fee or ask permission does not mean that you should. That is not how the law works. If your use is fair, you do not have to seek permission. Moreover, establishing a permissions market for storytime by our own behavior would not be prudent and certainly not in the public interest.
From Allison Courschesne, Library Media Specialist at FHS: School Library Journal is collecting in one place all the publishers' requests for teachers/librarians who want to do online read-alouds right now. They're all very permissive, and most just ask the reader to acknowledge verbally or in captions the name of the author and publisher:
https://www.slj.com/?detailStory=publishers-adapt-policies-to-help-educators-coronavirus-covid19
A: Before calling the IT Department, please check out these FAQs for staff.
Here are some additional FAQs from Ann Mariano, Director of Technology:
Many of these questions have also been addressed at the recent School Committee meeting, a video is available on Facebook. Please understand we are all here to help students. I am reminded of what a former colleague of mine once said, "assume best intentions". If we make a mistake or miss something, it can always be corrected. Please stay safe in these difficult times and thank you for all the wonderful work you do. We are so appreciative of your outreach to families.
1. Families do not have enough Chromebooks, how are they getting them?
We have distributed about 2400 chromebooks to date and continue to ship daily.
After the governor's directive and in the interest of keeping everyone safe, we have moved to a shipping model where chromebooks are shipped to families via UPS.
2. How do I know if a family/student got a chromebook?
If a student received a chromebook, it is listed in Aspen and available for you to see. All records are up to date as of this morning.
3. Where are the hotspots that should go to families who do not have internet?
We had ordered 400 hotspots for families in need. Unfortunately, as with much tech equipment now, the supply chain has broken down. We have been told numerous times they have shipped when in fact they have not. We reach out to vendors several times a day with questions, but to date they have not shipped. We are as frustrated as you are with this.
4. My youtubes may not work when students try to see them. Why can't we just allow everything?
Before all calendar's go live, the tech department will check every link on every calendar to make sure they work.
We understand this can be frustrating, but we have a legal and moral obligation to keep children as safe on the internet as we can make it. By law, we must be CIPA (Children's Internet Protection Act) compliant. If we miss a link by accident, simply let the helpdesk know.
5. I found this new extension and really want my students to have it.
The helpdesk remains open to answer any of your technology questions. We will continue to update Google extensions and add-ons as needed.
Q. I don't have direct deposit, how will I get my paycheck?
A. If you do not have a direct deposit, please note that if the schools are closed and the City Payroll/Post Office is open, your check will be mailed. However, should the City Payroll/Post Office closes, you will not receive your check(s) until services resume. In the case that we are closed for a prolonged period of time, we highly recommend you to enroll in direct deposit.
In order to enroll for direct deposit, please log into your Records account then fill out the Direct Deposit form under the blank doc section. Please realize that this will take a few weeks to go into effect.
Q: I need more information about my benefits during this time. What can you tell me?
A: The GIC's nine Benefit Fair events scheduled between Friday, April 10 and Monday, April 27 are canceled. In the meantime, please visit this website to view all the available resources the GIC has to offer members and public employees in response to COVID-19. By visiting the GIC website, you will see a table of contents that contain:
- To access medical testing if you suspect you might have COVID-19
- Get help with stress and anxiety specifically related to the COVID-19 outbreak
- To access the full spectrum of work-life balance services
- To access medical or behavioral health care without leaving home
- To access your prescription medications without leaving home
- For any COVID-19 related insurance claim
The GIC has directed all its health carriers to waive co-pays and deductibles associated with COVID-19 testing and co-pays for claims associated with COVID-19 treatment.
Q. How is my parental leave getting processed?
A. March 12, 2020, March 13, 2020, and March 16, 2020, are treated like snow days and will be made up. Thursday is made up on June 22, 2020, Friday is made up on June 23, 2020, and Monday is made up on June 24, 2020. You will not be charged any sick days for these three days: March 12, 2020, March 13. 2020, and March 16, 2020. Starting, March 17, 2020 you will be using sick time for your parental leave.
Want to calculate your payment schedule in light of the 3/12, 3/13, and 3/16 being treated like snow days and being made up on 6/22, 6/23, and 6/24? Here is a payout template that you can copy and work on as well as an annotated payout template to walk you through it.
COVID-19 Diagnosis & FMLA
A: This is an FMLA event and you should do your best to let HR notify and then provide HR with the FMLA documentation. We will absolutely loosen the requirements and time lines, so just try to do the best you can while staying safe and healthy. We do not want you to be stressed out about documentation!
A: 3/12, 3/13 and 3/16 were not charged against your FMLA. Effective 3/17 the school closure does not affect your FMLA status since all days starting 3/17 are considered "work days."
A: Let's break it down. However, in general, the Act:
- Makes employees eligible after 30 days of employment (relaxing the FMLA’s usual requirement that an employee be employed at least 12 months with at least 1250 hours of service); and
- Permits eligible employees to take up to 12 weeks of job-protected leave under the FMLA when the employee is unable to work (or telework) due to a need for leave to care for the son or daughter under 18 years of age of such employee if the school or place of care has been closed, or the child care provider of such son or daughter is unavailable, due to the current public health emergency
Employees can receive two-thirds of their regular rates of pay (with a cap of $200 per day) for up to 10 weeks. However, paid FMLA leave is available only to employees who need leave so they can stay home with children whose schools or care facilities are closed due to coronavirus.
Employees must have been on the payroll for 30 days to be eligible for paid FMLA benefits.
Dealing with Stress and Anxiety
A: To access Mass4You Employee Assistance Program benefits, such as finding a provider, getting access to counseling and all other EAP services:
- Call 1 (844) 263-1982 (available 24/7)
- TTY Support for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing: 711-1-844-263-1983
- Visit liveandworkwell.com
- If you need help with a substance abuse issue for you or a family member, call the toll-free Substance Use Treatment Helpline at 1 (855) 780-5955 to speak with a licensed clinician 24/7.Mass4You EAP
A: There will be no daycare tuition payments due on 3/20 or 4/3. The next scheduled tuition payment will be due the week we anticipate to return (4/10, a regularly scheduled pay day). That payment covers the weeks of 4/13 through 4/24.
FTA Employees
A: The MTA issued this statement.
A: In collaboration with the FTA, we have established the following Unit T expectations:
*Translations of the calendars are district directives; teachers should not be asking paraprofessionals to translate the calendars.
* Learning templates and what the teachers write in the white box ONLY will be translated by individuals paid by the Bilingual Office; some of these individuals may be paraprofessionals who receive additional compensation for doing these translations.
* SEI Classrooms: language assistants should continue helping students with access, which may include some translations by the language assistants, as needed by the students.
* Paraprofessionals should join as many meetings as they can.
* Paraprofessionals can communicate with the parents, especially if they have the relationship.
* Paraprofessionals can simulate classroom experiences since teachers provide the materials (i.e. continue with small reading groups, etc.)
* Paraprofessionals should continue receiving directions from classroom teachers, but they should always feel free to bring concerns to TECs and administrators.
* 1:1 aides can reach out to the student or students they support.
Unit A: Teaching and Support Services Employees
Q. What is the payment plan for Unit A employees?
A. You will be paid regularly but will have to make up the days at the end of the school year. Thursday is made up on June 22, 2020, Friday is made up on June 23, 2020, and Monday is made up on June 24, 2020. Beginning March 17, 2020 please monitor work email during regular working hours and follow up as needed. You may be asked to complete work-related tasks by your supervisor.
Q. Will Unit A employees be required to provide work for students?
A. No. Currently, there is no plan to provide distance learning. However, starting March 17, 2020 you may be asked to continue grading, working on grades and progress reports, lesson plans, answering typical emails, working on IEPs, updating any websites you may have, and following up on any other professional responsibilities. Principals have been told to keep in mind that some staff may not have access to laptops and/or may be bound by childcare issues.
Q. I am a nurse. Should I be responding to parents regarding medication?
A. Yes. Beginning March 17, 2020, please respond to parental inquiries regarding medication. Other typical questions should be answered as well.
Q. What is the payment plan for stipend positions?
A. Due to the fact that you are out of school and not working with students, this is an opportunity for stipend instructors to complete a curriculum outline. The curriculum outline will be provided to you by the Manager of Secondary Out of School Time.
A: We don't have good advice here, sadly. These are tough and unprecedented time. The Office of Human Resources has contacted the head of licensure at DESE but have not heard back yet. This is what is on the DOE website: http://www.doe.mass.edu/edprep/covid19.html. Here is the MTA guidance, which we urge you to follow: For any license other than a Professional license renewal - In the immediate term -I have been advising folks to go into ELAR and make sure they have applied and paid the application fee for any and all licenses and endorsement they are hoping to obtain in the next six months or so. This will make sure they have a PENDING application and it will document to DESE that they were formally seeking to obtain this license or endorsement. DESE staff might not believe us if I say there are a bunch of folks stuck in limbo with something like the Bilingual Endorsement if there are few or no pending applications.
A: Governor Baker has issued an executive order extending licenses for certain licensed professionals, including licensed educators. The order states that a license that is “in good standing” as of March 18, 2020, and that has expired or will expire during the state of emergency, is now extended and will remain valid until 90 days after the end of the state of emergency.
A: We received permission to give electronic signatures, and then once we are out of this "closure" we will be required to provide an actual signature. For now, send it to the appropriate individual who will provide an electronic signature. Once we return to school, please resend the document for an actual signature.
A: The Office of Special Education has provided these guidelines.
Unit S: Administrative Support Employees
Q. What is the payment plan for Ten (10) Month Unit S employees?
A. You are now paid twenty (21) or twenty (26) checks; your pay will not change and you will receive your check as usual. You will make up these days: Thursday is made up on June 22, 2020, Friday is made up on June 23, 2020, and Monday is made up on June 24, 2020. Beginning March 17, 2020, please monitor work email during regular working hours and follow up as needed. You may be asked to complete work-related tasks by your supervisor.
Q. What is the payment plan for Twelve (12) Month Unit S employees?
A. You will be paid regularly on March 12, 2020, March 13, 2020, and March 17, 2020. Beginning March 17, 2020, please monitor work email during regular working hours and follow up as needed. You may be asked to complete work-related tasks by your supervisor.
Unit T: educational support employees
A. What is the payment plan for Ten (10) Month Unit T employees?
Q. Thursday (March 12, 2020), Friday (March 13, 2020), and Monday (March 16, 2020) are similar to snow days; you will be paid for the days when we make them up in June (Thursday is made up on June 22, 2020, Friday is made up on June 23, 2020, and Monday is made up on June 24, 2020). As of Tuesday, March 17, 2020, and throughout our time out of school, regularly scheduled payment will be provided. No sick days, vacation days or personal days will be charged. Beginning March 17, 2020, please monitor work email during regular working hours and follow up as needed.
other units and non-bargaining employees
Unit B: Administrators
Q. What is the payment plan for ten (10) and twelve (12) month administrators?
A. Nothing changes; you will be paid as usual. No sick days, vacation days or personal days will be charged to ten (10) or twelve (12) month employees. All Unit B employees will be required to work (remotely or in Central Office, as required) beginning March 17, 2020.
Unit P: Principals
Q. What is the payment plan for ten (10) and twelve (12) month administrators?
A. Nothing changes; you will be paid as usual. No sick days, vacation days or personal days will be charged to ten (10) or twelve (12) month employees. All Unit B employees will be required to work (remotely or in Central Office, as required) beginning March 17, 2020.
Unit C: Custodial and Maintenance Employees
Q. Are custodians expected to work? What is the payment plan?
A. All custodial and maintenance staff are expected to show up to work on March 12, 2020, March 13, 2020 and March 16, 2020 and will be paid accordingly. Beginning March 17, 2020, pay will continue and senior-level custodians may be asked to occasionally do building check-ins. Maintenance staff will continue to receive pay and must be available on-demand. All such district requests will not be subject to additional compensation, such as overtime.
HUGE THANKS TO OUR AMAZING CUSTODIANS FOR THEIR AMAZING WORK CLEANING OUR SCHOOLS!!!!
Unit N: Food Service Employees
Q. Are food service workers expected to work? What is the payment plan?
A. Employees will not receive pay for March 12, 2020, March 13, 2020 and March 16, 2020, because these days will be made up in June (when employees will be paid). Thursday is made up on June 22, 2020, Friday is made up on June 23, 2020, and Monday is made up on June 24, 2020. No sick days, vacation days or personal days will be charged to employees. Following that, in our attempt to continue to provide our children with food and nutrition during this difficult time, you may, beginning Tuesday, March 17, 2020, you may be requested to come in on an as-needed basis to assist. All days beginning March 17, 2020 and through the end of the school closure are treated like "typical working days" and you will continue to receive your regular pay. We understand that your children's school closures may create hardship in your coming into work, and we will do our best to work with you through this difficult time.
THANK YOU, FOOD SERVICE WORKERS, FOR HELPING FEED OUR CHILDREN EVEN WHEN SCHOOL IS CLOSED!
Unit V: Non-Bargaining Employees
Q. What is the payment plan for Ten (10) Month hourly employees (campus aides, native language tutors, cafeteria monitors, childcare providers, language testers, technology specialists)?
A. You will not be paid on March 12, 2020, March 13, 2020, and March 16, 2020 because the days will be made up in June. Thursday is made up on June 22, 2020, Friday is made up on June 23, 2020, and Monday is made up on June 24, 2020. As of Tuesday, March 17, 2020 and throughout our time out of school, regularly scheduled payment will be provided. No sick days, vacation days or personal days will be charged. Beginning March 17, 2020, please monitor work email during regular working hours and follow up as needed. You may be asked to complete work-related tasks by your supervisor.
Q. What is the payment plan for hourly staff who do not have regularly scheduled hours (i.e. tutors, translators, etc.)?
A. You will not be paid while school is out.
Q. What is the payment plan for OST staff and Adult ESL staff who do not work regularly scheduled hours?
A. You will not be paid on March 12, 2020, March 13, 2020, and March 16, 2020 because the days will be made up in June. Thursday is made up on June 22, 2020, Friday is made up on June 23, 2020, and Monday is made up on June 24, 2020. As of Tuesday, March 17, 2020 and throughout our time out of school, regularly scheduled payment will be provided to those employees available and willing to work remotely. No sick days, vacation days or personal days will be charged.
Q. What is the payment plan for Twelve (12) Month hourly employees?
A. They will be paid as if they were working on any canceled day. No sick days, vacation days or personal days will be charged to twelve (12) month employees. Please monitor work email during regular working hours and follow up as needed. You may be asked to complete work-related tasks by your supervisor.
Unit Y: Substitute Teachers
A. You will not be paid on March 12, 2020, March 13, 2020, and March 16, 2020 because the days will be made up in June. Thursday is made up on June 22, 2020, Friday is made up on June 23, 2020, and Monday is made up on June 24, 2020. As of Tuesday, March 17, 2020 and throughout our time out of school, regularly scheduled payment will be provided. No personal and sick days will be charged.
Q. What is the payment plan for long term substitute teachers?
A. You will not be paid on March 12, 2020, March 13, 2020, and March 16, 2020 because the days will be made up in June. Thursday is made up on June 22, 2020, Friday is made up on June 23, 2020, and Monday is made up on June 24, 2020. As of Tuesday, March 17, 2020 and throughout our time out of school, regularly scheduled payment will be provided. Please monitor work email during regular working hours and follow up as needed. You may be asked to complete work-related tasks by your supervisor.
Q. What is the payment plan for per diem substitute teachers?
A. You will not be paid on March 12, 2020, March 13, 2020, and March 16, 2020 because the days will be made up in June. Thursday is made up on June 22, 2020, Friday is made up on June 23, 2020, and Monday is made up on June 24, 2020. If you were already scheduled to work after March 17, 2020 and throughout our time out of school, you will receive your regular per diem rate. Please note: although all of your assignments have been removed from the Frontline system, we still have this information for payment.
Q: I can't see the jobs I signed up for in Time and Attendance. Does that mean I won't get paid?
A: You will get paid. We downloaded everything before removing the jobs. Don't worry!
Not receiving any payment during school's closure?
Old news....
Q. Can I pick up my stuff from school? I don't have needed electronics and materials to do my work remotely.
A: The following message was sent by Dr. Tremblay on March 19.
Q: Can I continue using my personal electronic devices (i.e. my own laptop)?
A: Absolutely! We only want people who absolutely need to come in on Friday March 20 to come in.
Additional questions?
Email: myhr@framingham.k12.ma.us
Website: myhr.framingham.k12.ma.us
Location: 73 Mount Wayte Avenue, Framingham, MA, USA
Phone: 508-626-9107