COVID Safety Spring 2022

Posted on January 7, 2022 by AFT 2121

The Omicron variant has driven some schools back to remote instruction. College of Marin, for instance, is holding flex week and the first week of classes remotely. San Francisco State has delayed all in-person classes until Feb 14th. So far, CCSF plans to continue with in-person classes and services as scheduled. But things could change quickly. Here are some things that may be useful:

Some assignments could be forced to return to remote, temporarily or longer term. If you are teaching in-person, you can prepare for this possibility. Some teachers are talking to their students about it ahead of time, and even including it in the syllabus. Some are collecting contact information for their students so they don’t have to count on Banner and Canvas contacts. Some are preparing information about where students can request laptops or other technology.
Faculty are not responsible for checking the vaccination status of students or letting students into the building. This should be done by specifically assigned building monitors who are paid for this work.
CCSF currently does not require boosters. That could change if the CDC changes their definition of “fully vaccinated”.
When there are positive COVID cases on campus, CCSF administration notifies AFT. They say they also plan to post a public dashboard with case numbers, but we don’t know when that will happen. In the meantime, here is a list of cases that have been reported to AFT beginning Fall 2021. See AFT’s Return to Campus page for cases reported to us in Spring 2022.
Most faculty who have assignments in Spring 2022 have already submitted vaccination information or applied for exemptions. We recommend everyone take care of this now, even if you don’t yet have an assignment. Submitting your information ahead of time will ensure you’re eligible if an opportunity for assignment or subbing comes up.
Your AFT 2121 Return to Campus Teams posts updates on the Return to Campus page.
The goal must be safety for workers and students. Unless our District can sort out basic needs such as communication, room capacity, ventilation, custodial services, and building monitors, we could have a fight on our hands. Educators in San Francisco and across the country (see here & here on the Chicago Teachers Union) are standing up for workplace safety. Join your Return to Campus Team and be part of the conversation! Email Rhea Dellimore at rheadellmail@yahoo.com.