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As we near the 2020 Presidential Election, questions have been raised regarding political expression in virtual classrooms. Please review the following guidance regarding legal rights of educators and best practices surrounding political expression during and outside of work hours.
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Be mindful: Students, parents/guardians, administrators and colleagues may have strong opinions regarding the outcome of the election. The heated nature of this election cycle has put many folks on edge when it comes to political discussions. Some may fear talking about political topics, while others may be eager to engage.
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Be considerate: Don’t disparage or demean anyone for their political beliefs, voting history or party affiliation while acting in your official capacity. Also, during off-duty time and after-work hours, be careful in communications with anyone connected to your employment (i.e. students, parents and staff), including social media posts.
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Don’t proselytize: Avoid conversations aimed at (or that could be perceived as) trying to influence a student's political beliefs to reflect your own.
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Physical expression of political opinion: Following the 2016 Election, some educators chose to wear buttons or shirts with slogans such as "Don't Mourn, Organize" or "Make America Great Again." Although such expressions are allowed by law, educators should be aware that they could trigger situations that disrupt the educational environment. For example, a button may ignite a group conversation about politics that quickly turns heated and results in a student feeling disrespected or humiliated. Teachers should be prepared to handle difficult questions and conversations in an educational and professional manner.
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Sharing your political opinions: Educators are allowed to answer the question, “Who are you voting for?” However, they should follow the guidance outlined above and be ready to respond to questions, criticism and potentially difficult conversations. Other appropriate responses include: "I keep my vote private," "I'd rather not share," "That’s a personal question that I'd like to keep to myself" or other deflections.
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Promote critical thinking and discussion: Educators play a pivotal role in supporting students as they expand their civic knowledge and appreciation of respectful discourse. Discussion of social issues—including political conflict—is a powerful asset that fosters a student’s critical consciousness, civic knowledge, interest and actions/engagement.
Please remember that as an NWRESD staff person, you have a responsibility to contribute to a welcoming and inclusive school and workplace environment. Responding to racism and discrimination is NOT political. Read the new All Students Belong guidance from the Oregon Department of Education to learn more about the public education system’s role in protecting our staff and student’s safety, health and right to learn.
We will continue to provide you with updates as we implement this guidance. In the meantime, you can reference last week’s partner newsletter to learn more >>
All staff are required to complete annual online training each year to meet safety and reporting requirements set by the state of Oregon. Current staff must complete all training modules by Oct. 31. New staff are required to complete these trainings within the first 30 days of employment.
All staff must complete the following nine modules:
- Abuse, sexual conduct and appropriate communications in Oregon
- Bloodborne pathogens for school employees - full/refresher
- COVID-19: How to protect yourself and others - NEW THIS YEAR
- Fire safety and fire-extinguisher use
- Hepatitis B vaccine consent/waiver/request
- Recognizing and responding to child neglect and abuse in Oregon
- Sexual harassment
- Slips, trips and falls prevention
- Suicide prevention - module 1 - youth suicide awareness
Additional modules for new staff cover the following topics:
- Back injury prevention and ergonomics
- Bullying prevention in Oregon schools
- Discriminatory harassment — identification and response
- Hazard communication for school employees (right to know)
- Lockout/tagout awareness
- Social media: personal and professional use
- Student privacy rights (FERPA)
- Substance abuse prevention
- Teen dating violence
Note, before you can enter any NWRESD building, you must have already passed the COVID-19 training. All trainings are available online in Public School Works. Go to the trainings >>
Second note, please email your completed Hepatitis B vaccine consent/waiver/request form to Carolyn Quinn in Human Resources.
Questions about any of these required trainings? Please email Tammie Wing >>
The Great Oregon ShakeOut, an earthquake preparation drill, will be held throughout Oregon at 10:15 a.m. on Thursday, Oct. 15. NWRESD will run a virtual drill this year. Register for this event in Zoom >>
(Be sure to register using your NWRESD email account. Also, please log in a few minutes early so you are ready at 10:15 a.m.)
The Great Oregon ShakeOut website includes many resources, including video and audio resources, instructions for staying safe in an earthquake and how to be prepared post-earthquake. |
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Since most of you are working from home, this is a good time to review your emergency procedures and preparation for an earthquake while at home. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has a comprehensive webpage for home preparedness >>
Remember to:
- Identify safe areas in your house - in a severe earthquake, book cases, pictures, chandeliers or other heavy objects may fall.
- Have your entire family practice the drill. DROP, COVER and HOLD.
- DROP down onto your knees immediately. This position protects you from falling but still allows you to move if necessary.
- COVER your head and neck underneath a sturdy table or desk. If there is no shelter nearby, get down near an interior wall or next to low-lying furniture that won’t fall on you, and cover your head and neck with your arms and hands. Try to stay clear of windows or glass that could shatter or objects that could fall on you.
- HOLD ON to your shelter until the shaking stops. Be prepared to move with your shelter if the shaking shifts it around.
- Create an evacuation plan.
- Create an emergency supply kit.
- Know where the shut-offs are for utilities such as gas, electricity and water.
 Face coverings must be worn at all times when accessing our buildings. The only exception is when you are in a room with a closed door by yourself.
You can find the face covering protocol on the building access information page of myNWRESD.org or in the latest Reopening Schools Update that was sent Friday, Oct. 9 >>
Events throughout Oregon are impacting our work in immediate ways. Cascade Alliance for Equity is excited to bring our communities together again to learn how to support our students in the face of these realities.
Join us for our next two-part CAFE Equity Summit Series, CONCRETE JUNGLE: A deeper discussion on racism, equity, education and concrete actions needed in today’s strange world. These free sessions will be held from 2:30 - 4 p.m. on Oct. 21 and 28.
Space is limited, so register today >>
The CAFE series is open to anyone with an interest in education, including educators in early learning, K-12 and higher education; paraeducators; school board members; |
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parents; administrators; staff from youth-serving agencies and community-based organizations; and support staff in counseling, special education, equity, nursing and social work, etc.
All staff are still required to follow all of our normal purchasing policies and procedures during this time of remote work. All purchases with public funds must go through an approval process before items are ordered or purchased. For more information, please see board policy DJ and DJ-AR.
If you need supplies for your work-from-home environment, please reach out to your supervisor for authorization and for assistance in following a proper order and delivery procedure. No personal reimbursements are authorized outside of board policy DLC, which addresses expenses related to travel and professional development.
As we increase emphasis on virtual communications, please remember that use of personal devices and social media is subject to the same standards as outlined in board policy GCAB. Public business on private devices are still public records and are subject to public records request laws. Therefore, we recommend you use a NWRESD device whenever possible.
“I came here to go to school. I haven’t been to school for five years now.”
-Abou Traore, 15, a Burkinabe child laborer in the Ivory Coast
This month’s antiracism tip comes from Richard Schuler, a teacher at Levi Anderson Learning Center. As Halloween approaches, Rich, and our office of equity and family partnerships staff, challenge you to think critically about the treats you purchase for your family and for NWRESD students. Based on a recent exposé by The Washington Post, they argue that many U.S.-based chocolate companies are dependent on a modern form of outsourced slavery. Our affordable chocolate comes at the expense of young children's living standards and educational access.
About two-thirds of the world’s cocoa supply comes from West Africa where more than 2 million children are engaged in dangerous labor, according to a 2015 report from the U.S. Labor Department.
According to estimates from a Tulane University researcher, at least 16,000 children, and perhaps more, are forced to work on West African cocoa farms by people other than their parents.
Leading chocolate companies have been sluggish to take action:
When asked this spring, representatives of some of the biggest and best-known brands — Hershey, Mars and Nestlé — could not guarantee that any of their chocolates were produced without child labor.
“I’m not going to make those claims,” an executive at one of the large chocolate companies said.
One reason is that nearly 20 years after pledging to eradicate child labor, chocolate companies still cannot identify the farms where all their cocoa comes from, let alone whether child labor was used in producing it. Mars, maker of M&M’s and Milky Way, can trace only 24 percent of its cocoa back to farms; Hershey, the maker of Kisses and Reese’s, less than half; Nestlé can trace 49 percent of its global cocoa supply to farms.
Read the full exposé to help inform your choices this October (behind a $1 paywall) >>
Would you like to join a conversation on this topic? Email Yashica Island and she will organize a discussion on the steps we can take to help end child labor.
The Beaverton School District Board recently adopted a resolution to acknowledge the second Monday in October as Indigenous Peoples’ Day and the month of November as Native American/Alaska Native Heritage Month. Read the full resolution >>
This period’s Medicaid administrative claiming (MAC) survey will be one day the week of Oct. 19. If you are selected for this survey, please participate. Selected staff will receive an email with instructions on completing the training and survey.
Because of our past participation in these surveys, we have received more than $222,000 in reimbursement. With these funds we have been able to offer water bottle filling stations, first aid/CPR and mental health services training and behavioral health specialist services.
Go to our MAC page to learn more about the survey >> |
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Later this fall, we will launch a transformative new website that will improve the dynamicity, accessibility and relevance of information provided to our students, families and partners. Some exciting new features include:
- Adherence to ADA accessibility guidelines (just like wheelchair ramps, websites should be accessible by those using assistive technology), including easy access from a cell phone, tablet or computer
- More photos and news articles to showcase our students, staff and programs
- Improved navigation and search functionality
Do you have questions or suggestions as we work to complete the new website design? Email communications >>
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