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 Your ODE Member Newsletter
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From The President's Desk
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 Greetings
The DeKalb County School District has sunken to a new low. “Cafeteria workers have been deemed essential and their job function cannot be performed remotely. If there is a reason the staffers needs an alternate work assignment they should discuss this with supervisor.” Melissa Harris, Office of the Superintendent.
Cafeteria workers are some of the lowest paid and hardest working employees of the district. They are in the buildings starting as early as 5:30am. They start breakfast, and then start making lunch. These workers don’t have the luxury of TRS, they have PSERS (Public School Employees Retirement System), which means that when they can retire, the amount they will receive is calculated by years of Creditable Service multiplied by a specific dollar amount. The dollar amount is set by the Georgia General Assembly. Effective July 1, 2019 the current dollar amount is $15.50. This means if they worked 20 years, their retirement check would be $310. per month. Can you imagine?
I’ve said all of this to say, the superintendent nor the board care about anyone but, themselves.
EVERYONE STAY HOME! LET’S SEE IF THE DISTRICT’S SUPERINTENDENT AND BOARD CAN COOK/MAKE THE MEALS FOR THE STUDENTS,DRIVE THE BUSES, ANSWER THE PHONE, COUNSEL, NURSE, CLEAN OR TEACH. UNTIL THE NUMBERS ARE LESS THAN 100 PER 100,000 AS IS RECOMMENDED BY THE SCIENCE AND THE CDC, LET’S JUST STAY HOME.
In Solidarity
Deborah
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GAE Lobby and Learn Session
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 Finally, the elections are over. Just in time for the Georgia General Assembly to begin the 2021 Legislative Session. Join us Saturday, January 9 at 9AM as we learn about the issues that will impact public education during the session! https://www.mobilize.us/gae/event/364981/
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NEA Teletown Hall on COVID-19 and Vaccines
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NEA Position on COVID-19 Vaccine
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NEA supports widespread use of safe and effective COVID-19 vaccinations.
By: National Education Association
NEA Resolution C-2, “Vaccinations” provides as follows:
The National Education Association believes that vaccines are essential medical tools in preventing infectious diseases. The Association acknowledges that vaccines must be pervasive to be effective.
The Association also believes that parents/guardians should follow vaccination guidelines from the American Academy of Pediatrics and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The Association further believes that state legislatures should establish clear guidelines for waivers that minimize the numbers of unvaccinated students to those necessary due to documented medical conditions. Evidence-based vaccination campaigns are integral in maintaining student and community health. (2015, 2016)
NEA’s 2016 resolution on vaccinations forms the basis for its position on COVID-19 vaccinations. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) includes “people who work in educational settings” as a group at “increased risk of acquiring or transmitting COVID-19” and thus one of the critical populations that should receive priority in initial phases when vaccine supply is limited. [1]
NEA believes that educators should receive priority access to COVID-19 vaccines because of the importance of safe, equitable, and effective in-person instruction and support; and our members’ role in delivering nutrition, instructional materials, and remote instruction to our students even when school buildings are closed
The NEA encourages widespread use of safe and effective COVID-19 vaccinations. We urge the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and governmental agencies at the county, state and federal levels to use consistent and transparent communications on the benefits and safety of vaccines.
We recognize that racial inequities have been made exponentially worse due to the cross-sector impacts of the pandemic and this will require us to stand and advocate with our students and their families. The CDC and other government agencies should consistently and explicitly acknowledge and communicate the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on Black, Latinx, and Indigenous communities and take steps to ensure vaccines are readily accessible and available to our most impacted communities. Vaccine distribution planning and evidence-based vaccination campaigns must specifically address the disproportionate suffering in communities of color and must account for vaccine hesitancy based on historical abuses and exploitation of communities of color. Vaccine plans must also ensure equitable access to vaccines in rural and isolated communities.
NEA notes that, however effective and widely used COVID-19 vaccines are, mitigation measures (including face coverings, frequent hand washing, and physical distancing) to reduce the spread of the virus that causes COVID-19 will continue to be crucial. Given that studies of the efficacy and safety of a COVID-19 vaccine for use in children lag behind the approval of vaccines for adults, there is likely to be a period of time during which there are high vaccination rates for staff in schools, but students may not yet be able to receive a vaccine. In addition, the full effect of vaccines on transmission and reinfection is not yet clear. Therefore, ensuring the health and safety of the entire school community means that adherence to mitigation measures will continue to be important.
[1] CDC, “COVID-19 Vaccination Program Interim Playbook for Jurisdiction Operations,” (Oct. 29, 2020), available at https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/imz-managers/downloads/COVID-19-Vaccination-Program-Interim_Playbook.pdf
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NEA President Becky Pringle Comments on Violence at U.S. Capitol
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These seditious attacks ‘are bred from years of vitriol, hate and bigotry’
By: Staci Maiers
 “Make no mistake about it: What we are witnessing today is an attack on our country and on our democratic institutions. To be clear, these seditious attacks on our Capitol are bred from years of vitriol, hate and bigotry and were fueled by a president and the many elected Republican accomplices who blatantly lied about the election while attempting to overturn the will of the people in a desperate attempt to hold onto power. In America, voters pick our leaders; our leaders do not pick and choose which voices to heed and which to silence.
“We must come together — just as we did in record numbers in the election — to show our students that we will stand together against politicians who incite violence and those who act on it. We will stand up to those who empower the insurrectionists that have violently stormed the Capitol, trying to overturn the will of the people. We will protect our democracy. The world is watching. Our students are watching.”
Article from NEAToday: Talking to Kids About the Attack on the Capitol
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Is Your Contact Information Up To Date?
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 Encourage your colleagues to join ODE! Simply have them visit www.joingae.org and join today.
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Tuesday, January 12th at 6pm, NEA is holding a tele-town hall concerning COVID and the vaccines. 
Check and update your contact information by logging into 
