GDOE HEALTH PROFESSIONALS SEEK UNION ACTION

GFT is hosting a virtual meeting on Tuesday, October 20 at 7 p.m. to discuss issues and concerns. If you would like more information or to attend, please email Robert Koss at rkoss@gftunion.com.

GDOE TO CONTINUE VIRTUAL LEARNING THROUGH 2020

The Guam Department of Education Superintendent Jon Fernandez has announced that virtual learning will continue through the remainder of 2020. He also said that face-to-face instruction may be offered in January 2021. For now, all GDOE schools have been instructed to resume distance learning via online and hard copy instruction. The decision will be based upon public health data and CDC guidelines, which is in accordance with the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) guidelines in their Reopening Plan. GDOE has been working with GFT regarding this matter. This will be brought before the Guam Education Board for their support beginning on Friday, October 23. You can read the full GDOE release here.

GDOE also has an attendance policy draft proposal and grading policy proposal. Both are pending action by the Guam Education Board.

LAWSUIT UPDATE

On Tuesday, October 6, Attorneys of Razzano, Walsh, and Torres, P.C. filed a lawsuit on behalf of Government of Guam employees who did not receive double pay during the emergency period. The press release on the lawsuit can be found here.

FERPA: UNINTENTIONAL VIOLATION

Distance learning is new to educators and students. Things in K-12 are done differently now and that can lead to unintentional violations of the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act. Be sure you are aware of FERPA in order to avoid a violation.

• Avoid revealing the identity and education records of students beyond those that have a legitimate need to know such as parents, counselors and certain other authorized employees.
• Want to throw away old student records? Don’t just put them in trash cans—shred them first.
• Carefully screening on-line vendors to make sure they are FERPA compliant. Among the questions teachers should ask are how the vendor gives parents and students access to records, and how it prevents unauthorized people from accessing those records.
• Beware of online vendors of free apps and websites that offer free services. Those services might appear free on the surface, but the vendors could be “getting paid in education records,” or mining data to sell to third-parties.
• DOE has a duty to be certain that electronic data generated by online teaching and learning belongs to the school, not to the vendor, and that the vendor’s responsibility is to process it for the benefit of the school and its students, and not for the vendor’s own benefit. Teachers can be safe by limiting on-line activity to district approved websites, apps and software. 

Parents own the FERPA rights of their child until the child turns 18. Do not deny parents and students access to their education records. Email is considered an acceptable and safe way of sharing sensitive information. When in doubt, get written permission from an authorized parent.

KNOW YOUR RIGHTS

Parents and teachers, do you know your rights when it comes to paid sick leave during the Pandemic? Check out this article from AFT to learn more.

COVID ALERT APP

On behalf of GFT, we are proud to support the Guam Department of Public Health's new app to help stop COVID-19 in Guam. Add your phone to the COVID fight and protect your community while protecting your privacy. Download Guam Covid Alert for free in the App Store and on Google Play. To better understand how the app works, click here, or visit guamcovidalert.guam.gov.

GFT OFFICE TO REOPEN FOR APPOINTMENTS ONLY

Beginning Monday, October 5, the GFT staff will be back in the office at 25% capacity. Should any member or prospective member need assistance, please call the office at 735-4390 to schedule an appointment. Entry into the building is only permitted if you have an appointment. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.

CHECK OUT YOUR LOCAL AND NATIONAL MEMBER BENEFITS

Take Advantage of your member discounts in retail, auto care, health, dining and more on the GFT website. You can also see a list of your national discounts with AFT Union Plus, Hilton Hotels, Google Certified Educator, Identity Theft, Free College opportunity and more! Visit www.aft.org to see more and visit www.gftunion.com for your local discounts.! For more information, contact the GFT Office at 735-4390.

FOR MORE NEWS AND INFORMATION CONTACT THE GFT OFFICE AT 735-4390 OR VISIT WWW.GFTUNION.COM

Enjoy, GFTUnion