Forced to choose between students and ailing dad, this SCS teacher is among those who won't return

At White Station High School, the Feb. 12 virtual lesson in AP World History was about the Industrial Revolution. Students learned about why the revolution was poised to begin in Great Britain and how it forever impacted the global economy. They learned how it changed the lives of the British working class, who shifted to work in factories. 

That afternoon, two weeks after indefinitely delaying a return to buildings, Shelby County Schools announced students would head back to classrooms in March. In a reversal, all teachers were required to return the last week of February.

The next Friday, the AP World History students were trying to figure out how they'd keep learning the material in preparation for their exam in May. Their teacher, Jason Fernandes, would be taking a leave of absence instead of returning to school.

As the lone caretaker for his father, who has stage 4 throat cancer, Fernandes believes returning to the White Station High School building is too risky.

"He doesn't just have stage 4 cancer. But he also has other co-morbidities, too" including diabetes and a blood disease, Fernandes said. "And that just makes it so I cannot go back into the school. I can't risk exposing him to COVID." 

Fernandes is one of what could be several teachers electing not to return this week. One union leader representing teachers says at least 300 are eligible to choose to retire rather than return.

In the fall, SCS offered teachers a choice to return to classrooms when the time came, and about 4 in 5 of them opted to teach from home. As a matter of equity, the district has said, all students will continue learning the same way, virtually over Microsoft Teams, whether they are learning at home or in buildings. 

When the school year began, about 37% were teaching from home full time and another 17% percent were teaching from both home and school. Telework agreements that stipulated those conditions are no longer in place, the district told teachers at an information session Thursday.

With 10 days to prepare for the required return — most of which were during a week of record snow fall in Memphis — Fernandes, like many other teachers, grew frustrated and discouraged.

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Some had to look for childcare for their own children. At least one had to find new transportation arrangements. Others have expressed concerns about the re-entry plan, and whether the district is capable of upholding the COVID-19 mitigation measures it has promised. And for some, like Fernandes, it made most sense to leave rather than to wait and find out. 

"We're finally getting into a groove and working through this (school year)...And now it's all changing," Fernandes said. 

Remote, in-person students impacted by teacher requirement

It's not immediately clear how many teachers are in Fernandes' position. The district was unable to respond in time for the publication of this story to a request for information about how many teachers were taking leaves of absence, had resigned, or decided to retire early. It's also unclear how the district will fill those positions.

More than 300 teachers in the district are eligible to retire, Keith Williams, executive director of the Memphis-Shelby County Teacher Association, told reporters Wednesday. 

"And many of them are threatening to do so," Williams said. "We could not afford to handle that."

At White Station High School, Fernandes said at least one other teacher had to make a decision similar to his own. In some cases, the decisions have left students at the school without a teacher for three of seven class periods. 

Sophomore Cabell Mercer has Mr. Fernandes for sixth period. His fifth and seventh period classes are taught by another teacher who is leaving. While he's heard about arrangements for one of those classes, he isn't sure if he'll be sent to another teacher for the second class. Fernandes is still unsure who will take over AP World History. 

"(Fernandes has) definitely seemed to be a favorite teacher among me and my friends," Cabell said. 

The second teacher is also a favorite of Cabell's, his mother Catherine Phipps Mercer said. 

"(Cabell is) really disappointed because they helped keep his educational experience this year positive," Mercer said of the teachers. "So this is really kind of devastating for him, I think."

She and Sherry Blumberg, a mother of another student taught by both teachers, would like to see more nuance from the district in its policy for teachers. 

"I just can't see how a policy that's forcing teachers to make these difficult decisions and leave students midway through the school year is helping the kids it all," Blumberg said. 

Fernandes said he first approached his principal about a return exemption and was pointed to human resources. A phone call pointed him to an email address, and then he received what he described as a form letter informing him how to file for an extended leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act. A teacher of fifteen years, he has accumulated enough sick days to stay out of the classroom and be paid through mid-April or May, he said. 

"And that's about the time I'm going to run out of money," Fernandes said. "So I don't know what I'm going to do at that point. I'll have used up my sick days."

Because middle and high school students aren't slated to return until March 8, Fernandes asked if he could wait to begin his leave until the Friday prior. That request was denied. 

Generally, Fernandes has been supportive of the district's reopening plan. He's concerned political pressure from the state, rather than science, has pressured the district to reopen. He was shocked when, after getting to the Industrial Revolution, one of his favorite lessons in the course, he was told he'd be required back in the building 10 days later. Fernandes had chosen to remain remote when students returned.

"It's kind of interesting because that's exactly what we were getting into when this was announced on Friday, was workers rights and workers forming unions," Fernandes explained of his Industrial Revolution lesson, "because they were worried about their unsafe workplaces and the conditions in their workplaces. And that's kind of where we ended."

Sick leave, building cleanliness, vaccines, top teacher concerns, union says

Fernandes is part of MSCEA, one of two teacher unions for district employees. Though the union represents more district employees than the United Education Association of Shelby County, UEA has been at the table for reopening conversations and MSCEA has not. Had they been invited to the table, they could have helped inform teachers about the district's decision to return and presented ideas and concerns before the announcement, leaders said. 

Though the district asked Gov. Lee to prioritize teacher vaccinations when it delayed a return to school "indefinitely," opportunities locally have been scattershot and some teachers have traveled outside of Shelby County to receive vaccines. When the district announced the return, they announced bonuses for teachers, but they will only be given to teachers who return and not until June paychecks, officials told teachers last week. 

"We consider it highly offensive...to offer us $1,000 to risk our lives and our family (members') lives," said Gloria Williams, a teacher on the MSCEA board of directors. "So we're asking, give us what you promised us: give us the vaccine, give us a seat at the table." 

The union is distrusting that the district will implement increased cleaning policies; building cleanliness was a top concern of parents over the summer and the initial fear most teachers had when the district closed buildings last March. April Jeffries, a teacher also on the MSCEA board of directors, said pencil shavings and broken pencil leads near her pencil sharpener last March were still there when she recently visited her classroom. 

Returning teachers are also concerned about what will happen if or when they need to isolate or quarantine for COVID-19. Because the Families First Coronavirus Response Act expired at the end of 2020, teachers will have to use their own sick leave for any COVID-19 related days off, Yolanda Martin, chief of human resources, told teachers Thursday. Martin explained virtual teaching is only allowed if a teacher is under a work-related order to isolate or quarantine.

"That is the only, only, only, only time that teleworking would be, or remote teaching would be applicable, and the reason why is this," Martin said. "Being that we are returning in person, as a teacher, as a school-based staff, a central duty within your job is to supervise the children. But if the whole class has to go on isolation, as well as the teacher, then you're not there to have to be monitored, because you guys are all together." 

The policy concerns Brian Bigard, a teacher who is on the board of directors with MSCEA.

"Who makes that decision of where you contracted COVID at?" he said at a press conference. 

'Trying to figure out what to do'

Fernandes, the teacher taking a leave of absence, was disappointed by the human resources presentation. Teachers had been told they'd be able to ask questions, he said, but the presentation abruptly ended. The Commercial Appeal observed that some questions were entered into the chat function, which included other posts from anonymous names with requests for vaccines, short obituaries for teachers who have died of COVID-19 and criticisms of the district. Teachers in the second information session weren't allowed to enter questions into the chat box. 

Fernandes isn't sure whether he'll have access to email or Microsoft Teams when his leave of absence begins this week. But he worked with students last week to ensure they could communicate ahead of the AP exam. Fernandes has a website of test-prep resources that he began to put together this time last year, when students first went virtual due to the pandemic. 

Starting Monday, he'll be out of the virtual classroom but still observing COVID-19 precautions and preparing to help his father, David Wright, with cancer treatments. The father and son enjoy baseball, fishing and summer vacations together. Wright is a giving person and the person his son has always been able to go to when something is wrong.

"To be able to help him is...I can't even put words to it," Fernandes said. "Being put in this position has been — it's been a really rough last couple of days, trying to figure out what to do."

Laura Testino covers education and children's issues for the Commercial Appeal. Reach her at laura.testino@commercialappeal.com or 901-512-3763. Find her on Twitter: @LDTestino