PHILADELPHIA — Teachers at the school attended by a 17-year-old who died of COVID-19 last week called out in large numbers Monday, forcing Olney Charter High School to go virtual — and the company that runs the school has threatened legal action, the teachers’ union says.
Alayna Thach, a senior at Olney, died last Monday. Teachers at the school have asked ASPIRA of Pennsylvania for stepped-up health and safety protocols; the company says it has made changes, but teachers contend more are needed.
It was not immediately clear Monday how many faculty had called out, or what steps ASPIRA was preparing to take.
“The union’s mass ‘call out’ has hindered and interrupted Olney’s ability to operate and provide in-person instruction tomorrow, leaving administrators with no choice but to conduct classes virtually,” the company said in a statement Sunday night.
ASPIRA said it believed teachers were in violation of their collective bargaining agreement. Most charter schools’ faculty is not unionized; Olney’s organized and ratified their first contract in 2017.
Arthur Steinberg, president of the American Federation of Teachers Pennsylvania, to which the Alliance of Charter School Employees at Olney Charter belongs, blasted ASPIRA’s “dishonest reaction” and “depraved priorities,” saying the organization was more concerned with public image than with safety.
“When many students are already learning virtually due to quarantine, it is disingenuous to place blame on our dedicated educators who demand and deserve a safe teaching environment for them and their students,” Steinberg said in a statement Monday. “The union hopes that teaching remains virtual only as long as it takes to slow the spread of the virus and perform quick and thorough contact tracing.”
In a letter to families, Principal James Thompson said the Olney Charter administration “condemns any action by employees in violation of the CBA, especially this action which disrupts Olney’s ability to provide in-person education to our students and the lives of their families who now must make alternative plans for their children. We will be requesting that the Union publicly disavows the conduct of the participating staff and instructs these employees to return to work immediately. We will inform you immediately when in-person instruction will resume.”
ASPIRA officials said students’ education will not be disrupted, despite the callouts, and said counselors will remain available to those struggling with the death of Thach, a beloved classmate known for her kindness and intelligence.
At a memorial service for Thach held outside the school Friday afternoon, teachers expressed serious concerns about conditions ranging from a lack of mask compliance and social distancing to no asymptomatic testing for staff. Thach’s family said she was concerned about safety at the school, too, and was trying to start a petition to allow students to eat lunch outside.
Teachers said they began raising their objections when school began, but little has been done. The death of Thach, who was unvaccinated but had plans to get the shot in January, as well as a rise in cases was an impetus for the increased action, teachers have said.
“Alayna was the type of student who would be with us right now, writing petitions and speaking out on how to keep our community safe,” La’Shante Cox, a performing arts teacher at the school, said on Friday at the memorial service.
ASPIRA has said it plans to begin asymptomatic staff testing in January. Ten percent of students whose parents consent to testing receive COVID-19 tests currently, but staff say so few parents have signed consent forms that the testing is not meaningful.
“Olney has implemented several preventative measures that are not used by other local schools because of again its goal to provide the safest school environment possible during the pandemic,” Thompson said in the note to families.
Thursday is the last day of school before winter break; Olney officials said in the letter to families that the first week post-break will be virtual, to allow for a period of quarantine after the holidays.
