April-2020-Special-Edition

EDUCATION & COVID-19 April 2020 • Volume 62, Number 6 Published by the Connecticut Education Association • cea.org SPECIAL EDITION

INSIDE: Help from CEA | page 2 School budgets | page 3 COVID-19 FAQs | pages 4-5 Online etiquette & safety | page 6 Caring for yourself, students | pages 7-8

Google Meet helps first-grader Aidan Bryson connect with his teacher, Olivia Zaleski, at Burr Elementary School in Fairfield.

LEADING

2 CEA ADVISOR SPECIAL EDITION • APRIL 2020

TAKING CARE OF YOUR EMOTIONAL WELL-BEING We hope this message finds you safe and well. As the current public health crisis has upended our daily lives and routines, our top priority is your health and safety. Who would have thought that we would be here today, with schools closed, teachers thrust into distance learning with little to no notice or training, and kitchen tables turned into school desks and workspaces? We are proud of everything you are doing to keep your students engaged during these difficult times, and we are answering your questions and keeping you informed about changes that impact you and your students. (See FAQs on pages 4-5.)  Teachers throughout the state are doing all they can to ensure students’ and families’ social and emotional well-being and boost their morale. social isolation, and caring for family members while working. CEA, meanwhile, has been advocating for teachers, holding regular weekly meetings with the state education commissioner, providing and receiving guidance on education policy and practices during the pandemic, and developing and hosting free professional learning so that members can adapt to the new and changing realities of distance learning. Speaking up for teachers, students CEA Executive Director Donald Williams has been tapped to serve on the Education Subcommittee of Governor Ned Lamont’s Reopen Connecticut Advisory Group. “Any reopening of schools will require comprehensive testing, tracing, and tracking, and plenty of personal protective equipment in order to safeguard the health of students and adults,” Williams noted in the group’s first meeting, held on April 21. He added, “Such testing is not currently being conducted in a comprehensive way anywhere in the U.S., and we cannot allow our teachers and their students and families to become ‘collateral damage.’” Williams noted that Education Commissioner Miguel Cardona expressed that Connecticut needs the summer to plan and have the resources necessary if schools are to reopen safely and successfully in the fall. Advocating for teachers’ rights, education budgets CEA UniServ Representatives have been hard at work in districts throughout the state ensuring that teachers are not compelled to be in school buildings under conditions that put them at risk. From Andover to Woodbridge, they have also been tracking virtual budget meetings, hearings, and

This is happening quietly, with notes of encouragement shared across Google Classroom. It is happening through video and song, such as 2019 Connecticut Teacher of the Year Sheena Graham’s original composition “While We Wait,” which made its national debut April 21. (Watch at cea.org/2020- coronavirus/form ). It is taking on the sights and sounds of headlights and car horns as teachers organize motorcades through students’ neighborhoods, showing handmade signs reminding Connecticut’s children how much they care for them.  We proudly share your passion for teaching and learning and recognize that you care greatly about your students. But you don’t have to go it alone. School psychologists are offering guidance and support to help teachers recognize signs of conflict or trauma, and they are reaching out to students you are identifying as at-risk be deciding issues that impact schools and teaching positions. They are mobilizing members in those districts to reach out and give input supporting the necessary funding for quality education and continuity of learning. In addition to their continued work on enforcing settlement terms, negotiations, contract extensions, grievance arbitration, DCF investigations, and teachers’ transitions back from workers’ compensation and family medical leave, UniServ Reps are working long hours answering teachers’ questions about remote learning and interpreting union-district distance learning MOUs.  “We’re assisting local leaders in how best to address the changing working conditions under new work-from-home environments, gathering all the fast-changing information impacting our members, and distilling it down into daily updates to local leaders,” says UniServ Rep Lauren Hebert. CEA UniServ Reps are also coordinating information sharing among local presidents so that they can learn from each other about best practices and policies in surrounding districts and across the state. “In uncertain economic times,” says Hebert, “we’re providing our negotiations teams and executive boards with creative strategies to reject harmful concession requests and develop Get Out The Vote budget campaigns to influence Boards of Finance to preserve school funding.” “If teachers work remotely, we work remotely to support them,” says UniServ Rep Jim Tessitore.  

or who are struggling. (See page 7.)  We strongly encourage you to take time for yourself and address your own emotional well-being. Working with CEA, Dr. Marc Brackett, director of the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence, held a free webinar outlining strategies for coping in uncertain times (see page 8)—just one of many free training opportunities CEA is offering to help you with everything from managing stress to managing a virtual classroom. Eventually the health crisis will abate, and we eagerly await a safe return to our schools, bustling again with the exuberant sounds of our students at work and at play. But that can’t happen until we know your safety and the health and well-being of your students can be protected and ensured. To that end, CEA is part of the governor’s Reopen Connecticut Advisory Group, serving on the Education Subcommittee and Professional development is more important than ever, as educators work to adjust to a new teaching and learning environment, with all the challenges it brings. Thanks to free virtual training hosted by CEA, hundreds of teachers from around the state have learned how to use Google Classroom to create, distribute, collect, and grade assignments, collaborate, design rubrics, and provide students with timely feedback. The training, conducted via one-hour webinars with time added to answer teachers’ specific questions, is among many distance learning/technology training opportunities CEA is providing to bridge the gap while schools are closed. Other key topics have included student engagement, maintaining privacy and security, developing formative assessments, balancing asynchronous/synchronous learning, and best practices for online teaching. “Staying connected to our students is so important, especially during this time of social distancing,” says CEA President Jeff Leake. “For many students, school is a social-emotional lifeline as well as a place of learning, so our association is doing all it can to preserve those critical connections and supports.” CEA’s beginner-level classes designed to get teachers more familiar with the Google Classroom environment have shown teachers how to post existing or newly created materials, schedule them to pop up in students’ feeds, set due dates, organize work, create quizzes, add videos, give documents structure (like worksheets), set up assignments so

working hard to ensure your safety and rights are protected now and when schools are back in session. (See story below.)  We have heard from many of you, and we encourage you to continue contacting us with your concerns and issues by emailing us at  info@cea.org .  We hope that you will keep this special edition of the CEA Advisor  as a reference guide for information related to education and the coronavirus. We will continue to share guidance and information with you in the weeks and months to come. Watch for emails from CEA, visit cea.org , and check CEA’s Coronavirus Resources page for the latest information. Stay safe. Stay healthy. Together, we will emerge stronger than ever. Jeff Leake, CEA President April 22, 2020 that students can work on them individually, in groups, or collaboratively as a class, check students’ work in progress, and use Google’s assessment tools. In the absence of in-person communication, teachers are eager to personalize their instruction and interactions as much as possible. Among other things, Google Classroom allows educators to customize multiple-choice assessments so that students receive helpful feedback whether they select the correct answer (“That’s right! Way to go!”) or an incorrect response (“Try again!” “Check out this link for more information!”). To help approximate classroom environments and routines more closely, educators have picked up tips on creative ways of taking attendance—such as by posting a question of the day, like, “What did you do this weekend?” They have also been shown how to invite parents and guardians to see summaries of class assignments as well as information specific to their own students. CEA also offers free virtual yoga sessions every Friday to help teachers reset and destress. In addition to creating new training specific to distance learning, CEA is moving many of its traditional professional development offerings to online platforms so that members don’t miss a beat. CEA’s webinars— as well as myriad other resources and news alerts critical to teachers at this time—are available at cea.org/2020- coronavirus . Also check Upcoming Events at cea.org to register for everything from student loan relief workshops to retirement planning.

CEA PROVIDES CRITICAL SUPPORT, TRAINING, ADVOCACY DURING SCHOOL SHUTDOWNS Educators have been working hard to adjust to a new way of teaching and connecting with their students, all while coping with the struggles of economic uncertainty, deliberations scheduled throughout the state, where town officials will FREE TRAINING

Special Edition • April 2020 Volume 62, Number 6 Published by Connecticut Education Association 1-800-842-4316 860-525-5641 • cea.org CEA Advisor

The CEA Advisor is mailed to all CEA members. Annual subscription price is $5.72 (included in membership dues and available only as part of membership). Institutional subscription price: $25.00. Advertising in the CEA Advisor is screened, but the publishing of any advertisement does not imply CEA endorsement of the product, service, or views expressed. CEA Advisor USPS 0129-220 (ISSN 0007-8050) is published in August, October/November, December/ January, February/March, April (regular and special editions), May/June, and summer (online) by the Connecticut Education Association, Capitol Place, Suite 500, 21 Oak Street, Hartford, CT 06106-8001, 860-525-5641. Periodicals postage paid at Hartford, Connecticut. Postmaster: Send address changes to CEA Advisor , Connecticut Education Association, Capitol Place, Suite 500, 21 Oak Street, Hartford, CT 06106- 8001. Production date: 4-24-2020

ADVOCATING

SPECIAL EDITION • APRIL 2020 CEA ADVISOR 3

LEADING WITH REFERENDUMS NO LONGER REQUIRED,

EDUCATION BUDGETS COULD BE DECIDEDWITHOUT YOUR INPUT Speak up: School funding more important than ever as districts face myriad new challenges

The move to distance learning during the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the inequities that exist between the haves and have nots— and that’s not just between towns but among students in the same town. All towns in Connecticut have students who are struggling during this unprecedented time, which is evidence of the great need that exists for public education resources across the state. Many cities and towns are currently crafting their budgets for the 2020-2021 school year under an executive order from Governor Lamont that suspends local budget voting requirements, including town meetings and referendums. In the nearly 120 towns impacted, the order gives the board of selectmen the final authority to approve spending levels and local mill rates. In regional districts, the order gives regional boards of education the power to adopt the budget for the upcoming school year in a similar manner. The executive order doesn’t prevent teachers and parents from weighing in and making their voices heard, however, and doing so is more important than ever. In light of the growing economic crisis, some districts are looking to cut education spending or flat-fund it. That could prove disastrous to students. “Our students are not just a number in the checkbook,” says CEA Portland President Sue McDougall. “Town officials need to hear our side of the story to get the boots-on-the-ground perspective— what it’s like when a student is misbehaving and there are no additional staff to support him or her. Last year our budget didn’t include funds for new Chromebooks for our eighth-graders. When the computers broke, they were out of warranty, so some children were left without. That’s not fair. What if that’s your child?” COVID slide The setbacks that students commonly experience over summer break have been shown to easily undo months of academic growth. The learning losses likely to result from a prolonged school shutdown due to the coronavirus pandemic—so-called COVID slide—could be unprecedented. Some studies suggest that students who lack steady instruction during the current school shutdown could lose 30 percent of their annual reading gains and more than half—if not all—of their academic achievement in math. For those whose families are struggling financially or suffering from food insecurity, the losses could be profound. A potential learning reversal of this magnitude will need to be addressed and remediated, and for that to happen, schools will need more resources than ever, not fewer. “We’re looking at our summer school program and realizing it’s going to need to include more focus on fundamentals than in the past,” says McDougall. “There are so many kids not keeping up who are going to be behind. If cuts to our school

budgets are severe, how are we going to be able to fund summer school?” “We don’t know when we’ll be back in our school buildings, but the social-emotional piece is going to be more important than ever,” says Education Association of Cromwell President Leigh Neumon. Earlier this year, the Cromwell Board of Education had budgeted for new

commissions. Call and email them. Town leaders’ gut reaction at this time might be to hold the line or even cut the budget, and while it’s important to acknowledge that this is a difficult time for everyone and that teachers are striving more than ever to make connections with students, we know that in the fall, schools will need to remediate, and that will take

so check your town or regional website, call their offices, and keep the chain of communication open with others in your town. Let’s make sure we start off the next school year with the resources we need for our students.” “The most important thing you can do when you contact local elected officials is speak from your own personal perspective about what cuts will mean for teachers,” says Neumon. “The people on our Board of Finance are not educators; they don’t know how to do our job. It’s up to us to help elected officials see why we need a budget increase. It’s not just numbers; it’s people.” Neumon recommends that CEA members keep an eye out for how they can get involved and attend virtual Board of Education, Board of Finance, and Town Council or Board of Selectmen meetings. “For some of our Cromwell teachers it has been easier to attend a virtual meeting than it normally is to attend an in- person meeting, because they can log in from home even if they don’t have child care.” Ninety Cromwell teachers were able to attend a virtual Board of Education meeting, and Neumon said it really showed the Board that teachers were listening. Teachers also wrote letters to the Board of Finance, and even though they didn’t achieve all of their goals, elected officials clearly heard teachers’ concerns.  “Never underestimate what members can do working together,” Neumon says. “When we all speak out, that can’t be ignored.”  

SUPPORT OUR STUDENTS

CEA is sharing online ads on social media platforms featuring educators from all over the state. In the ads, teachers describe all that they are doing during these challenging times and explain why they must be part of the conversation about school budgets. Watch at youtu.be/G_8YAv_pyi8 .

social work positions that have since been cut by the Board of Finance.  “We need those social workers to help students who are going to be coming to us with depression, feeling isolated,” Neumon says. Spread the word “It’s extremely important that teachers talk to their friends and neighbors at the local level about these issues so that they understand why it’s important to support education funding,” says CEA Executive Director Donald Williams. “It’s imperative that CEA members think about relationships they have with town leaders and those who serve on key boards and

additional resources. And if classes are not being held at school in the fall, there will be a need for even more technology, more laptops, and other resources.” “Keep your eyes open and your ears to the ground,” says CEA President Jeff Leake. “Listen for news of any local budget hearings in the towns where you live and work and make sure you have a voice in those decisions. Operating during a time of social distancing is new for municipalities, and there have been issues with some cities and towns not clearly posting announcements about upcoming budget hearings or votes,

CEA SUPPORT Cromwell, Portland, and other local associations have worked with CEA’s Government Relations Department so that they can reach not only CEA members who teach in their towns but also teachers who live there. Contact Gus Melita, gusm@cea.org , for more information about how to reach CEA members in your town. A few strategies to ensure your education budget doesn’t fall short: • Monitor your town’s website for news and announcements. Sign up to receive email or text notifications of upcoming meetings, hearings, and events. Also check for instructions on submitting testimony. • Politics is relationships. Reach out to people you know who serve on the Board of Finance, Board of Selectmen, or Board of Education. Explain how budget cuts or flat-funding could make a major education setback even worse. • Engage your colleagues. If town budget meetings are being held via Zoom or similar platforms, join by putting up the name of your local education association and the same photo or logo to show solidarity. • In virtual meetings, use the chat box and encourage your fellow teachers to do the same with a consistent message, such as, “I’m a proud teacher. Don’t flat-fund our budget.” • Flex your political muscle. Get allies who are taxpayers in your teaching town to advocate for a fair education budget. • Even if you don’t live in your teaching town (and therefore cannot vote on that town’s budget), you may still be able to participate in virtual meetings and leave comments. • Make sure other residents in your town know why it’s so important to fund schools. Send a short and clear letter to the editor for publication in your local paper. • Contact CEA for online petition resources— info@cea.org .

INFORMING

4 CEA ADVISOR SPECIAL EDITION • APRIL 2020

Frequently Asked Questions THE LATEST GUIDANCE ON STUDENT ATTENDANCE, GRADING, TEACHER NONRENEWALS, AND MORE

As of press time, Connecticut schools are closed through at least May 20 due to the coronavirus pandemic. “We hope to welcome students back,” Commissioner of Education Miguel Cardona recently said, but added, “At this point we are taking precautions, and if we have to extend class cancellations, we will.” As Governor Ned Lamont continues to issue new executive orders and modify recommendations based on emerging developments around public health and safety, CEA continues to work with the State Department of Education and other education stakeholders on the best ways for Connecticut schools to proceed. Top priorities include student and teacher safety and supporting continuity of learning. Here are answers to many of your commonly asked questions. For additional, up-to-the-minute guidance, visit cea.org/2020-coronavirus/faq . CEA updates its site each time new guidance and rules are issued.

How is student attendance to be tracked and reported while in- school instruction is suspended? School districts must make every reasonable effort to have all students participate as fully as possible in available continued education opportunities. Recognizing that tracking student attendance may be problematic, however, the SDE will treat a student’s attendance record as it was on the school day before classes were canceled (i.e., March 16, 2020), supplemented by the student’s attendance record if in- person school classes resume before the district’s scheduled closing date in June. Districts may ask teachers and support staff to connect with all students to maintain relationships and assist with issues and concerns related to assignments. These connections should be documented and tracked as appropriate, and the SDE recommends that teachers have the option of referring a student who is exhibiting inadequate engagement to a school or district team responsible for school attendance. How will student grading be affected by the switch to distance learning? While local and regional boards of education maintain discretion over grading policies, the Connecticut State Department of Education is encouraging districts to focus priorities on student engagement and learning. The SDE recommends that schools

Are there special considerations for student transcripts and college/ postsecondary recommendations? The SDE recommends that districts modify transcripts to provide adequate context about the disruption caused by COVID-19 and the resulting change in grading for the period after March 1, 2020. Districts should also use recommendations to supplement pass/fail protocols and share information with colleges, vocational programs, and other postsecondary opportunities concerning students’ academic strengths and interests, personal qualities, roles in the school community, extracurricular accomplishments, and other qualitative assessments of their potential contribution to a school or program. Will a pass/fail protocol impact student athletes? In communication with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the commitment was made that a pass/fail or pass/incomplete will not have a negative impact on student athletes.

• Students who may need counseling or mental health services that they have not received at home • Students who are sick, caring for a family member, or dealing with the trauma of loss resulting from the pandemic • Disengaged students who could regain their agency, with a second chance and counseling, and attain a passing grade and credit Pass with Distinction: In some cases, districts may wish to recognize students who worked at a very high academic level during this extraordinary time and celebrate their efforts with a designation of “Pass with Distinction.”

adopt a locally guided pass/fail protocol while providing continued educational opportunities. “Pass” markings confirm that students satisfactorily completed the necessary credits pursuant to the Connecticut General Statutes, 10- 221a. The SDE has identified the following potential options for pass/fail grading policies: Standard Pass/Fail: The traditional pass/fail standard, similar to that offered by many colleges, graduate schools, and high schools. Pass/Incomplete: This standard would apply to students in grades 9, 10, and 11. Students who are unable to complete their online assignments would have a district-determined timeline to complete their work and receive either a pass or fail grade. This option supports • Students without adequate access to technology • Students with IEPs in need of direct support or additional resources • English language learners

The April CEA Advisor mailed earlier this month answered teachers’ most pressing questions regarding school closures, with topics ranging from the status of standardized tests, TEAM, and teacher evaluations to issues related to FERPA and DCF. Answers to these initial questions and others are available at cea.org/2020-coronavirus .

INFORMING

SPECIAL EDITION • APRIL 2020 CEA ADVISOR 5

What are the impacts on students’ GPA, college admissions, and financial aid? The Connecticut SDE has worked closely with its partners in higher education to reach consensus on students applying to or enrolling in Connecticut colleges and universities. Connecticut’s public and private institutions of higher education will accept the following principles. Note that these may not necessarily reflect the policies for public and private colleges outside of Connecticut. • Pass/fail grades will be accepted for Connecticut high school students taught through distance learning for the semesters in which in-school classes are canceled. • For the 2019-2020 school year, the student grade point average (GPA) will be calculated based on performance while students were participating in in-school classes through the time when in-school classes were canceled during March 2020. • For current seniors, a student’s GPA will include grades earned through December 2019. Underclassmen GPAs will be calculated based on grades earned through December 2019 and those earned beginning when classes resume for the 2020-2021 school year. • For a year-long course, a student’s GPA will include the fall term grade for the course. • Colleges and universities in transcripts from districts for newly enrolled freshmen and will extend the deadline for receipt of officially certified transcripts. • Understanding that families in Connecticut may have suffered a negative financial impact from COVID-19, colleges and universities in Connecticut will work with families whose ability to pay for higher education has changed in order to determine Connecticut will accept electronically certified

What happens to graduation credits when a district is unable to provide a particular course through distance learning or must depart from the planned curriculum? While the SDE recommends that local and regional boards of education continue their program of instruction, the agency understands that exceptional circumstances may pose a challenge. Pursuant to Governor Lamont’s Executive Order 7C, the SDE will allow districts to grant students the necessary credits for graduation even where a course or prescribed course of study may not be consistent with the Connecticut General Statutes, Section 10-16b or Section 10-221a(b). In exercising local discretion, the SDE urges boards of education to consider the existing flexibilities in awarding non-seat-time credit that are currently available in C.G.S. Section 10-221a(f) and (g), including the attainment of credits through a successful demonstration of mastery, cross-curricular graduation requirements, and virtual learning. What is the status of graduation ceremonies? Graduation ceremonies are a local decision; however, the SDE emphasizes the importance of recognizing student achievement upon graduation. All decisions about graduation ceremonies should be made by consulting Governor Lamont’s emergency declarations in collaboration with local health officials.

FREE CEA WEBINARS

CEA is offering webinars on these and other subjects. Go to cea.org for more information.  Degrees Not Debt  First-Year Forum for New Teachers  Managing Difficult Moments with Mindfulness Strategies  Social Media and Online Safety

 Google Classrooms  Retirement Planning  Yoga for Teachers

What happens to my hearing if I receive a termination notice? Normally, termination

What about nonrenewal notice deadlines? Districts must still notify teachers by May 1 if they are planning to nonrenew them at the end of this school year. But they have also been given additional flexibility to instead extend a teacher’s probationary period by up to one full year to allow time for a more fully informed decision about nonrenewal. The deadline for this notice is May 1 as well, and districts are encouraged to work with their local union to determine the length of the extension. When a teacher requests a hearing after receiving notice of nonrenewal, a 90-day extension of the hearing timelines may be granted by the board, local hearing officer, or subcommittee. For additional guidance and revised timelines related to nonrenewals, visit the State Department of Education website at portal.ct.gov/SDE . Within the SDE’s site, search “temporary flexibilities.”

hearings for tenured teachers would be conducted in person. Because of social distancing guidelines in place to protect public health, however, local and regional boards of education may now provide teachers with notice of a potential termination via email. As usual, teachers may request a hearing within 10 days of receiving such notice and may do so via email to both their superintendent and board chair. In those cases where a teacher requests a hearing, as well as in currently pending termination hearings, the board must now extend all statutory and regulatory time requirements related to the termination hearing by 45 calendar days. SDE has granted teachers this extension after receiving input from CEA’s Member Legal Services team. As always, talk to your CEA UniServ Rep if you have been issued a termination notice. To see who represents you, visit cea.org . Click the Members tab, then UniServ Representatives.

KEEPING YOU UP TO SPEED As the state continues to track the pandemic and assess strategies and timelines for reopening, CEA will continue to provide timely answers to all your questions as they relate to summer learning, remediation, protocols for returning to school, and more. Watch your inbox, read the CEA Advisor , log on to cea.org , and sign up for daily or weekly updates at blogcea.org .

whether they are eligible for additional financial aid and what state, federal, and institutional resources may be available to help.

Julia Kannengeiser, a kindergartner at Stratford’s Eli Whitney Elementary School, connects from home with teacher Lisa Moretti.

EDUCATING

6 CEA ADVISOR SPECIAL EDITION • APRIL 2020

MANAGING YOUR VIRTUAL CLASSROOM Best Practices to Keep You and Your Students on Track

SUPPORTING

In a recent CEA survey about how teachers are handling distance learning, 40 percent reported using real-time video class discussions, and 61 percent are pre-recording videos for students to view on their own schedules. At a time when school closures prevent in-person interactions among students and teachers, Stratford physics teacher and 2011 Connecticut Teacher of the Year Kristen Record finds video conferencing a helpful tool not only instructionally but also for the opportunity it provides to see—and be seen by—her students. “I get to see my kids’ expressions and have real-time interactions and discussions,” she says. “It’s also really important for students’ emotional well-being to have time with their class community. My students have told me they really value video conferencing. They miss face-to-face interactions and how school makes them feel connected.” Video conferencing has been successful for Record partly because she was able to teach students how to use the platform and establish proper etiquette before launching her first online lesson. First, the basics “For almost every single one of my students, this was the first time using live video in an academic or professional setting,” interactions on a FaceTime call with a friend and participating in a school environment.” Record starts off with the fundamentals: where the controls are, how to move the cursor, share screens, and view the video conference tools that come up at the Record says. “There’s a big difference between social

bottom or top of the screen. She explains what each icon means and how to use it as well as how to turn the video camera on and off, and what it looks like to others if the camera is off.  “We have to remember, as adults, that this is a new tool for a lot of people, and just as we have a learning curve, kids do too,” she says. Setting clear expectations “Even though we’re not literally in school,” Record reminds students, “this still counts as school, so all of the district’s rules and social media policies still apply. With high school kids I’m very explicit and tell them this means they shouldn’t be taking screenshots of videos or posting to Snapchat. All of the normal rules still apply. “I teach them that when they participate in a group call, they should always put themselves on mute until it’s their turn to speak.” Other rules of etiquette, she says, are to stay muted if someone is presenting verbally or by screen sharing, and using the chat box to comment or ask questions. “I make sure students understand a chat box is not like sending a private text. Chat box messages are not individual conversations—they go to everyone, so only comments meant for the whole class should go there. My procedure is that if I’m presenting, I’ll say, ‘Emma, you just submitted a great question. Please unmute yourself and explain it to the class.’ That’s their cue. Otherwise I ask them to stay on mute so that no one talks over each other.” Record begins each class by having students mute themselves while she explains what they’re going to cover that day.

Brothers Jack and Owen Higgins, students at Peck Place School in Orange, adjust to a virtual learning environment.

“I’ve found students will remind each other of the rules I’ve outlined and help enforce them.” Dress code, environment Appropriate attire is another subject Record has addressed with her students from the start. “I told them, ‘You need to be wearing clothes that are appropriate. Nobody should be showing up in bed in their PJs on a video conference. We can all be flexible, but there are limits.’ My students know me well enough at this point in the year that they know where my lines are. I have had students who have overslept. When I’ve reached out to make sure they’re okay, I’ve found a lot of kids respond better and more quickly to expressions of concern; they will apologize.” She also asks her students to pay attention to what is behind them— what their teachers and classmates will see on the screen—and to make sure family members know when a student is on a video conference so that there won’t be any surprise guest appearances. Social time Record leaves the first five minutes of class and the last five for social time. “We’ll take a pause to see students’ cats and dogs. We’ll chitchat. Minus the animals, that’s probably how most teachers run their classes in person—chatting after greeting kids, then getting down to work. We can do our best to replicate that experience online. It’s really important to maintain a classroom environment with kids even though we’re not physically all together.” Holding video conferences with her classes every other day allows her to give whole-class feedback, answer questions, and restore a little bit of normalcy to students’ experiences.  “Asking high school kids to get on a conference call before 9:00 a.m. is not going to work, so we use early morning work hours for department and other staff meetings. It’s great for us adults to be able to meet at 8:00 or 8:30 and video conference with students later.” In Stratford, video conferencing is an optional tool for teachers, and parents can opt out. Record, who serves as the co-vice president of the Stratford Education Association, says that her school has not established a prescribed schedule for online classes, and that allows teachers to collaborate with one another and establish video conferencing times that won’t

conflict with other teachers’ plans. “In Stratford, we started off with video conferencing because high school teachers wanted access, but elementary teachers have inquired about its use as well,” Record says. “It might look different in an elementary setting. Some elementary teachers are doing morning meetings via video conference or a daily read- aloud. They say it helps to maintain the normalcy of classroom culture.” Safety online While video conferencing is a great tool for connecting with students during this time of extended school closures, teachers must ensure their safety as well as that of their students. A number of schools around the country have reported incidents of “Zoombombing,” where uninvited individuals disrupt a class video conference, often with profanities or hate speech. The FBI recommends the following steps to prevent such threats: • Do not make meetings or classrooms public. In Zoom, there are two options for making a meeting private: require a meeting password or use the waiting room feature and control the admittance of guests. • Do not share a link to a teleconference or classroom on an unrestricted, publicly available social media post. Provide the link directly to specific people. • Manage screensharing options. In Zoom, change screensharing to “Host Only.” • Try to ensure that participants are using the updated version of remote access/meeting applications. In January 2020, Zoom updated their software. In their security update, the teleconference software provider added passwords by default for meetings and disabled the ability to randomly scan for meetings to join. • Check that your district’s policies address requirements for physical and information security. If you are a victim of teleconference hijacking or any cybercrime, report it to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center at  ic3.gov . Additionally, if you receive a specific threat during a teleconference, report it at  tips.fbi.gov or call the FBI New Haven Division at (203) 777-6311.

Social Media Dos & Don’ts CEA Educational Issues Specialist Michele Ridolfi O’Neill presents Social Media Safety, a webinar to help teachers maintain their privacy and professionalism in an environment of increasing social media traffic. Top takeaways: • Avoid connecting with students or their parents on social media platforms; don’t accept friend requests from (or extend friend requests to) them. • Do not post photographs of yourself in inappropriate situations. Set your Facebook settings to ensure that if someone tags you in a photograph, it cannot appear on your timeline without your approval. Under the gear icon, click Settings & Privacy, then Timeline and Tagging Settings. • Avoid questionable or offensive remarks or memes, or criticisms against your school system. • Never use social media to vent or joke about parents or students. • Even your comments on someone else’s post can be seen by others, so if you wouldn’t post it to your own wall, don’t post it at all. Watch the recorded webinar and sign up for additional training at cea.org/2020-coronarvirus . • Know your district’s social media policy and abide by it. • Never post pictures of students without permission.

SUPPORTING

SPECIAL EDITION • APRIL 2020 CEA ADVISOR 7

college classes online here from home. I’m not sure how other parents do it with school-age children—this distance-learning stuff is not for the faint of heart.

What are some things that educators are working through in this new environment? The key concern for teachers and the rest of us is student engagement. This is where I’m spending most of my time. Teachers have numerous students to work with, so I’m trying to support them by reaching out to the students who are not responding. I have a Google Voice account that allows me to call or text parents as well as students. I also email, and I’m in the process of writing letters to students via snail mail. My advice for anyone involved in distance learning is to try to engage students as much as possible utilizing whatever means are available. School psychologists face unique challenges in this new distance- learning environment. For example, much of my job involves assessment, and due to standardization concerns as well as confidentiality, it is impossible to conduct evaluations. Because our school is home to the district’s middle school level Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) Program, I work with many students on the autism spectrum who are nonverbal. Engaging these students in social skills instruction can be extremely difficult. I’m trying to support parents as much as possible.         Suzanne Talbot has been a school psychologist in Groton for the past 22 years of her 27-year career. This fall, she will be one of three school psychologists at Groton Middle School.

SUPPORTING STUDENTS, TEACHERS IN A TIME OF REMOTE LEARNING School psychologists weigh in on challenges, priorities Across Connecticut, the impact of school closures has been felt by students, teachers, and families—many of whom describe being overwhelmed and disconnected from their peers. Like classroom teachers, school psychologists are working out how to serve students with existing needs as well as those struggling with relatively new issues, such as feeling cut off from their friends and coping with changes in the normal flow of their day. CEA spoke with two Connecticut school psychologists to get their take on the situation and their best advice for educators and families.

MINDFULNESS MATTERS One of the many free virtual supports CEA is providing its members is a series of webinars designed to help teachers make the best use of distance-learning tools, protect their privacy, connect with students, and take the best care of themselves. One such workshop, presented by CEA Teacher Development Specialist Kate Field, focuses on mindfulness, a therapeutic technique for raising moment-by-moment awareness of our thoughts and feelings. Field began a recent webinar by asking participants to use the chat box to complete a sentence describing how they were feeling at the present moment. Their responses included frustrated, exhausted, stressed, overwhelmed, tired, anxious, and unsure about the future . “Many of you are trying to figure out distance learning and how to make it work for all learners,” said Field. “You may be juggling teaching and parenting responsibilities at the same time, and you may be grieving a life you miss and wondering if and when things will return to normal.” While encouraging teachers to validate their feelings and concerns, she also reminded them that we are all “architects of our own thinking” and that it is possible to create new pathways of thought by choosing what types of thinking to prune and what to foster. Watch CEA’s weekly Mindful Moments videos at cea.org. “Purposeful and repetitive actions to rewire your brain can take as little as ten minutes a day,” she said, walking participants through a variety of simple exercises—both mental and physical—aimed at promoting feelings of wellness, awareness, and positivity. To illustrate the power of positive thinking and our ability to nurture it, she shared a parable from the Cherokee Nation about a grandfather who describes a battle taking place inside his own heart. “There are two wolves in my heart, a good one and a bad one,” the old man tells his grandson. “The good one is kindness, charity, resilience, and hope. The bad one is fear.” The dueling wolves, he says, exist in the boy’s heart as well. Curious, the boy asks, “Who wins?” “That depends on which wolf you feed.” Webinar participants were eager to use new mindfulness strategies on their own as well as with their families and students, and Field shared additional resources. These included Mindful Games Activity Cards: 55 Ways to Share Mindfulness with Kids and Teens , by Susan Kaiser Greenland and Annaka Harris; happify.com , which contains short videos and meditations suitable for most ages; and hundreds of guided meditations from tarabrach.com , an app available by subscription at calm.com , and a similar free version for teachers at headspace.com/educators . Many of CEA’s webinars are

Twenty-eight-year veteran Cathy Williamson has been at Manchester High School for the past 10 years. The daughter of a former school psychologist and a retired school librarian, she is also a parent of two high school students. What is it like for a school psychologist working in this new virtual environment? Everything feels different now! There are a host of practical, logistical, and ethical considerations when it comes to how you deliver school psychology services remotely. In Manchester, we are lucky that our district has worked hard to ensure all families have access to technology, which allows us to maintain communication and some level of support for our students and families. However, a major part of what we do—evaluating students and assisting with the planning of their educational programs—is not doable from a distance. Our evaluation instruments are designed to be administered face to face and certainly aren’t normed on populations of students experiencing the stress of a global pandemic. The best interests of our students remain at the forefront of our practice. Toward this end, we are continuing to engage in the consultation and

moving forward. We expect that as interim learning continues and the needs of families change, we will need to be prepared to support a larger number of students and families. What tips do you have for teachers looking to help their students, especially those for whom school provides a social-emotional lifeline? Ask students how they are doing, maintain routines, encourage kids to engage in virtual classroom learning experiences and maintain connections with classmates, and be positive. What are some things that teachers can or should be contacting their school psychologists for at this time? Pretty much the same concerns they would be sharing if we were at school. They may also reach out for ideas on helping students with specific needs be most successful with online learning. If they sense students are becoming more overwhelmed academically or emotionally, it would be appropriate to contact support staff as well. At the high school level, all of our teachers have training in responding to students who may be immediately at-risk, in which the protocol is to contact local emergency resources. What’s your advice for parents? Above all, in order to ensure the safety and well-being of their children, they need to take care of themselves physically, socially, and emotionally during these difficult times. Being able to provide a home environment where they can encourage and support the continuation of routines, talk about their child’s experience at developmentally appropriate levels, and promote continued connections with friends and family are all important. Parents also need to be realistic around expectations for themselves and their children. While interim learning should hopefully provide some sense of normalcy for students, it requires a period of adjustment for everyone and may be a lot easier for some students and families than others—and it’s all okay. What do you want your students to know? We miss them! We know this is super challenging for many. Speak to adults at home or school if you need support or help maintaining a routine, coping, and staying connected. We are here to help.

What challenges does learning from home present for students? One of the biggest is keeping a schedule and finding time and space to complete assignments. Many students are staying up late and sleeping in, which can make accessing school personnel (who typically keep 8:30am- 3:00pm schedules) difficult. There are often also distractions at home, which could include studying in the same environment where the TV is on, siblings are playing or doing schoolwork, and parents are working. What are some unique issues middle school students face? So many changes! Their bodies are entering puberty, and their social lives are heavily impacted by peer interactions. With distance learning, middle school students are missing out on those face-to-face social interactions with both their peers and adults outside the home.  What message do you have for your students and colleagues? We all care so much about them. We’re here for them! My colleagues need to know that they’re doing a great job, even if students are not always engaged. The teachers I work with are phenomenal and put forth a tremendous amount of effort! I’m one of the lucky ones, because my two daughters are grown and taking

intervention roles of our profession. In Manchester, school psychologists are members of Student Assistance Teams, which are meeting regularly to monitor student concerns and progress. We are reaching out to families and students to provide them with supports and resources to maintain students’ well- being. We engage in problem-solving with our colleagues and are highly attuned to the fact that the population of students we were servicing three or four weeks ago may look different from the one we need to be supporting

recorded and available at cea.org/2020-coronavirus .

EMPOWERING

8 CEA ADVISOR SPECIAL EDITION • APRIL 2020

“BIG SEVEN” STRATEGIES TO SUPPORT WELL-BEING IN UNCERTAIN TIMES Tips helpful for both educators and students

1 Physiological regulation —which includes mindful breathing. “There are many misconceptions about mindful breathing,” says Brackett, “including that it’s a religious practice or that its only purpose is to control difficult emotions or prolong pleasant experiences.” Brackett explains that mindful breathing is simply inhaling and exhaling normally—attending to our natural breathing—while cultivating a deeper awareness of our experiences and how we are feeling. To facilitate mindful breathing, he encourages teachers to check their posture, look down or let their eyes close, put a gentle smile on their face, and observe without judgment how they are feeling. Often, counting breaths, focusing on an image, or repeating simple phrases such as “in/ out,” “deep/slow,” and “calm/ease” can set the tone. A number of recent studies and surveys have placed teaching at the top, tied with nursing, for the most stressful profession. Today—owing in part to the coronavirus pandemic—the number-one emotion teachers are feeling is anxiety. That’s one of the many findings of a March 2020 survey conducted by Dr. Marc Brackett, director of the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence, in partnership with CEA. Brackett points out that in addition to concerns about their students and their access to resources, teachers—like everyone else—are feeling isolated; uncertain about the economy, finances, and equity gaps; worried about the health of their family; and working from home while often caring for their own children as well. “This requires 100 percent involvement,” he says, noting that Connecticut educators—who are now coordinating distance learning for their

students with no known return date to school— are spending upwards of 90 percent of their day feeling stressed, overwhelmed, frustrated, exhausted, and lonely. “These feelings can interfere with decision- making, learning, performance, creativity, and more,” he explains, adding that chronic or sustained anxiety and stress can be difficult to control. To help teachers better manage these feelings—something he refers to as healthy emotion regulation—Brackett led a free webinar for CEA members on April 9. The webinar, titled “The Big Seven: Evidence-Based Strategies for Regulating Emotions in Uncertain Times,” took the place of a series of live book talks that CEA had planned in different parts of the state. Brackett points out unhelpful strategies we often turn to in dealing with stress—such as overeating or overreliance on social media—

which provide immediate but temporary relief. He encourages teachers to focus on healthy self- regulation, or influencing our own emotions to meet goals or

environmental demands. “The strategies you use will be based in part on your personality, family background and culture, your situation and relationships, and the emotions you are having,” he says, noting that the main point is to do what’s best for the long run, despite what

Dr. Marc Brackett

may bring short-term comfort or relief. Brackett identifies the following “big seven” emotion regulation strategies.

3 Healthy relationships leave us feeling safe, heard, and connected.

5 Managing your life smartly includes modifying and selecting situations to prevent stress, setting daily goals, problem-solving, and establishing routines. “Routines create certainty,” says Brackett, “so aim for consistency in when you wake up, have meals, exercise, work, and relax.” Teaching remotely during the coronavirus pandemic has left teachers with a need to carve out new routines in a new reality.

4 Managing your thoughts includes positive self-talk, gratitude, and reappraisal. About 40 percent of our well-being has to do with our outlook on life, says Brackett, and negative self-talk can start early in life, often by peers or family members who define our reality for us. Brackett shares his own personal experience with negative self-talk as a child and young adult and explains how positive relationships and changing the conversation he had in his head reshaped his outlook and self-image. “It takes time and may feel awkward or uncomfortable talking to yourself in positive ways, but we can’t just say, ‘Stop thinking that way!’” It helps, he says, to talk to yourself in the third person. He also urges us to work on becoming “emotion scientists” as opposed to “emotion judges” who have a fixed mindset that certain emotions are good, bad, wrong, or weak. While emotion judges might urge themselves or others to avoid feeling certain ways (e.g., “Don’t be angry,” or “Stop feeling anxious”), an emotion scientist accepts all emotions as information; is open, curious, and reflective; is in learner mode; and has a growth mindset.

6 Doing meaningful things you enjoy. This can take some creativity during a time of physical distancing, but possibilities include walking outdoors or trying a new exercise, writing a “gratitude letter” to someone, drawing or journaling, attempting a new recipe, reading a book or listening to a new podcast, connecting with friends or family by Skype or Zoom, and helping out in your community. “Givers,” Brackett notes, “are happier than takers.” 7 Forgiveness, including letting go of your own mistakes, having self-compassion, and giving yourself permission to feel and to fail. Brackett reminds teachers that just as the skills and content they teach can take time and effort for students to master, strategies for emotion regulation are also developmental. They are not learned all at once but require effortful practice, refinement, and evaluation. “These big seven strategies need to be part of a bigger tool bag,” he says, “because if a strategy isn’t working to support your well-being, you have to be able to turn to plan B or C.”

2 Self-care —sleep, nutrition, and exercise help build a strong immune system.