Staff and students are about to be pushed back into unsafe conditions and human lives will be jeopardized. #StillNotSafe
Despite an abundance of evidence that the District’s reopening plan is unsafe and irresponsible, and that the vast majority of parents do not want to return their children to in-person instruction at this time, BCPSS continues to plunge forward with its decision to force thousands of teachers and PSRPs back into unsafe classrooms without adequate protection while at the same time taking away some of the leave options that our members desperately need. Now is the time to send a loud and clear message that we will not accept this reckless course of action and we will never stop fighting for the safety and rights of our members, our students, and the communities to which we belong!
To respond to the District’s failure to keep staff and students safe, and to send a strong message to Baltimore City Council and Mayor Scott, we are calling for all BTU members as well as parents, students, other BCPSS employees, and anyone else who supports safe schools to join us for a massive car caravan rally on Wednesday, February 3rd, from City Hall to District Headquarters at North Avenue. We will engulf the halls of power with our deafening cry for safety, equity, and a fair and reasonable reopening policy. We demand to be safe, not silent!
Please RSVP here for the event so you can be kept informed of any changes or updates to the plan. This action is open to everyone, not just BTU members, so please share with as many people as you can.
Our Demands
1) All staff have the opportunity to be fully vaccinated prior to returning to in-person learning
2) Ventilation upgrade work is completed before any students or staff are brought back into their facility
3) Minimum public health metrics must be met for at least a week (positivity rate and case rate) before expanding in person programming
4) A robust and proactive testing program for staff and students, both symptomatic and asymptomatic, before expanding in person programming.
Plans for Participants
Please read these guidelines so that we operate as a single body with a single purpose. We will drive by City Hall, honking our horns with a purpose, calling on the City to provide greater support to keep students and educators safe. We will then caravan to North Avenue, where we will continue to show our solidarity and convene in a parking lot prior to dispersing.
- Take direction from our bike marshals in safety vests.
- Follow the route of the lead vehicle.
- Drive with your hazard lights on so that all vehicles can keep sight of the route ahead, keeping 10 feet between cars.
- Follow traffic rules, including red lights and stops signs along the route unless otherwise directed.
- If you get separated from the caravan, follow the route according to the map.