Tewksbury Teachers Union Joins Call For Remote School Reopening

TEWKSBURY, MA — The Tewksbury teachers union joined over 30 other area unions in calling for a remote return to school in the fall, as part of a phased approach tied to public health and safety.

"It is not safe to return to in-person learning at this time," the letter reads.

Unions representing over 10,000 greater Boston teachers signed the letter, which argues planning should be focused on remote learning. The Tewksbury Teachers Association endorsed the letter, which was drafted by Cynthia Carney and Will Karvouniaris, the presidents of the Gloucester and Wakefield teachers unions respectively.

"We are calling upon all public schools to begin the school year with a comprehensive distance learning plan that has the potential to graduate to a hybrid learning model," Carney and Karvouniaris wrote. "As educators, we cannot risk a premature return to in-person learning that will result in educators, students, or their families getting sick and dying."

The Tewksbury School Committee is holding a public workshop Wednesday on reopening.

The letter also calls for the state to fully fund public schools to support in-person instruction when it begins.

"A safe return to learning includes resourcing all schools with enough educators and education support professionals so students have class sizes that enable the safe, one-to-one interaction they need for both their social-emotional and educational needs," they continued. "Now, more than ever, the Commonwealth must commit to fully funding public schools so that local school districts can recover from this public health crisis by funding the schools their communities need."

Unions in nearby communities including Wilmington and Burlington also endorsed the letter.

Christopher Huffaker can be reached at 412-265-8353 or chris.huffaker@patch.com.