The relationship between the Washington Public School System (DCPS) and the Washington Teacher’s Union (WUT) has recently reached another impasse. The motion was issued by D.C. Attorney General Karl Racine, who temporarily banned the Washington Teachers Union from organizing any strikes, lockouts or activities that would hinder back-to-school plans, but the teachers union said it “still has serious safety concerns” about returning to school.
The motion, filed jointly by D.C. Attorney General Rushing and D.C. Chief Counsel Nadine Wilburn, prohibits any government employee or union member from participating in any strike activity, and cites a previous agreement between DCPS and the D.C. teachers’ union that does not allow any union member to support or promote “any activity that would delay the back-to-school program,” or else it is considered illegal.
After months of debate last year, DCPS and the Washington Teachers Union signed a back-to-school agreement in mid- to late-December that provides that if teachers who volunteer to return to school cannot meet the demand for physical classes, the public school may request other teachers to return, and that DCPS must share information about returning students with the union to ensure transparency.
The city recently said that the Washington Teachers Union asked the court last month to arbitrate the issue between the union and DCPS, but the union did not name the specific problem. DCPS has sent three letters to the teachers’ union asking them not to organize any activities that would impede the back-to-school program.
D.C. court documents state that DCPS is “trying to comply with the agreement,” but that the back-to-school program may be delayed; DCPS had planned to allow some students to return to school starting on the first day of the month, but later rescheduled to the second day due to heavy snowfall, and the physical class on the second day started two hours later than the regular schedule.
The city criticized the Washington Teachers Union for “not respecting the agreement reached between the two sides, but instead attempting to hinder the public school back-to-school program with a work stoppage that is prohibited by law”; DCPS also said it had provided the Washington Teachers Union with specific back-to-school guidelines, including details on school ventilation and cleaning systems, to ensure the safe return of students and teachers to school, fulfilling the terms of the agreement.
The Washington teachers union said on the 2nd that it still has “serious concerns” about safe return to school and is “unacceptable” that the city is trying to limit or even silence the teachers union through the courts.
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