The Burbank Unified School District has reached a tentative agreement on a memorandum of understanding with the local teachers union regarding distance learning during the fall, district Superintendent Matt Hill said in his weekly update.
Burbank Teachers Association members will vote on the MOU within the next week and the board of education will discuss and vote on it during a meeting on Thursday, Aug. 6.
The MOU states that Google Classroom will be the primary platform used for distance learning, and live virtual instruction will be recorded and posted, if requested by a student or parent, for at least 72 hours. Zoom can also be used by teachers to interact with their students.
Remote learning at the high school level includes three 50-minute classes per day, Monday through Thursday, and students will be assigned 90 minutes’ worth of at-home assignments each day with live teacher monitoring and support, according to the memorandum.
Students in grades 6-8 will receive 135 minutes of live virtual instruction and 105 minutes of at-home assignments each day from Monday through Thursday.
Transitional kindergarten and kindergarten teachers will deliver 80 minutes of instruction and interaction within an 180-minute day. Students will also receive 100 minutes’ worth of at-home assignments Monday through Thursday.
Teachers in grades 1-3 agreed to provide 120 minutes of live instruction and interaction, and students will be assigned 110 minutes of school work to be completed at home.
Fourth- and 5th-graders will have 120 minutes of live instruction and interaction and an additional 120 minutes of at-home assignments.
Friday will be a pupil-free workday for teachers at all levels but they must provide at least 60 minutes of virtual interaction — which will serve as an office hour — with students interested in attending.
The district and BTA also agreed to meet and negotiate regarding an MOU for phase 2, the hybrid model that would allow for partial on-campus instruction and distance learning.
DISTRICT TO ESTABLISH HEALTH GUIDELINES FOR CHILD CARE
Hill briefly addressed child care, an issue parents have brought up during the public-comment portion of school board meetings over the past two months.
District staff members will review the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health’s new guidelines for offering child care on campuses.
“After we have reviewed this guidance, we will be sending out specific information regarding child care options for the fall,” Hill wrote.
