Teachers Push Back on Pottsgrove Closing Rationale

The president of the Pottsgrove teachers union pushed back against Superintendent William Shirk's assertion that the last-minute decision to postpone a return to in-person education Sunday night was due to teacher call outs.

John Shantz, president of the Pottsgrove Education Association, sent a letter to Shirk objecting to the characterization and allowed the letter to be shared publicly on a community Facebook page dedicated to school district issues.

In his letter issued 8:30 p.m. Sunday evening, Shirk wrote Monday's planned return to hybrid in-person learning was postponed because “...there has been an increase in professional and support staff call outs for Monday, December 7th which prevents us from effectively covering our hybrid classes. Therefore, beginning tomorrow, Monday, December 7th, through Friday, December 11th, all Pottsgrove schools will remain in the ‘all virtual’ mode for grades K through 12. ”

Shantz noted that in total, there were 46 call outs for Monday, out of 458 teachers and staff, adding that number "was no greater than the district has experienced in past occasions in the regular course of delivering instruction."

"Data on staff 'call-outs' was not publicized in the letter, but was known in advance by you. Yet, you chose to communicate at the last possible moment to the community that the basis for the suspension of hybrid and in-person teaching was 'functional closure,'" Shantz wrote

"By emphasizing a 'functional closure' as the basis for your communication, you have fueled emotional and unsubstantiated responses, on multiple social media platforms. Allegations that the district was 'forced' by a presumed 'organized effort' by the teachers to coordinate a 'sick out' were insinuated. Such allegations are unequivocally and patently FALSE -- as you likely know -- but the premise of your letter enflamed the passions of the community, in a manner that you did nothing to refute or dispel," he wrote.

"The backlash from the community in response to your decision was subsequently deflected, and targeted at the teachers, with unsubstantiated and inaccurate claims of an organized effort among PGEA members," he wrote. 

"We wish to emphasize in the clearest and strongest terms that the PGEA leadership would never prompt its membership -- explicitly or implicitly -- to engage in legally prohibited actions that would violate an existing contract or state labor law," Shantz wrote.

Shirk, Shantz wrote, would have been justified in citing an increase in COVID-19 cases for postponing the return to class. As of 10:30 p.m. Monday, the district's COVID dashboard shows 10 cases of students testing positive for the virus, and two staff members.

"The PGEA membership is failing to understand why you did not emphasize this perfectly reasonable rationale for your decision," wrote Shantz.

"The decision to suspend in-person hybrid instruction - and the justification for it - was yours alone. We would appreciate it if you would send a follow-up communication to the public affirming this," he concluded.

As of 10:30 p.m. Monday, no such response had been posted on the Pottsgrove website.

A parent criticizes the Spring-Ford decision Monday.

Both Pottsgrove and Spring-Ford school districts had been scheduled to return to partial in-person instruction Monday and both postponed it. 

Shirk's rationale is stated above and Spring-Ford Superintendent David Goodin cited the increase in COVID-19 cases.

But at a school board meeting Monday night (which was only partially covered by this reporter) it was announced that in-person instruction would be held Tuesday.

That news was issued to parents in an 8:30 p.m. email, sent during a school board meeting at which speakers alternately derided and praised Goodin's decision.