Camas, WA — Last week, several parents expressed frustrations with the Camas School Board about how students are faring under pandemic rules, but how are teachers faring and what do they need?

Lacamas Magazine asked Camas Education Association President, Shelley Houle, several questions about what local educators need.

Question: What are your thoughts, as president of the CEA, about what many parents are saying about masks, the equity programs, and critical race theory?  

Answer: I have empathy for all parents in our district who have struggled with how the pandemic has impacted them. Many of CEA’s members are parents with school-aged children, too.  Our agreement for this year is mainly that our district follow state and public health guidelines. We stand for the safety and health of all our staff and students. Despite numerous COVID-19 exposures, there have only been two outbreaks in our district. Mitigation protocols are working to decrease the spread of the virus in our schools. As for equity, CEA supports the work done in our district and are committed to seeing and serving all our students.

Question: Do you feel the school board is hearing the CEA’s concerns about teachers being in the classroom? 

Answer: YES. They have been very responsive to any concerns I have brought forward. With ever-changing state and public health guidelines, it’s been important for us to work closely together to navigate those changes. I want to give a shout-out to many of our special education staff who have been working in-person over last summer and from September on. Gradually the percentage of students served in-person has grown to where we are at today with most students on campus. Many members reach out to me to share how their confidence in the safety protocols has increased. Are there still teachers concerned? Of course. Many of them care for aging parents or have health conditions. The combination of vaccinations and protocols like social distancing and masks create a safer workplace–a Union tenet across all professions.

Question: What is your stance on COVID-19 vaccinations?

Answer: Teachers need all eligible folks to get vaccinated!!!  It is unsettling to work in-person knowing the rates are so high (265/100,000). This isn’t just about teachers. Think of grocery store and restaurant workers, too. We are relying on mitigation strategies at work, but we have no control what happens outside the school day. 

Question: What are the top things teachers need right now?

Answer: Educators need acceptance for having clear boundaries between work and their personal lives. So many of my peers work 10-12 hours a day and take work home on the weekends. Most are working as efficiently as they can, but the workload can be overwhelming at times. 

Educators need partnership and support from families. This can make such a big difference in students’ lives.

Educational laws and funding that are student-centered with emphasis on diversity, equity, and inclusion. Universal Internet Access is one example that could have made remote learning smoother for all.

Time! Time to plan, teach, assess, reflect, intervene, collaborate, call, mail, meet, sanitize, and–most importantly, time to build positive relationships with students.

Camas, WA — Monday’s first in-person Camas School Board meeting in more than a year got very pointed and personal during the public comments section time. Parents emphasized in very clear words their distrust and frustration in how the school board is handling the pandemic at every stage: from remote learning to reopening, face mask usage, as well as a push to drive critical race theory and equity programs into the schools stating its flaming the fans of racism. 

Using key data points, the parents (which included one physician) decried the over use of face masks in the schools, and in particular during recess and outdoor activities. 

This video contains many of the parents who spoke up: https://youtu.be/dWPlbiXnrIc

The criticism against the school board was at times personal and one parent said there are ways to remove elected officials. Supporters of the some of the speakers stood outside the board room window chanting approval of the words said. Patriot Preyer leader Joey Gibson was present, but not actively involved in the proceedings. Indoor attendance was limited due to COVID-19 restrictions.

A post-meeting reply to those accusations was addressed by School Board Director Tracey Malone: “Camas School District is focused on equity in our mission to see and serve each student.  Owning our responsibility as a district to better serve students can be uncomfortable, however our equity work and honoring student voice and their experiences should not be confused with Critical Race Theory. Critical Race Theory is not a set of curriculum we have adopted for students.” 

School Board Director Erika Cox kicked off the meeting with this land acknowledgment statement: “I acknowledge that the geographical region of Camas is located on the ancestral and territorial lands of the Chinook and Cowlitz People, and that the Chinook are still fighting to be a federally recognized tribe on their own land.“

Malone explained why the board reads the land acknowledgment. 

“We have started our school board meetings with the pledge of allegiance followed by the land acknowledgement since 2020,” Malone said. “A land acknowledgment is an opportunity to share our history and recognize and respect the people who lived on the land our district resides.  Similar to the way we talk about the Mill Town Pride award as being the best of who we were, who we are, and who we want to be, the land we live on is a part of who we are and we recognize and respect the relationship of the Indigenous Peoples as stewards of this land.”   

Malone also addressed accusations that the school board doesn’t follow how school districts in other states cope with the pandemic.

“We are constantly updating research about the impact of COVID on schools, research about mitigation and countermeasures, and research about learning.  We’ve kept this research up to date and accessible to the public on our district website https://www.camas.wednet.edu/covid-19/2020-21-reopening-resources/

During the meeting, outgoing Camas School District Superintendent Jeff Snell went over learning delivery models and how they’re preparing for Fall instruction. He said the state is using the word “must” when proposing guidelines for using masks, but he also added there appears to be less restraints coming on outdoor mask use.

Snell said 70 percent of high school students are currently learning in the classroom.

School Board Director Connie Hennessey addressed face masks during outdoor activities. 

“We’ve talked a lot about masks at recess. Do we still need masks at recess?” The crowd in the room said “no.”

As a follow up to the outdoor face mask issue, Malone further clarified the board’s position.

“We’ll continue to take direction from public health regarding masks, distancing, and contact tracing and look for opportunities to expand services and return to ‘normal’ any chance we get,” Malone said.

Hennessey also added: “When the [COVID] numbers change, when the phases change we need to see where the outbreaks are in the county and make decisions based on that rather than just by a number.” To which Cox said “A number doesn’t define what the situation is.”

The CHS Field House and the Garver Theater renovation projects are the final portions from the 2016 $130 million bond. The field house turf is currently being laid and the Garver Theater renovation will be completed later this year.

Camas School District is dealing with a $4.1 million deficit mostly because of the 6-7 percent enrollment drop but that loss is being offset by stimulus money awarded by the state for enrollment stabilization and transportation stabilization.

The school board meets every two weeks.