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Geneva School District Outlines Plans in Case of Teacher's Strike
In an e-mail to parents, Geneva school officials say District 304 will provide "a safe setting for children during a strike."
A District 304 e-mail blast to parents of Geneva school students outlines a plan to keep schools open during a teachers strike.
The Geneva Education Association filed its "Intent to Strike" notice Friday. A strike could take place as soon as Nov. 9.
The e-blast indicates that most regular classroom work and extracurricular activities will be cancelled and the focus will be to provide District 304 parents "a safe setting for their children during a strike."
The School Board is asking parents' help by letting the district know—if possible, before 4 p.m. Monday—whether students plan to attend school. Parents do not have to call the school if they are planning to keep a student or students at home. Those who do want a student to attend are asked to call 630-463-3088 and indicate the student’s name, grade and school.
"It is extremely important for planning purposes to know the number of students that will be in our schools during a strike," the e-mail said.
Both sides met for a 12-hour negotiating session Friday and said they were nearing an agreement on key issues, including salary. The GEA and the School Board each have said they are hopeful a strike can be averted.
Additional details will be communicated as they become available, but the District 304 plan outline looks like this:
- It is the board’s intent to keep our buildings open to students during the school day. Students will not be required or expected to attend.
- Although regular classes and most extracurricular activities will be cancelled, school personnel will supervise age-appropriate activities in each of our elementary schools, one of our middle schools (Geneva Middle School South) for all middle school students, and at our high school.
- Buses will follow a regular schedule each day of a strike.
- A limited school lunch menu will be offered.
- Specific entrances will be designated at each building for students to avoid picketing teachers.
- Mid-Valley Special Education classes will be held. The Geneva Park District preschool program (Friendship Station) will also continue to operate. High school students will be expected to attend classes at the Fox Valley Career Center.
"Most information about the district’s strike plan will be shared with parents and the community next week via emails to parents/guardians with email addresses in our student information database, 304Connects, and our website," the e-blast says. "We appreciate your patience, understanding, and cooperation as we prepare a plan for your children during a teacher strike."
Related Articles
- Schools Post Negotiations Webpage; FAQs Available on GEA, D304 Sites
- Geneva School Board, GEA Resume Talks Friday
- Reports: GEA Members Authorize Strike; Nov. 9 Earliest Possible Strike
- Geneva Teachers Express Frustration Over Stalled Negotiations
- Geneva Teachers Stage 'Walk In' at High School, Middle Schools
- UPDATE: Geneva School Board Calls Special Meeting to Discuss Teacher Negotiations
- Is a Teachers' Strike Possible in Geneva? Green Buttons Show Solidarity on First Day of School
- UPDATE: Teachers Come Out in Force, Wearing Green, to Seek 'Respect and Compensation We All Deserve'
- Geneva School Board Caught Between Budget Rock, Teachers Contract Hard Place
- Patch Poll: How Much of An Increase Should Geneva Teachers Get?
- Batavia Teachers Get Raises in New Two-Year Contract; Geneva Still Negotiating
- Where Do You Stand on the Geneva Teachers' Union Negotiations?
- Geneva Teachers Expected to Picket Before Tuesday School Board
- State Teachers Union Announces Geneva Talks at Impasse
- UPDATE: Geneva Teachers Union Posts Its 'Final Offer'
- District 304: GEA's 'Final Offer' Calls for 18% Salary Hike in Final 3 Years Before Retirement
- Teacher Talks Resume Friday; Here's the Timeline If an Agreement Isn't Reached
- Geneva School Board's 'Final Offer' Made Public
- Geneva Teachers Give Notice of Intent to Strike
- School Board: Union's 'Rigid Stance' Kept Parties Apart for Months; GEA Responds
- Patch Poll: Which Offer Is More Fair to Teachers and Taxpayers?
- UPDATE—Geneva School Board: GEA Filed Intent to Strike While Sitting at Negotiations Table
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bob engel
10:17 am on Thursday, November 1, 2012
Where do we honk if we think teachers are unrealistic?
Lisa R
10:51 am on Thursday, November 1, 2012
Does anyone know if we will have access to supplemental materials that we could use to continue our kids' education while the teachers are out?
rc
2:45 pm on Thursday, November 1, 2012
Look on your childrens worksheets. Teachers pull them from websites. All the material taught is predeveloped and approved from these sites.
G.Ryan
11:34 am on Thursday, November 1, 2012
The Board needs to schedule a special meeting so the community can address their concerns and any questions they may have pertaining to this impending strike.
Max
11:45 am on Thursday, November 1, 2012
And such a meeting is likely to be infiltrated by unionized disrupters, so email and phones might be more appropriate and manageable.
Mary
11:47 am on Thursday, November 1, 2012
Parents - I strongly recommend http://www.khanacademy.org/ as a free resource to keep your kids going on math and science if the teachers decide to strike.
I wouldn't be surprised if they end up ahead of where they would have been if classes had been in session,
Tom Fortune
12:23 pm on Thursday, November 1, 2012
Mary...just home school your kid. How hard could it be to teach 1 kid. Teaching is so incredibly easy.
Julie
1:02 pm on Thursday, November 1, 2012
Tom is such an angry, spiteful writer...I feel sorry for him. Mary-there is absolutely nothing wrong with what you wrote/provided and most kids who get this kind of help on a regular basis by parents would of course only improve upon their academic achievement. I'm not sure why T.F. has such a problem with it, especially since he's in the field.
Max
1:13 pm on Thursday, November 1, 2012
Teaching is probably as challenging as any other profession that has eight different ways to get paid for something you are supposed to be doing anyway. But then that is so common in any field in which unions and government are in bed together, that we tend to overlook it.
Thankfully, Geneva has begun to pay attention.
Mary
12:44 pm on Thursday, November 1, 2012
Tom, I'm just trying to give parents some effective resources to help educate their children in the event of a strike.
I would think that if you were actually concerned about the education of the kids in Geneva you would be in favor of that.
Tom Fortune
1:44 pm on Thursday, November 1, 2012
The children of Geneva will not miss a single day of their education.
Lisa R
2:00 pm on Thursday, November 1, 2012
Thanks for the info Mary! I didn't realize such an innocent post requesting information could spark such angry words. Sorry about that for you!
Mel
4:40 pm on Thursday, November 1, 2012
That's good to know, Tom Fortune. In your position as "an administrator for another district" are you privvy to some inside information?
Julie
8:27 pm on Thursday, November 1, 2012
Here is Tom again...talking out of his - - -! I guess we should all be darn thankful that we aren't in the district where Tom works....in Administration? C'mon! That can't possibly be true. He knows nothing more than the rest of us and I think he's going to wish he didn't type that come November 12th, unless the Union is finally realizing that we've had enough.
Avett Green
2:50 pm on Sunday, November 4, 2012
Ok, let's see a show of hands as to who believes Tom F. is an "administrator in another district"? Ok, raise your hand if you think he even works in the education field. Hmmmmm, I'll be darned. Not one hand went up.