Author: admin

COVID has changed how we do many things, including advocating to our politicians. As another legislative session brings more of the harmful bills we’ve seen in previous years, it’s still critically important that we lobby on behalf of our members, even with the restrictions that COVID brings. To help our members with this task, AEA will hold two Virtual Lobby Days featuring AEA officers, lobbyist, and invited legislators. These events will provide:

• an overview and update on key bills
• an opportunity to learn best practices for voicing your position to legislators
• breakouts for special topics
• an opportunity to share your perspective directly with legislators

AEA Virtual Lobby Days will be held from 6:00-7:30pm on the following days:

• Thursday, February 25
• Monday, March 8

If you’d like to attend on one (or both!) of the dates above, just click on the date to register.

NEA and AFT will be hosting a virtual fireside chat with Dr. Anthony Fauci on Thursday, January 28 at 4:00pm. This is your chance to ask Dr. Fauci questions regarding COVID-19 that are education-related. Sign up for this exclusive event today!

On January 13, the CUSD Governing Board voted 3-2 to return to in-person instruction for all grades beginning tomorrow. The CEA Executive Board has released a statement regarding why we feel this decision is wrong for our community.

K-12 education employees can now register for the COVID vaccine on the Arizona Department of Health Services website. Just visit podvaccine.azdhs.gov, register for an account, then schedule an appointment to receive your first vaccination (your second vaccination will be scheduled later).

CEA has released statements of support for our fellow educators in Dysart and Peoria as they advocate for a return to in-person instruction only when it is safe to do so.

COVID numbers continue to rise in record-setting fashion in Arizona, and based on recommendations from county and state health officials, CEA is urging CUSD to:

• make available a live video stream of the CUSD COVID task force meeting on Monday, January 4
• convene a special session of the CUSD Governing Board immediately following this task force meeting to discuss and take potential action on recommendations of the task force
• shift to full-time virtual instruction until the new CUSD Governing Board has had time to consider and potentially implement the recommendations of the district task force

Please read our full statement for details, including data that supports these requests.

After a record number of applications, our Member to Member grant recipients have been selected. Thanks to everyone who applied and reviewed applications, and congratulations to the following grant recipients:

• Maria Aguirre-Acedo (Chandler Online Academy)
• Alma Alvarado (Carlson Elementary School)
• Michelle Capriotti (Casteel High School)
• Rebecca Coplan (Weinberg Gifted Academy)
• Mary Davis (Sanborn Elementary School)
• Marisa Delci (Weinberg Gifted Academy)
• Shelley Dow (Hartford Sylvia Encinas Elementary School)
• Megan Driving Hawk (Perry High School)
• Donna Gustafson (Santan Junior High School)
• Vanessa LaRue (Patterson Elementary School)
• Katie Mercer (Ryan Elementary School)
• Peg Newendyke (Santan Junior High School)
• Janell Ochs (Shumway Elementary School)
• Jenny Ryskamp (Willis Junior High School)
• Anne Smith (Andersen Junior High School)
• Jessica Soyland (CTA – Liberty Campus)
• Kierstin Yamashita (Weinberg Gifted Academy)

The CEA Executive Board has released a statement in response to recent developments in CUSD related to COVID.