In the News

James Ryan, a history and social science teacher at the Springfield Honors Academy, says most if not all teachers are eager to get back in the classroom in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic shaking up the school year nationwide.

“We miss our kids. We miss each other. We miss the school communities,” Ryan said Wednesday. “We want to go back, but as we’ve been saying since the summer, not until it’s safe. Not until it’s safe for our staff, our students and our families, and we’re just not there yet. We need your help.”

Ryan, whose wife also teaches, was one of 10 workers across the country directly impacted by the pandemic who shared stories in a virtual listening session hosted by Rep. Richard Neal of Massachusetts.

The workers — who were in education, health care, hospitality, retail and other fields — painted a dire picture of workplaces and communities in need of funding, personal protective equipment as well as greater understanding from local, state and federal leaders. They were unified in calling on Congress to finalize a stimulus package that could provide relief to taxpayers, schools, small businesses and local governments struggling to equip first responders.

Anthony Murray, a firefighter and paramedic in Indiana, told Neal that without additional plans and funding for PPE, fire departments wind up competing with other health care providers for equipment. He said towns and cities urgently need more funding for PPE and to boost paid sick leave, particularly because firefighters and emergency responders are in such close proximity to COVID-19 patients and each other, a situation “ripe for viral spread” that can lead to “debilitating staffing shortages” when crews must quarantine.

“We need Congress to recognize this reality by passing legislation that provides more PPE, sick leave and funding for state and local governments,” Murray said. “We see America at 2 a.m., and America is hurting right now.”

Neal told participants and reporters that the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act helped save the economy in the spring.

“We need to do this again,” Neal, the chairman of House Ways and Means Committee, said, noting President-elect Joe Biden is likely to propose another infusion of funds after he takes office in January. “Democrats are going to continue to fight for you in Congress on these measures and others as well. We understand the challenges you have and we’re committed to getting you the relief you need.”

This week, several Massachusetts lawmakers pressed congressional leaders and the Trump administration to finalize a stimulus deal.

“The people that I represent are not asking me about what polls are saying or what is the bipartisan appetite, they’re asking about what relief are you going to deliver that’s going to make my life better and keep me safe,” Rep. Ayanna Pressley told MSNBC this week.

Ryan, who acknowledged that remote learning has hindered students’ educational experience, argued the pandemic exacerbated existing problems in schools, including poor ventilation and inequities in Internet access.

“A lot of schools have been in dire need of repairs and retrofitting and reconstruction for quite some time now,” he said. “The dilapidated state of HVAC systems due to deferred maintenance have made them patently unsafe during this time.”

Meanwhile, Ryan said, districts have faced “substantial pressure” and threats of budget cuts from “state actors who want us to return to in-person learning as soon as possible.”

“This is coming as our state has already seen hundreds upon hundreds of staff and students in non-remote districts contract COVID and then they end up going remote anyway,” he said. “A lot of our state and local officials are doing the best they can. We can only do so much. Budget constraints are only making things worse. We’re calling on federal leaders to pass this relief package and help get our communities back on the right track and make it out of this pandemic.”

Slightly more than three-quarters of Massachusetts school districts are either in-person or hybrid learning, while 23% of districts are fully remote as of last week, according to the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. Boston, Worcester and Springfield are among districts with online-only learning.

Between Nov. 19 to Nov. 25, a total of 482 coronavirus cases were reported in schools, excluding students who are learning remote-only. State officials estimate there are about 450,000 students and 75,000 staff members currently in public school buildings during the pandemic.