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Teachers union files unfair labor practice claim against Oxnard Union High School District

OXNARD, Calif. - A teachers union has filed an unfair labor practice claim against Oxnard Union High School District after the Superintendent mandated staff to return back to in-person learning by next week.

Teachers in the Oxnard Union High School District are expected to return for in-person instruction by next week. Superintendent Tom McCoy mandated employees return by April 26, but the announcement didn’t sit well with the Oxnard Federation of Teachers and School Employees.

“I would say the working relationship between teachers and school employees in the district was good until March 30 when the superintendent decided to break the contract with the teachers,” said Tim Allison, who is the executive director of the union.

Allison said calling teachers back goes against their current contract.

“The contract that was signed by the district and approved by the board of trustees called for distance learning and a voluntary return for in-person teaching as teachers got vaccinated and felt more comfortable coming back into the classroom,” said Allison.

The union filed an unfair labor practice claim, but the school district said it's only following state guidelines as COVID-19 cases drop.

“We had started in a voluntary program,” said Superintendent McCoy. “The state is requiring us to return in person to the extent possible, so we are asking the rest of our employees to come in on April 26. This was approved by the school board in October of 2020, and approved by the union executive board. The language to stay voluntary and the language to return are within the current agreement so there was no need for the board to take additional action. Right now, we are just disagreeing with how we implement the language that is already in the MOU [memorandum of understanding]."

For students, it's still optional to return to campus for the remainder of the school year. The district also says it has processed 93 exemptions for teachers with medical conditions or hardships that would make it difficult for them to return. As of right now, about 25% of teachers are back on campus.

“At this point we are working together with the union on a dispute resolution and that is what they filed with the State to ask for a third party decision and which languages allows us to go forward,” said McCoy. “We anticipate we will have a decision on that before the 26th."

Pacifica High School teacher Dacia Hayslip is among those worried about returning.

“My concerns are, like more people, the there won’t be safety features set in place regularly,” said Hayslip. “It won’t be something that is constant.”

The District says it spent nearly 3 million dollars on safety measures, and employees will receive a $500 stipend for working in person.

“We are a family and sometimes families have disagreements, but we will be back together,” said McCoy.

Article Topic Follows: Education

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Senerey de los Santos

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