AFT 2121 is excited to ask you to join us and San Francisco Supervisors Mar, Ronen, Peskin, and Walton in signing on to our vision for protecting access, community, and equity in crisis distance learning for our non-credit students during the COVID crisis.
We are asking the CCSF Chancellor to create a framework for intentionally supporting the most marginalized students in our school community. We are focusing our lens on the needs of non-credit students who are facing huge challenges in completing their studies right now; complicated home/work schedules, lack of technology and internet, lack of multi-lingual support and lengthy registration processes continue to be barriers to enrollment. We believe that focus on attending to the needs of the most vulnerable will benefit all students at CCSF.
Non-credit does not mean non-essential, as many of our students need these classes to make gains in their lives. Non-credit courses include English as Second Language, Adult Basic Education (Literacy, remedial Math, Credit Recovery, U.S. Constitution) and many job certification programs. Many non-credit students are also essential workers in senior care, childcare, janitorial, construction, food service, grocery and delivery. Classes also prepare them for entering credit programs.
Let’s face it—these are challenging times. This crisis moment has laid bare all of the places where institutions are weak in their support for their most vulnerable constituents.
Non-credit programs have always been designed from an equity stance to support student success by “meeting the students where they are” in free classes with flexible schedules in neighborhood campuses. When the COVID crisis first hit, our school’s teachers recognized the lack of institutional support for non-credit students in remote learning, and came together to provide remote instruction with the needs of students in mind: flexibility and ease of access.
We are excited to build on the successes we’ve had in reaching hard to reach students—despite the obstacles, but we still have a long way to go to bridge the digital divide. It’s time to take stock of how far we’ve come and what work we still need to do. We’re ready and we need you with us.
Our students deserve inclusive resources and ease of access, whether in face-to-face, or online learning. With thoughtful planning for consistent support structures and routines, we will support all students, from all walks of life, without disruption in their educational pathways—even during these challenging times of crisis distance learning.
Stand with us and support our vision! It will only take 2 minutes of your time.
Add your voice in support of students with the most needs during this pandemic and economic crisis: https://tinyurl.com/NoncreditStudentsDeserve
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