Safe to Teach Response to JCEA:

Education is at a crossroads. We can double down on political activism, which lead to division and mistrust, or we can work together to restore the reputation of our profession. Safe to Teach is a bipartisan, non-political association of Jeffco educators who want to get back to focusing on what matters most: teaching and learning!

JCEA has been spreading some misinformation. Without any evidence, they are claiming we want to “privatize schools, diminish collective power, and eliminate contractual rights.” Let’s be clear. Safe to Teach is a teacher-led association with vested interest in upholding our contract, including pay, benefits, and job security. We are made up of mental health professionals, learning specialists, academic coaches, world language teachers, and culturally and linguistically diverse educators. 

JCEA also claims we are misrepresenting their membership, which we believe is between 25-30% of Jeffco educators. If it's higher, or lower, we invite JCEA to share their numbers with us so we can represent their membership correctly. Either way, they clearly do not represent the majority of Jeffco educators. Often, they don't even represent the opinions of their members. For instance, when union leadership decided to pull Ang Anderson out of the classroom to recruit members or cast a vote of “no confidence” for Tracy Dorland, they did so without properly polling their members. Many good teachers have been the target of bullying, false accusations, or removal from JCEA leadership positions for expressing the “wrong” views.

JCEA is now asking its members to pull down flyers and report our efforts to communicate social events to colleagues. They claim these emails are a "phishing scam." JCEA wants to remind us that they are the exclusive bargaining agent responsible for negotiating our contract. Now, it's my turn to remind them that the negotiated contract applies to all Jeffco educators, including me and my colleagues. The contract affirms our right to work in an environment free from bullying, intimidation, or slander. Does the union really get to take away teachers' first amendment rights to free speech and association? Public school needs to be a place where educators feel Safe to Teach, assemble, and give input, without fear of retaliation.

Finally, Safe to Teach believes teachers have the right to access low-cost liability insurance through AAE’s PACE, TFA, JCEA, or any other organization of their choosing. Our mission is not to dictate people’s personal choices; our mission is to create a supportive and collaborative professional community that elevates a wide variety of exceptional teacher voices from across the district to find win-win solutions to Jeffco-specific challenges. Students need to see how people with differing perspectives can work together to make Jeffco a top choice for students, parents, and educators. Public school should not be a place where educator voices are torn down or unfairly represented.

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It’s time to work together to restore trust to the teaching profession. We are listening to your concerns. Please share your feedback or join our Facebook group. Consider signing our confidential petition to request a say in who represents you. 

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