Please be sure to check the outgoing voicemail greeting on your Zoom phone to ensure that you don’t still have the old message from when the offices were closed.
Your new message should say something like:
“Hello. You’ve reached (name), (title) with Central Rivers Area Education Agency. I’m away from my desk or on the phone right now but your call is very important to me. Please leave a message and I will call you back as soon as possible. Thank you very much for calling. Have a great day!
In an effort to increase our knowledge around ways to mitigate the spread of Covid-19, reminder that all staff must successfully complete the COVID-19 Safety Guidelines through AEA Learning Online Module R2L: Health and Safety for Teachers and Staff.
In addition, while we have the chance, we want to remind all staff who hold a BoEE license, that they need to complete the ACEs (Adverse Childhood Experiences) and SPP (Suicide Prevention and Postvention) on an annual basis. Certificates should be forwarded to the HR office.
Directions to take the training(s) are outlined on this document. To view other CRAEA mandatory training, refer to this table.
Contact professionallearning@centralriversaea.org if you have any questions or problems with the training.
August brings a physical return to work for agency employees along with more frequent virtual meetings. Following months of working at home and much more casual attire, what’s the new dress code for coming back? Beginning August 3, staff members should return to traditional professional attire, whether virtual or in person. This blog post from 2019 outlines the agency’s approach to dress and can be used as a helpful reference. So, whether you are working in the agency, in a district, or providing services remotely, plan to present a professional image each day! Questions? Please visit with your supervisor.
Central Rivers AEA stands in solidarity with the Black community and with peaceful protests against the racial injustice that has plagued our nation for too long. Each of us must commit to doing all we can to counter racial injustice wherever we see it and take a stand. For lasting change to occur, we must keep the conversation going. Not just today, but in the days and months to come. Central Rivers AEA supports all ethnic groups and promotes the value of diversity in both our schools and communities.
We made it to June! This meme seems to sum up perfectly how I’ve been feeling lately. It’s been an intense past few months and I think we are all anxious to make our best attempt at enjoying the nicer weather and more relaxed pace of summer, despite the fact that Covid-19 has not gone away and likely won’t for many more months.
Over the past several weeks, our agency administrative team, in support of the board, has been working on a “Return to Work” plan which began June 1. I use the word “return” a bit lightly because I know that the work didn’t stop for the majority of us while we have been working remotely. Our plan details are as follows:
Phase 1: Approximately June 1
Safety protocols were specifically designed for each of the following departments who have now physically returned to work (or will in the coming days). Our Phase I staff members can’t physically do their work from a remote setting which necessitated their return along with the fact that they have essential responsibilities to perform. We appreciate their commitment to keeping vital services such as equipment repair, custodial maintenance, printing, and the processing of media materials operational.
Phase 2: Approximately August 1
In Phase 2, we will move from essential/critical workers to lower exposure risk staff (office-based) who are eligible to return to a physical office location. The Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) defines these workers as having minimal occupational contact with the public and other co-workers. Office-based staff are considered lower exposure risk given that they have limited public contact and social distancing is easy to accommodate. Others may continue to work from home as deemed appropriate and necessary by their supervisor. Those employee groups who are identified as eligible to return to the office during Phase 2 include:
Each department is developing unique safety protocols in collaboration with Human Resources to mitigate risk and create an environment that is as safe as possible in light of what we know today about the spread of the virus. These protocols will be shared with “Phase 2” staff members prior to returning in August. Special considerations will be given to those employees deemed to be in a high risk category. If you feel that this applies to you, please contact the Human Resources department.
For those staff members who work primarily out in schools, reaching a conclusion on specific protocols will be heavily dependent on the Return To Learn plans that are developed by each district and due July 1. Rest assured that the agency will have a strong voice in the conversation to ensure that Central Rivers AEA employees are put in the safest position possible while delivering service. Much more to come on this topic as details begin to emerge! Also note that because Covid-19 is an evolving pandemic, our decisions may change as we continue to stay in conversation with public health officials and analyze the data in our area. This is still a very fluid situation.
Questions about returning to work? More specific details and direction will likely be coming from your supervisor. In the meantime, feel free to share any questions, concerns or ideas with Karl Kurt, who is heading up our Return to Work effort.
The Wellness reimbursement incentives for the second half of the year will be included on the regular June 20th payroll checks. While we would have liked to provide this in a separate check, we found that many employees have additional withholdings for state and federal taxes. This required us to make manual adjustments to each individual’s withholdings in order to process payroll checks, so we decided it would be best to avoid these manual adjustments. Thank you for your understanding.
Next year, the agency will discontinue using Navigate and be redesigning our Wellness platform to be more user friendly. More information to come!
Final reporting for the wellness challenges for the second half of 19-20 totaled $23,410 to be paid out in June. Central Rivers AEA paid employees a total of $70,975 in wellness challenges for the entire year. Well done!
In 2019, HF 731 modified the requirements for mandatory reporter training for child and dependent adult abuse. The Iowa Department of Human Services is now providing the training online for free. The AEA is providing the same training online for a fee. If it is time to update your training, be sure to complete both child and dependent adult abuse training. Mandatory reporter training completed prior to July 1, 2019, will still be valid for five years from the date of completion. Trainings after July 1, 2019 are valid for three years.
You may submit reimbursement for postage expenses during the office closure through My Toolbox > Expense Reimbursements on the portal. Please do not use the mileage/travel reimbursement spreadsheet, simply enter a separate request using the Postage Reimbursement expense type and attach all receipts documenting the requested amount. Submit one request per month and summarize the total amount on one line.
Although we will not be meeting as a large group on August 18, the agency plans to hold virtual meetings that day by region and department.
Each Regional Administrator or Director will be responsible for setting the schedule and agenda for the day and will be in touch soon with details. Essentially, each meeting will begin with some agency-wide updates with additional time being spent discussing regional protocols for returning to work safely (for those employees coming back on contract) as well as district “Return to Learn” plans. Time will also be devoted to discipline-level conversation.
Please put August 18 on your calendar with a plan to say “welcome back” to your colleagues virtually! We look forward to connecting with you.
Although the agency has a plan for phasing staff back to work (see “Returning” to Work – A message from the Chief) the Central Rivers AEA Board of Directors passed a Pandemic Pay Resolution during this week’s board meeting to acknowledge that some staff members on contract through the summer months may not be working a 40-hour work week due to uncontrollable circumstances related to the demand for service. We continue to extend our gratitude for the support and wisdom of the board in caring about our staff during these challenging times.
Please be sure you are in touch with your supervisor related to the work expectations and timelines during this time.
