Good Afternoon Members,

Below is a letter sent to Dr. Williams this morning. It is from TABCO and CASE addressing
concerns and asking for a meeting.

Dr. Williams,

Educators and administrators have had enough. We have been pivoting and adjusting since
March. Every time we have been told to do something, to adjust on the fly with little notice, we
have stepped up and done it. We simply cannot do it anymore. We are frustrated. We are
stressed. We are tired. And we are angry. Educators and administrators feel marginalized and
disrespected by the system.

When the ransomware attack hit, everyone waited for information. We were patient because we
knew there were criminal investigations happening and other legal concerns. No one knew for
days and days if our personal information had been compromised. No one knew if our years of
lessons and work was gone. No one still knows if or when we will be able to access things such
as our pay stubs. We are losing out on home purchases, refinances, and even possibly the ability
to adopt a baby because of this. No one knows where our 403b, 457b, and FSA monies are or
when they will be deposited to our accounts. We want to know about the money and interest we
are losing because of this. We want to know what has happened to our leave balances, sick time
and more. We want to know about the student IEPs. We are worried about our health care and
when open enrollment changes will occur.

Every one of us understands how serious a ransomware attack is. Everyone understands an
ongoing investigation can mean not all information can be shared. But because of the unclear or
missing communication, not only are the rumors flying, people are becoming more and more
wary. There are hundreds of questions and not many clear answers. There has been no
communication from you, Dr. Williams, to us, the educators and administrators (and other staff),
reassuring us that the system is doing all it can, or understands our concerns, or apologizing for
the device swap and reimaging concerns, and more.

The problems and concerns around the device swap is simply the final straw that is breaking us.
We got information about swapping devices on Friday, December 11th. We got at least three
different communications that day around the swaps and reimaging. And we had many questions
that were not answered. But we went on Monday and Tuesday. And we waited, or were told
there were no devices, or were given a broken device. And then we saw that there was no
software on the devices, not even Microsoft Office. Dr. Williams, we are truly working as hard
as we can to teach our students. But we cannot do it with nothing. It is unacceptable and unfair.
We have been told repeatedly to grant our students grace, and we do. But that same grace is not
being granted to us. To BCPS’s credit, they did realize what they were doing Monday and
Tuesday was not working, and thanks to the snow, they paused and came up with a new
distribution/reimaging plan. Friday’s results were not better. We were again told there were no
devices. Some educators who chose to wait to have their own devices reimaged waited two and
three hours for a process they were told would take about 45 minutes. Some of us had our
devices taken and were given nothing back but told to wait for a phone call. We are still waiting.
Every single one of us understand that instruction of our students is the number one priority. And
we are doing all we can to provide rigorous, authentic instruction. It is being demanded of  us
that we keep altering our plans to accommodate whatever new plan is presented by BCPS. We
are getting non-functional devices that we then cannot even use to teach, after turning in a device
that was not infected and working perfectly. We don’t know why we had to do this because no
one has told us. We also are then not allowed to go back and swap again to get another,
hopefully working, device. And now we cannot teach. The lack of clarity around this, and the
time and energy – especially the emotional toll – is overwhelming. We are tired, frustrated, and
angry.

Dr. Williams, Tom and I have answered hundreds of emails, texts, and phone calls around this,
as have the other staff at TABCO. We told everyone to be patient. We told them that BCPS is
doing all they can to get systems up and running. We told them that there are daily conversations
that we are having to find out information. We have tried to be as supportive and collaborative as
we possibly can.

We keep hearing there is a lack of trust in the information BCPS is providing. Perhaps it’s time
for an outsider, an expert on ransomware attacks, to share what is and is not possible and why it
will take some time to ‘fix’ things. Staff doesn’t have to like what they hear but at least they will
be hearing what is known and why.

There must be some type of message that goes out to staff about the need to continue instruction.
There needs to be notice about the MSDE requirements, any attempts to have time excused, and
the ‘why’ instruction had to be stood up quickly. We are extremely concerned about SLOs,
observations, and evaluations. The tools for us to effectively do our jobs are not being provided
yet we are still being held accountable in the same manner they were prior to the ransomware
attack. The lack of professionalism and respect shown to us is unacceptable.

There needs to be acknowledgement of how often staff has been asked to shift or pivot, how
difficult that is and how they are appreciated for having done it. There needs to be an
acknowledgement of the concerns/issues with the device exchange. We need to hear from you
that you, and our administrators and supervisors, have our backs. We should be able to focus on
teaching our students; we are doing that plus all the minutiae that is added – we need to focus on
what is the absolute most important thing – our students and instruction – and let everything else
pause. We cannot put another thing on our plates. We have pivoted, shifted, altered, and
accommodated beyond realistic expectations.

There needs to be acknowledgement that BCPS is rebuilding its systems. That there is no access
to SIS, SPS, HR, payroll, observations and evaluations, whatever else there is. The lack of
transparency and clarity is wreaking havoc upon havoc. Staff needs to know that this is a process
and BCPS truly is working as hard as they can to get things up and running. But staff needs to
know what is and is not available and the consequences of that.

Dr. Williams, from the very first time we met you, and in every meeting and conversation we
have had since, we have shared communication concerns. This crisis has exacerbated those
concerns. The messages we are getting vary greatly, from school to school, area to area, and even
within schools. Add the social media element, where we hear what is happening in one area
versus another, and quick frankly, chaos ensues.

We stand by our desires to truly work collaboratively with BCPS. We want TABCO, CASE, and
all the bargaining units,  to be  partners in TEAM BCPS. We are not feeling that at all at this
time. We feel marginalized and disrespected by the system.  We know that educators and
administrators go above and beyond every day. BCPS needs to pause and ask what is really and
truly the priority and focus on getting that done effectively and efficiently.

Clearly many of the concerns delineated in this letter are teacher centric. However there are
concerns that relate directly to CASE members as well. CASE shares the overall concern that our
educators are being constantly overwhelmed with tasks and requests that too often are
inconsistent and untimely, all the while, principals specifically, are tasked with answering the
myriad of questions and concerns from the community and their staff. They continue to go over
and above to support all constituents, only to be told that they need to do more. People simply
cannot continue at this pace. It is unhealthy and has become counterproductive.

Can we please have a conversation before winter break? Dr. Scriven and Ms. Lowry have been
extremely helpful and available, meeting with the five union leaders on a daily basis, but we
need to hear from you. Please let us know a time that we can meet.

Thank you

Tom DeHart

Executive Director, CASE

Cindy L. Sexton

TABCO President