BY: CLAIRE KIM
With coronavirus cases rising in Florida amidst the second wave of the pandemic, the prospect of reopening schools has triggered both the American Federation of Teachers and The Florida Education Association to fire back at the governor, Governor Ron DeSantis, arguing against his disregard for public health and safety.
Suing the governor for his incompetent decision, teachers’ unions have also taken advantage of this situation by approaching the state court of Miami, ensuring that local school superintendents and health officials have the full authority to decide school reopenings, not the governor himself.
“The suit, which appears to be the first of its kind across the country, sets up a confrontation between unions and politicians that could change the trajectory of school reopening over the coming weeks.” (New York Times)
It’s great to see teachers seriously confronting such an announcement, fighting for what should be the top priority during a global pandemic: keeping everyone safe, everyone including students, parents, AND teachers as well.
Everyone, if not, almost everyone wants to go to school as soon as possible. But, this desire doesn’t, and should never override the health concerns that come with being on campus when the pandemic is still surging in numbers of cases, proliferating as each day passes by.
The idea of “safety” really needs to be taken more seriously by higher-level officials. It’s not one of the most searched up words in realtime for no reason.
claire kim. 