Florida Teachers Union Sues Governor DeSantis Over School Reopenings
The Florida Education Association, a teachers union representing about 140,000 school employees, filed a lawsuit Monday against several state leaders, including Gov. Ron DeSantis and Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran, in an effort to stop schools from reopening for in-person instruction.
Earlier this month, Corcoran issued an executive order requiring that all schools open in August for five days a week for families who want their children to attend in-person classes, even as COVID-19 cases in the state continue to surge. Families have the option of participating in remote learning if they prefer.
By forcing schools to reopen and teachers to return to the classroom, the state is failing to provide a safe and secure environment as required in the constitution, says the lawsuit, which also names the state Department of Education, Board of Education and the mayor of Miami-Dade County as defendants. The state’s constitution mandates “[a]dequate provision shall be made by law for a uniform, efficient, safe, secure, and high quality system of free public schools.”
“Reopening schools in the middle of a COVID-19 resurgence, and without the proper plan, resources, and safety precautions will inevitably exacerbate the spread of the virus, jeopardize public health, and ultimately cause longer closures,” says the lawsuit.
The lawsuit comes after President Donald Trump and Education Secretary Betsy DeVos have spent the last few weeks pressuring schools to reopen for in-person classes. Major school districts, like the one in Los Angeles, have already announced they will begin the school year online. Other districts, including New York City, are providing in-person instruction one to three days a week.
Even though Florida families will be given an option of whether to attend school in person or online, staff will still have to report to the building to keep it operational, putting their health and the health of the students they serve at risk. The...
