The Trump administration has given consistently meager direction on how to face our ongoing global pandemic, but one thing Donald Trump has rallied behind is how important it is to him to reopen schools. Remote learning has some obvious challenges—not all students have a stable home, nor an internet connection at home, for example—but returning to the classroom without regulated precautions can put both students and staff in danger.
On Sunday, the Little Rock Education Association said its members are willing to teach classes remotely, but they refuse to show up to teach in person because of concerns about the virus spreading in schools. As of Monday, Sept. 28, the Arkansas Times reports that 150 teachers in the district have called in sick in addition to 50 who wrote letters saying they will only work remotely. It’s unclear if the 150 who called in sick are union members or not.
Arkansas, as of now, is mandating that all public schools remain open for in-person classes for a full five days a week. Schools may also make hybrid or virtual options available. But the teachers union says administrators are not doing enough to actually keep people safe. According to the statement from Teresa Knapp Gordon, the Little Rock Education Association president, the teachers working from home are not on a strike or a work stoppage as they are, again, willing to teach from home. Still, it’s possible that those who do not come to teach in person could face disciplinary action.
“If we do not transition to virtual instruction now, someone is going to get sick,” Gordon continues in the statement. “Someone is going to die. We will not be responsible for that happening.”
Schools in the district are staying open for in-person instruction and continuing to provide bus service and meals, as reported by local outlet KATV. The district has purchased masks for students and staff in addition to supplying sanitizer and face shields. The teachers union, however, reports improper mask usage, inconsistent disinfection practices, and a lack of social distancing as ongoing issues since classes began at the end of August.
You can view the letter from the school superintendent in response to the union below.
Thousands of cases of COVID-19 have been reported from public schools in the state.
Of course, as Daily Kos has covered, these teachers are not alone in not wanting to teach in person during a pandemic. We read the viral (hypothetical) obituary that a Florida teacher wrote about herself. We covered the teachers in New York City who marched with fake skeletons and caskets. We’ve covered, too, reports of clusters of coronavirus cases popping up in schools that reopened, like one Georgia high school that got national attention after a student posted photos of crowded hallways on social media, with few masks in sight.
Schools across the country are reporting that staff members are testing positive for the virus. Teachers have already died from it since the school year began. And, as covered by the The Washington Post, state health officials in Wisconsin report that parents have already sent students to school when they knew the child had the virus.
Here is some brief local coverage on the teachers in Little Rock.