Miami-Dade, Broward Teacher Union Chiefs Plea With Districts To Safely Reopen Schools
MIAMI (CBSMiami) - In a rare joint call to action, the heads of the Miami-Dade and Broward teachers' unions pleaded with their districts to address safety concerns before considering opening schools for in-person learning.
"There has been zero social distancing. We don't know how many students will be in the classrooms," said Karla Hernandez-Mats, President of the United Teachers of Dade. "We are not asking the moon, we are asking basic minimum."
The school safety recommendations include 6 feet distancing, face mask enforcement, hand-washing stations, filtration, and ventilation.
The union chiefs say some teachers can not go back because of COVID health concerns, others are exiting the profession because of the risk.
They are urging parents to report what they see when kids go back to the classroom and encouraging others to opt for continuing virtual learning at home to keep the 'in-class' numbers down and limit the spread.
"We are calling on parents to stand with us."
Both districts say they are working hard to get school buildings safety ready.
Tuesday, Broward's superintendent laid out the plan that will be presented at next Tuesday's school board workshop.
Short of that the unions say will be deadly.
If the measures are not followed lives will be lost.