Hundreds of Collier County teachers protest in-person learning mandate

Collier County teachers protest in-person learning mandate

THE SUSPECT IS NOW IN CUSTODY-WE’RE NOT NAMING HIM BECAUSEHE’S UNDERAGE.SCHOOL ONLINE UNTIL CASESDECLINE.THAT’S WHAT HUNDRED OF TEACHERSIN COLLIER COUNTY ARE TELLINGTHE SCHOOL BOARD TONIGHT.THEY HELD A DRIVE-BY PROTEST INFRONT OF THE SCHOOLADMINISTRATION BUILDING.AND THAT’S WHERE WE FIND FOX 4REPORTER ROB MANCH LIVE FOR USTONIGHT.SO ROB━ WHAT ARE SOME OF THBIGGEST CONCERNS TEACHERS HAVEABOUT RETURNING TO CLASS?THE MAJORITY OF TEACHERS I SAWOUT HERE THIS AFTERNOON AREOLDER.THEY’RE IN A VULNERABLE AGEGROUP AND COULD BE MORE LIKELYTO GET SICK FROM COVID-19.BUT RIGHT NOW, THEY’RE HAVING TOFIGHT THE FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OFEDUCATION, WHICH SAYS EVERYSCHOOL DISTRICT HAS TO OFFERSOME KIND OF IN-PERSON LEARNINGOPTION.(:11 - :16)(:35 - :38)(1:08 - 1:13)Hundreds of teachers in theircarshonking their horns to make apoint they feel should beobvious.Kelly Romero-Bettridge, 11thGrade Teacher at Naples High:"It doesn’t make sense to me atall that it would be safe forus, knowing that we are aCOVID-19 hot spot."(8s)Teachers like KellyRomero-Bettridge are worriedabout going back to school,because COVID-19 numbers inCollier County aren’t goingdown.More than 70 new cases werereported Monday, and the countyhad more than a 15 percentpositivity rate, higher thananywhere else in southwestFlorida."There’s not a teacher in thiscounty who doesn’t want to beback with their kids, but not atany cost."(6s)Collier County EducationAssociation Executive DirectorJonathan Tuttle says theseteachers are fighting for theirhealth and safety.But they have a tough battleahead.Earlier this month, the FloridaDepartment of Education issuedthis executive order, tellingall school districts they had tooffer some kind of in-personoption.That’s in-line with whatPresident Trump has called for.President Donald Trump: "We wantto get them open, quickly,beautifully in the fall."That’s why Collier CountySchools say they’re up againstthe wall.Chad Oliver, CCPS ExecutiveCommunications Director: "Whenwe read this order from thestate department of education,your mind immediately pivots to, not only do we need to providevirtual options, because we knowfor many of our families, that’swhat they would choose.

We alsohave to offer the in-personexperience."(16s)But teachers likeRomero-Bettridge say, here inCollier County, things should bedifferent."I actually think that thatmandate could probably bechallenged, because I’m notentirely sure that the educationcommissioner, or the governor,has full authority to issue thatmandate in the first place."(15s)AND TEACHERS CHOSE TO HOLD THEIRPROTEST TODAY, BECAUSE THESCHOOL BOARD WILL BE MEETINGTOMORROW TO DISCUSS WHAT TO DOABOUT THE UPCOMING SCHOOL YEAR.THAT MEETING WILL TAKE PLACE ATTHE ADMINISTRATIVE CENTE