YULEE, Fla. – Emotions were high Tuesday night as the Nassau County School Board denied a request made by a union representing many employees in the school district.
The request from the Nassau Educational Support Personnel Association (NESPA) would have impacted non-instructional employees including school bus drivers, cafeteria employees and maintenance workers.
Following the decision, the union said it plans to file a labor complaint against the Nassau County School District.
The district says the non-instructional employees are considered annual contract employees, meaning they can be let go at the end of any year. But the union's leaders claim the workers are not annual contract employees, and they say state law also says they are not annual contract employees.
NESPA wanted the district to change the language in the employees' agreement. Several people supporting NESPA made presentations on why it should be changed.
The attorney for the school district also made a presentation against the group's proposal. At the end of a meeting Tuesday night, the board voted 3-2 to deny the request.
NESPA plans to file the unfair labor suit sometime this week.