ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. – The president of the teachers union in St. Johns County said the reaction among teachers has been mixed after the school district put in place a mask mandate for all school employees this week.
“I have some members that feel this doesn’t go far enough that the mandate should have been spread to more than just employees, others that are uncomfortable with the mandate,” said Michelle Dillon, who leads the St. Johns Education Association.
One woman who spoke during the public comment segment of a school board meeting Wednesday claimed she was speaking for the teachers that are afraid they will lose their job if they speak out.
“We are no longer trusted to make our own judgment calls on ourselves,” said Jessica Fellows. “Our liberties are under attack, and sadly some leaders are just allowing it to happen with no fight. True choice ends for everything when you go against the mainstream. Why would (Superintendent Tim) Forson enforce this when the governor didn’t? Teachers have become puppets.”
Dillon said she has been getting emails from teachers after the mandate was announced Tuesday with questions about mask opt-out possibilities for vaccinated teachers, but the district said Thursday there is no such option.
Teachers have also voiced concerns about the consistency of the mandate outside of the classroom at after-school events like football games.
When it comes to possible disciplinary action against teachers who don’t wear masks, Dillon said that too still needs to be addressed.
“Our bargaining team is talking with the state union, and we’re looking at, how would this be enforced? Would it lead to discipline? And looking at it through a contractual lens, and if we need to negotiate this mandate, and we’re doing the research as we speak,” Dillon added.
When asked earlier this week about possible discipline for non-compliance, Forson said he’s confident teachers will wear masks and do what’s best for students. The district said Thursday there have been no further discussions about potential discipline.
The employee mask mandate comes at a crucial time in St. Johns County when the number of COVID-19 cases and quarantines are on the rise. Other school districts in the area have been forced to transition to online learning due to the high number of quarantines involving staff.
As of Wednesday, there were 52 employees in quarantine and 82 positive cases of COVID-19, according to the district.
“I know that people from the district are going out to classrooms to substitute because we aren’t getting enough substitutes in the classroom. And this has a ripple effect,” Dillon said. “Now, if a teacher is absent, those kids may be split, among other classes, adding to the workload of fellow teachers. And it just it has an effect on transportation on cafeteria workers on our paraprofessionals. So I do worry about the ability to operate our schools in a productive, safe manner.”
A district spokesperson told News4Jax six employees from the district office have filled in as substitute teachers each day this week, a practice that happened last school year as well.
But, the spokesperson added, there are no concerns about a substitute shortage with over 700 people in the current substitute pool. The district added 100 additional subs to the pool just last week.
According to the district, 1,381 students were in quarantine as of Wednesday with 384 positive cases.