Teacher groups demand safety measures in classrooms
Oklahoma City, Okla. (KOKH) — In a speech to members across the country, the president of the American Federation of TeachersRandi Weingarten said if schools don't protect teachers' safety and health, "nothing is off the table—not advocacy or protests, negotiations, grievances or lawsuits, or, if necessary as a last resort, safety strikes.”
Just a couple of years after massive walkouts because of teacher pay, the president of the AFT Oklahoma City chapter says a strike here in unlikely.
"I don’t see that happening in Oklahoma," said Torie Shoecraft. "It would be illegal for us to go into a strike, so I think that we need to put our energy and our resources in making sure we do have those safety protocols so that we can reopen safely."
The chapter says it represents about half the teachers in Oklahoma City Public Schools.
The group is pushing for things like masks, social distancing and adequate cleaning in schools.
So far, it agrees with Oklahoma City Public Schools' plan, pushing back its start date.
“I think that was the right move,"Shoecraft said. "I’m 100 percent supportive of the district choosing and I feel like they did it proactively, choosing to go virtually, and I think that they needed that extra time to make sure that they have all their skills ready to go."
“We are hearing a lot of fear," saidAlicia Priest, president of the Oklahoma Education Association.
Both the AFT and the OEA say right now many teachers are nervous about returning to the classroom.
"Educators are retiring when they had planned to stay for a few more years, they are quitting, they are taking leaves of absence," Priest said.
The OEA helps its members put together wills for free.
Priest says, over the past month or so, they've had about 20 members call about writing one every day.
Both teacher groups say they supported State Superintendent Joy Hofmeister's plan and were disappointed that the board voted to make the plan a recommendation not a requirement.