Reprinted from The Washington Post by Valerie Strauss on August 24, 2020.
A Florida judge Monday granted a temporary injunction against the state’s order requiring school districts to reopen schools during the novel coronavirus pandemic, saying in a harshly worded decision that safety concerns had been ignored.
Circuit Court Judge Charles Dodson, in a 16-page decision, granted the request in a lawsuit filed by the Florida Education Association (FEA) to block the order issued July 6 by state Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran on July 6 compelling schools to reopen five days a week for families who did not want their children to do all virtual learning. Districts were threatened with loss of state funding if they did not comply.
But late Monday, state officials filed an appeal, which put a stay on the preliminary injunction. Lawyers for the FEA said they would file a motion to reinstate the judge’s ruling. …
Union leaders hailed the decision as a victory for local school governance and the health of students. FEA President Fedrick Ingram said school districts, parents, and the 150,000 members of his union can now plan for a safe school reopening that follows local health guidelines, not orders from Tallahassee. …
A federal judge has denied the WGA’s request for an eight-week continuance of a hearing date on CAA’s and WME’s motions for a preliminary injunction that would force the guild to drop its group boycott against the agencies. […]
The Board of Directors approved a five-year renewal starting November 1 for Repola, who has held a series of top roles at the Guild since 1992 and has been in her current post since 2016. […]
