Florida Judge Blocks State Order for Schools to Reopen

Labor News

August 24, 2020 Labor, News

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. …

Washington Post 8/24

About Jeffrey Burman 861 Articles
Jeff Burman served on the Guild’s Board of Directors from 1992 to 2019. He is now retired. He can be reached at jeffrey.s.burman.57@gmail.com.

Related Articles

Features

Wise, Beyond His Years: Remembering Robert Wise

November 1, 2005 Features

Robert Wise was always a hard worker–whether he was lugging film cans, syncing up reels of sound, looking for that one particular shot to make a scene play, staying on budget, getting the best performance from an actor or any of the myriad other jobs and positions he filled in his 72 years in the industry. […]