OHIO — The organization representing more than 120,000 teachers and school employees across Ohio released a letter Tuesday calling for online-only classes in areas designated as Level 4 (purple) or Level (3) on the state’s pandemic alert page.
The Ohio Education Association, which includes numerous Miami Valley teaching associations, said Tuesday the state needs more concrete mandates from the state, calling for less district-by-district discretion on reopening policies.
The OEA’s letter calls for statewide mask mandates in school for students, staff and visitors, along with daily health checks, strict quarantine and isolation protocols, and stringent sanitization.
Additionally, OEA is calling on Governor DeWine to close school buildings in counties listed as “purple” or “red.”
“I’m concerned that for whatever reason, there’s been a loosening of standards especially when it comes to guidance for schools,” said Scott DiMauro, President, Ohio Education Association. “We would much rather see public health officials making the important calls when it comes to protecting health and safety, rather than leaving that up to judgment and also frankly local politics that influence decisions that school boards and superintendents often have to make.”
DeWine explained the rationale behind leaving reopening decisions up to individual districts at his July 2 news conference.
“The idea that schools are controlled by local community – by the parents, by the school boards that are elected with our public schools- is engrained I think in all of us,” DeWine said at the time. “It’s the system we grew up with.”
DiMauro said at its essence, the OEA’s calls Tuesday are for Ohio to follow guidelines from the Centers for Disease control on school reopening.
“Not recommendations, we need mandates,” he said, adding that the OEA’s demands are centered around trying to keep students, families and teachers safe.
“No one, certainly no one at all,” DiMauro said, “should ever have to choose between their job and health and safety.”
The full letter here.