Lee County Schools responds to letter from its teachers

The School District of Lee County is responding to teachers who sent a letter demanding change.

On Friday, WINK News told you that the teachers union is concerned about the lack of COVID-19 protocols within the district.

In that letter sent Friday, the Teacher’s Association in Lee County is worried that too many staff members are in quarantine.

https://winknews.com/wp-content/uploads/TALC-letter-to-Interim-Superintendent-Ken-Savage.pdf

And the teachers that are reporting to work are now having to take on more students to compensate for the teachers that are in quarantine.

The union asked SDLC how it decides which schools to keep open. Last school year, if five percent of students, staff and employees were quarantined, only then would the district consider shutting a school down. But this year they are shifting this policy.

Rob Spicker is a spokesperson for Lee County schools. “We’re just now going to look more on an individual basis and its impact and if it’s one thing where it’s concentrated and closing a classroom then that’s what we would do. If it becomes much more widespread throughout the school we will take actions that are appropriate then,” Spicker said.

Debbie Jordan is the chair of the Lee County School Board and she has personally asked the superintendent to reconsider some of the COVID-19 protocols from last school year, like one-way hallways for example.

Jordan wants the district to do as much as it possibly can to keep people safe while still complying with Gov. DeSantis’ executive order. That executive order prevents the district from mandating masks.