ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. — Michelle Dillon says the anxiety levels range “from mild to severe” for teachers in St. Johns County as they wait for a judge to decide whether public schools in Florida have to re-open by Aug. 31.
“I believe that the Florida Education Association brought forth this lawsuit for the right reasons,” Dillon said in an interview Sunday afternoon with First Coast News.
The union is asking for an injunction against an executive order signed last month by state education commissioner Richard Corcoran.
Dillon, president of the St. Johns Education Association, said such decisions should not come from the state level.
“I know that our school district is closely watching the positivity numbers in our county. And without the stress of this executive order weighing us down, I believe they have the ability to make different decisions, perhaps, as we move forward with the school year, decisions that are right for the safest possible learning environment.”
Dillon said any suggestion that unions simply want to keep schools closed is inaccurate.
“That is not the case. I do know that our teachers truly want to be back in front of their brick-and-mortar students, want to be back to some sense of normalcy. But we want to do it based on our decisions locally and we want to do it under the safest conditions possible.”
Part of the confusion about keeping decisions at district levels has come from reports that the state is requiring that non-opening districts seek approval from their local health departments, then ordering those health departments not to make recommendations to school officials.
“Not only is that conflict, it flies in the face of logic and doing what’s best for our students and our teachers and our support staff professionals,” Dillon asserted, adding that school boards consulting with health departments at other times is business as usual.
“We rely on the departments of health. We talk to them during flu season. We talk to them in a non-pandemic world and get their advice. We should be working side-by-side and collaboratively so that we know how to move forward.”
There’s also worry about the state withholding funding from districts that don’t comply.
“It would hurt in the fastest-growing county in the state,” Dillon lamented. “We need those dollars to adequately fund our classrooms and build the schools for our ever-growing county.”
“In a newsletter brief Friday – the same day closing arguments were heard in the lawsuit - Governor DeSantis hinted that there’s a competing risk of leaving children under-educated, adding that other services such as lunch programs and counseling simply can’t be ‘dialed in.’
“I don’t disagree with the governor on that,” Dillon said. “There’s a lot that’s lost without that face-to-face interaction, no doubt.”
“But is that as important as protecting everyone’s lives? I don’t see it as the same level of urgency and importance.”
A ruling from the judge is expected this coming week, as several districts on the First Coast prepare to begin in-person classes. The St. Johns County School District plans to re-open Monday, Aug. 31.
But, what other districts – even her own district – will do if the Florida Education Association wins the injunction is unclear.
“That is a speculative question,” Dillon said, “but I believe that should we win this case it would put the power back where it belongs, in the local school districts’ hands. And then they would make the best decisions possible in conjunction with the local department of health.”