TEACHERS TOLD NOT TO ENFORCE MASK MANDATE?
Now 1,767 Students, Employees Infected With COVID-19 In Palm Beach County School District.
One Area High School Reports 46 COVID-19 Cases.
At Least 5,000 Students Under “Stay Home Directive.”
BY: ANDREW COLTON | Editor and Publisher
BOCA RATON, FL (BocaNewsNow.com) (Copyright © 2021 MetroDesk Media, LLC) — Several teachers contacting BocaNewsNow.com say they have been told NOT to enforce the new Palm Beach County School District mask mandate by administrators fearing that parents will sue the school district over a disability claim.
“These parents are nauseating,” said a Boca Raton area teacher. “Their entitlement is nauseating.”
In reports shared with BocaNewsNow.com several times starting in the hours immediately after school ended on Monday, teachers report they are being told by administrators to say nothing to children who refuse to mask up. Teachers can report the children to administration, but it’s now up to administration to do something. In all cases shared with us Monday, school administrators did nothing, leaving the unmasked kids in the classroom.
“Students with masks are upset at having unmasked students sitting near them — many coughing or sneezing,” said another teacher. “You have kids who are doing the right thing, and are following rules, having to sit next to the children of uneducated, self-absorbed, Trump-worshipping parents who couldn’t care less about the safety of their children’s friends or teachers.”
“We are helpless,” said another teacher. “We thought the School Board and the Superintendent were actually doing something great. It turns out they were doing nothing. It seems like they never intended to enforce the mandate they created.”
Under the new mandate, parents can no longer “opt out” their children from mask use, and a doctor’s note is not enough. They must have a 504 plan — a Federal disability program — in place. That can take weeks process.
Palm Beach County Classroom Teacher Association President Justin Katz did not respond to a request for comment Monday evening. The Palm Beach County School District also did not confirm that teachers are being told to look the other way. However, it was suggested to BocaNewsNow.com following the mandate’s approval that it would take days for the policy to be completely enforced.
“You are going to see numbers jump,” said another educator. “The school district apparently couldn’t care less about threats by Gov. Ron DeSantis, but is actually concerned about a disability lawsuit from a parent.”
Among the Palm Beach County School District schools Tuesday morning with notable infection counts:
Addison Mizner Elementary: 26 students and 2 employees.
Bak Middle School of the Arts: 14 students.
Binks Forest Elementary: 18 students.
Boca Raton Community High: 32 students and 2 employees.
Calusa Elementary: 22 students and 2 employees.
Coral Reef Elementary: 32 students and 3 employees.
Don Estridge High Tech Middle: 15 students.
Eagles Landing Middle: 8 students and 1 employee.
Jupiter Community High: 40 students, 1 employee.
Jupiter Middle: 25 students, 3 employees.
Loggers’ Run Community Middle: 18 students, 3 employees.
Morikami Park Elementary: 12 students, 1 employee.
Olympic Heights Community High: 25 students, 3 employees.
Polo Park Middle: 14 students.
Seminole Ridge Community High: 38 students.
Spanish River Community High: 8 students.
Sunrise Park Elementary: 8 students.
Sunset Palms Elementary: 33 students and 1 employee.
Verde K-8: 13 students and 1 employee.
Wellington Community High: 46 students.
Whispering Pines Elementary: 5 students.
William Dwyer High: 24 students and 2 employees.
Woodlands Middle: 23 students, 3 employees.
The Palm Beach County School District reports a total of 1,767 COVID-19 cases, with 1,556 students and 211 employees. Roughly 5,000 students are under “stay home directive,” meaning they must stay home until a negative COVID-19 test is confirmed by the school district, or other benchmarks are achieved.
What are you hearing or seeing at school? Let us know. Use the form below. Access the form here if the form does not appear.
