An arbitration order sided with Broward County Public Schools, so the district may require teachers to return to the classroom.
“This is a win for our students,” Superintendent Robert Runcie said.
Of the 1,700 teachers with accommodations, more than 600 have been granted extensions, and the order also forces principals to justify their decisions on requiring teachers to work in the building.
The district used social media postings from teachers who had accommodations to show they were out and about during the pandemic.
“I didn’t know that they would have the audacity and the deplorable decision to put people out there on full blast,” said Anna Fusco, president of the Broward Teachers Union.
The Broward School District looked through Facebook pages of teachers to catch them partying, traveling and failing to wear masks.
The Broward Teachers Union, argued that the information is irrelevant since there were no conditions for what teachers could do while working remotely.
The arbitration hearing, was closed to the public by order of the school district. The arbitrator ruled the district can order teachers back, but must turn over to the union how decisions are made.
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