ROCKFORD, Ill. (WTVO) — RPS-205 teachers want to have a say in how they teach students amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Starting Monday, Rockford Public School students will go all remote and now the teachers are asking to do the same. The President of the Rockford Education Association spoke during Tuesday night’s Board of Education meeting.
He asked the board to let staff choose whether they want to teach inside a classroom or at home. The request comes after a Summit Academy teacher died of COVID-19 last week.
The union believes teachers should be able to decide what is safest for them and their families.
“We know that there is upwards of more than 12 people now, teachers especially, who have been positive at that building, and anyone with common sense can understand that they would be very wary of going back into that building,” said REA President Mel Gilfillan.
“Governor Pritzker has asked us as good citizens of Illinois that if we can work remotely, we should be. This is a direct way we can help flatten the curve and slow the spread of COVID,” she added.
As of Friday, RPS 205 says they have 41 COVID-19 cases between students and staff.
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