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Jerry Jordan has headed the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers since 2007. (Emma Lee/WHYY)
Updated 4:22 p.m.
The Philadelphia Federation of Teachers has directed its members to stay home on Monday because of COVID-19 concerns.
In a statement, PFT President Jerry Jordan said the district’s school buildings aren’t safe for occupancy.
“I am disgusted that the district would continue forward with a path towards reopening buildings that again puts my dedicated members in harm’s way,” said Jordan.
According to Superintendent Dr. William Hite’s reopening plan, teachers, and staff who work with children in kindergarten through second grade are due back on Monday, Feb. 8. Children in that age group who are opted into the hybrid plan will return on Feb. 22.
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More than 30 public schools in Philadelphia have either no ventilation system or a faulty one that needs fixing, and some of those schools will be part of a Feb. 22 planning reopening for 9,000 elementary school students.
The district will utilize window fans as the main component at those schools to ventilate the air in classrooms, and Superintendent William Hite Jr. on Thursday defended the reopening. He cited federal guidelines that approve of the air flow provided by those fans and promised daily monitoring in every classroom.
The School District of Philadelphia is installing window fans to create better airflow in classrooms before teachers and students are back. Some have wondered.
Philly leaders lied for decades about school safety Why should teachers trust them during a pandemic? inquirer.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from inquirer.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Rethinking everything about how the board does business, including long-held practices, is the impetus for the board’s new “goals and guardrails” initiative that was announced last month.