ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — The Orange County Classroom Teachers Association (OCCTA) plans to file grievances against principals it claims are not providing disability accommodations at school.
What You Need To Know
- OCCTA to file ADA grievances against principals
- District: ADA accommodation doesn’t necessarily mean teleworking
- RELATED: OCPS Union President: Some Teachers Resigning Over Face-to-Face School Battle
Union President Wendy Doromal says some teachers who meet the threshold for accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) are being forced to teach face to face or lose their job.
Doromal says one teacher called her over the weekend, in shock, saying she had put in her two weeks’ notice.
“The lack of compassion and the lack of empathy and the fact that she felt blindsided, where she had to return to a class, risking her health,” she said.
A district spokesperson confirmed teachers with underlying health conditions may be required to teach face-to-face based on student demand and the teacher’s area of expertise.
“The district is doing everything it can to accommodate teachers who have underlying medical conditions which make them have an increased risk for severe illness from Covid-19,” Media Relations Manager Michael Ollendorff said in a statement. “However, the district also has to serve the students who have chosen to be educated face to face.”
Just because an employee qualifies for an ADA accommodation does not automatically mean he or she will be authorized to work from home, according to the district’s COVID-19 protocols.
It is up to the supervisor to determine what reasonable accommodations can be implemented, such as additional PPE or work area changes.
OCCTA lawyers plan to file the grievances soon, as the union continues its legal battle against the district’s reopening.
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