SHARON, MASS. (WHDH) - Teachers working for the Sharon Public School system said they refuse to return to their classrooms due to coronavirus concerns with the start of the school year just around the corner.
“Sharon Teacher’s Association members decided that we are not going to walk into the buildings on Thursday, which is the opening day for us,” President Bernadette Murphy said.
This prompted a standoff between the teachers and the administration who expect them to abide by the approved guidelines for learning.
“Our expectation is that our teachers will show up for work in their buildings (Thursday),” Superintendent Dr. Victoria Greer said.
Murphy told 7NEWS on Thursday morning that following a virtual school committee meeting on Wednesday night, teachers have been permitted to work remotely on Thursday and Friday.
She added that they plan to continue to work remotely through the first part of the school year until they feel it is safe to go back to the classroom.
The School Committee recently voted to reopen with a hybrid model, while the teacher’s union said it voted overwhelmingly to start remotely.
Students are set to start school on Sept. 16.
“The teacher would be instructing both groups in a mask and a shield from behind plexiglass — the group in class and the group at home simultaneously,” French teacher Kathleen Turner noted. “That’s where the issue is.”
Greer said she supports and respects the teachers and that she is confident they can make it work, adding that the number of COVID cases in the town is low.
“We just had an assessment done,” she said. “If something comes back in that assessment that will tell us that we need to do some repairs prior to people returning, that is what we will do.”
Conversely, Murphy said the teachers are fearful and committed to standing their ground.
“It’s not a strike because we’re working,” Murphy said. “Thursday we will be working just like every other professional. We’ll be working remotely.”
Greer said, “They’re saying it’s not a strike. We would probably beg to differ about that because they’re expected to be at work and they’re not showing up.”
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