My remarks at the DCPS meeting about voting on the plan

I would like to talk about leadership. Good leaders don’t expect their followers to do things that they would not. They lead by example.

So I was hoping the board would conduct this meeting while wearing their masks. If you expect teachers to teach while wearing masks, then it stands to reason you should have your meetings wearing masks. Then I would like the board to commit to going to their largest school and spend the day their every day that teachers were expected to and not just in an office but in the halls and classes. If this is the expectation for teachers, then you should be willing to do it as well.

Yesterday at his press conference governor, DeSantis said commission Corcoran’s order was guidance and not a hard and fast order and districts could decide how they operate their schools. This means you control what education looks like in Duval County, you control if you are going to open schools and risk lives.  

Then this is from the district's waivers to cancel emergency drills.

The COVID-19 pandemic is a monumental and unprecedented emerging quickly and demanding an immediate overhaul of instructional plans and school operations across the country.  

  

I could not have said it better myself. This, however, begs the question, if you know how dangerous then why are you forcing children and teachers into schools, especially when there is a viable option? Since governor DeSantis passed the buck back to you, you are making a choice to risk lives.

And that is what you are doing, risking lives. Everyone in this room knows it is not a matter of if people get sick and schools close, but when. If you know people will be exposed, get sick or worse, then how is that acceptable plan? I think in your hearts, you know it's not, now we need you to be courageous and say it out loud.

I started talking about leadership, well sometimes leadership isn’t doing the easy thing, leadership is doing the right thing. The right thing here is to keep your staff and your students safe. Please instruct Dr. Greene to come up with a completely distance learning plan.

Finally I am going to give you two things a plan to stop some children from falling through the cracks and a way ESE students can get their services, and a picture of my wife, because if you send me back to school, you aren’t just risking my life, you are risking hers