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Columbus education leaders upset by DeWine’s remarks on city schools returning to classrooms

Gov. DeWine said Columbus City Schools would be breaking an agreement if students and teachers don’t return to the classroom by March 1.

The Columbus Education Association is hoping Governor Mike DeWine reconsiders his requirement for students and teachers to get back in the classroom by March 1.

After thanking teachers for everything they have done during a “difficult year” in a media conference on Tuesday, Gov. DeWine said schools would be breaking the agreement they made with the state if they do not go back to in-person or hybrid learning by March 1.

“It’s not about a commitment to me, it’s not a commitment to the state or the health department, it’s really a commitment to the students,” he said.

Vaccination rollout did open for teachers returning to in-person learning on February 8, but the Columbus Education Association said they want to wait until their staff is fully vaccinated.

The CEA sent a statement to WBNS on Wednesday:

“CEA is glad that the Governor shares an interest in safely reopening schools at all grade levels. To make this possible, we fully expect him to work with the Ohio Department of Education to waive the outrageous requirement that Columbus City Schools be responsible for transporting charter and non-public students, our single largest barrier to full hybrid learning. We also eagerly await the Governor’s support of the Fair School Funding Plan passed with bipartisan support in the Ohio House. With the Governor’s support of these measures and a fully vaccinated staff, we can look forward to a safe reopening at all grade levels.”

John Congelio, the President of the CEA, said the organization’s disagreement with Governor DeWine’s remarks on Tuesday were not about teachers not wanting to return to the classroom, it was about the lack of transportation available to take an influx of students coming back to school.

“Transportation is a huge issue for Columbus, and we have to transport charter schools and nonpublic schools before we transport our own,” he said.

Congelio also noted some classrooms are not big enough to support social distancing guidelines.

“It's easy to kick the can down to the local level and then stand on a soapbox and say, ‘well, we got to open,’ well yeah, okay, then help us,” he said.

Congelio does believe teachers are on the same page as Governor DeWine. They want to get back in the classroom, but without more resources and a fully vaccinated staff, he does not think it is the best idea.

A spokesperson for DeWine sent us the following statement about the union's concerns: 

“The K-12 Vaccination Program for adults who work in schools was optional, with the decision to participate in the program made by each individual school district.  We are optimistic that our recent outreach efforts will be successful in convincing school districts to honor the agreements they voluntarily signed to be back in school on March 1.”

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