AUGUST 10, 2020 BY MICHAEL STONE
Deplorable: Georgia school teachers and other teachers around the country are being placed in intolerable situations because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
One Georgia lawmaker, State Rep. Beth Moore, has set up an anonymous inbox where whistleblowers in Georgia can report “tips, photos and videos about unsafe conditions at Georgia schools.”
11 Alive reports:
State Rep. Beth Moore says so far, she’s received more than 200 whistleblower emails from concerned teachers and students across Georgia who are in school or set to begin classes amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Atlanta Journal Constitution reports:
After photos of mask-less students at a Paulding County high school went viral, state Rep. Beth Moore had an idea.
The Democrat from Peachtree Corners set up an anonymous inbox — reportmyschool@gmail.com — for whistleblower tips, photos and videos about unsafe conditions at Georgia schools.
She says she’s been both overwhelmed and “shellshocked” by the response — hundreds of messages in the last two days.
One particularly disturbing message came from a teacher verified as working in a north Georgia school district:
I am planning for 27 students in my tiny classroom. They are not making masks mandatory. My principal is joking to people that this is ‘god’s cleansing plan.’
Another message reads:
Our superintendent seems to take the hold your nose and close your eyes and hope for the best approach, we have no backup plan.
Another reads:
Every class I teach has 30-31 students…we start on Thursday and there’s no way we can socially distance with that many kids in one class.
And another:
I have a coworker who has decided to report to the building today even though she had a positive Covid test last week…I couldn’t sleep last night because I fear I could be exposed today.
Rep. Moore noted that most of the complaints concerned students who wouldn’t wear masks and a lack of the right cleaning supplies, explaining:
I have numerous emails from teachers and schools who are told that if they don’t like the conditions in the schools their only option is to quit.
In addition, Moore said “she also received emails from students in Cherokee County claiming they were bullied for wanting to wear a mask.”
Cherokee County responded with the following statement:
(We) have not received reports of bullying over masks. If a student has experienced bullying for any reason, they or their parents need to report it to the school administration so it can be promptly addressed. We also offer students, parents and employees the option of reporting any safety issues, including bullying, through our SafeSchools Alert System, which allows for anonymous reporting as well.
Bottom line: Georgia school teachers and other teachers around the country are being placed in intolerable situations because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
