She says she campaigns for changes to Jefferson County public schools because public education is “pretty darn important for the community and the nation”. “You put two and two together, it’d be kind of hard to believe that that’s not the case.” She also said the NEA was influencing organizing in the area.Ītwell is a mother of two, with one child homeschooled and another attending private school.
“Of course they’re very careful in the way they organizing,” she said. “I do think very much it’s union driven,” said Atwell. Meanwhile, Sheila Atwell, executive director of the conservative-learning Jefferson County Students First, said the teachers union was responsible for both the sick-outs and student walk-outs. “But, we certainly understand teacher frustration right now, and I think our whole community’s experiencing the same kind of frustration with the secrecy, waste and disrespect from our school board majority.” “This wasn’t organized by ,” said John Ford, teachers union president. Both injected large amounts of cash into nearby school districts. Many cite outside influence from partisan groups such as Americans for Prosperity and the National Education Association. Teachers union representatives say it’s a grassroots movement. Many aligned with three conservative board members, Julie Williams, John Newkirk and the board’s chairman, Ken Witt, blame the teachers union. The question of who is organizing the actions, and whether they’re truly “grassroots”, is a contentious one in Jefferson County. “At the end of the day we don’t have kids in classrooms where they need to be in classrooms.” “I think it’s time for us to take a stand, and let’s put a stop to this,” said McMinimee.
He didn’t rule out future discipline if the sick-outs continue. The district superintendent Dan McMinimee said that each teacher absence would be independently reviewed, and teachers could be docked a day if their absence falls outside of the collective bargaining agreement. The educator’s fears aren’t without foundation.
“It’s a really, really scary to be a teacher in Jefferson County right now,” the teacher said. The teacher wished to remain anonymous for fears of retribution. “My feeling is it’s an attack on teachers and public education, and a disregard for the needs of our students,” said a social studies teacher who worked that day but had knowledge of the protest.
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