She worked throughout the summer to ensure our students were ready for the transition to a new school and there were days we had to tell her to go home.. Jody Hull Jr., 49, a native of St. Augustine, Florida, died from COVID-19 on Aug. 21 after a weekslong battle with the virus. The deaths also pose a political threat to Gov. Two educators in the same Georgia school district died within hours from Covid-19, What is the magic number for them? Gotreaux said. The list includes support staff and retirees as well as teachers. Though some teachers fear being back in classrooms while the virus is still raging in their communities, other leaders argue that the educational toll on students and the stress on families are more urgent concerns. From 2001 to 2019, the death rate in Democratic counties decreased by 22 percent, according to a recent study; in Republican counties, it declined by only 11 percent. Nearly 3,500 sea lions in Peru have recently died of H5N1 avian influenza, five times as many as previously reported, the government announced Thursday amid growing concern about the virus. But on the whole, Democratic leaders have mostly not promoted ideas or enforced policies around COVID that actively chip away at life expectancy. 13 Staff at a Florida School District Have Died of COVID in Just 3 Polk County Public Schools say a dozen employees have died from the coronavirus since school began on Aug. 10, according to multiple outlets. Breaking down the cost of vaccine hesitancy would be simple if we could draw a causal relationship between Republican leaders anti-vaccine messaging and the adoption of those ideas by Americans, and then from those ideas to deaths due to non-vaccination. To qualify for state funding, every school district in Texas is required to offer an in-person learning option unless the state makes an exception due to high coronavirus spread. Our final recorded deathon Sept. 14, 2022was teacher Jennifer Hawkins Mason, 61, who taught at Farmingville Elementary School in Ridgefield, Conn. According to the president of United Teachers of Dade, Karla Hernandez-Mats, all of those who died were African American and unvaccinated. In any case, the long-term decline of health in red states indicates that there is an ongoing problem at a high level in Republican-led places, and that something has gone awry. And there is no mask mandate, so not all children are wearing masks, Gayle said. By using this website, you accept the terms of our Visitor Agreement and Privacy Policy, and understand your options regarding Ad Choices. The 13 employees of Miami-Dade school district have died of COVID-19. AshLee DeMarinis, 34, who taught special education at a middle school in Potosi, Missouri, died Sunday after three weeks on a ventilator; she had expressed fear about in-person teaching amid. Theres pressure from state leaders, too. In September, a local teachers association in central Texas filed a grievance with their district over what they referred to as unsafe conditions. So far, 433 Polk County school employees and 3,434 students have tested positive for COVID since the school year began, according to the district's coronavirus dashboard. Teachers were already leaving the profession due to stress then COVID Reuters Fact Check. None of them were vaccinated, Fusco said. WendyBoydIsacsson #SafeEdForAll #MakeSchoolsSafe on Twitter: "Why he Congressional districts controlled by a trifecta of Republican leadersstate governor, Senate, and Househad an 11 percent higher death rate, according to the Lancet study. While new cases and deaths continue to mount, Florida school superintendents have been ruminating in the press about how they would have liked to reopen schools earlier. 12 March 2021 Last Friday, Carol Zuckerman, a 56-year-old teacher who taught at a school in Broward County, Florida, died while battling COVID-19. Overall, K-12 employees' general satisfaction . They were teachers and coaches. Our entire school community is deeply saddened by this unexpected loss, and we send our condolences to his family.. The University of California, Davis's teacher education program staved off a planned suspension due only to widespread outcry. According to official NHS data which can be viewedhere, from March 2020 up to the 25th of August 2021; a period of 18 months, 90,147 Covid deaths within 28 days of a positive test have been recorded in England hospitals. Ron DeSantis, who have banned them from requiring masks. But in that delicate balancing act, she said, she feels that the concerns of teachers arent given the same consideration. 13 Miami-Dade School Staffers Have Died Of COVID-19 Since Mid-August - KOSU COVID cases among teachers appear to be rising. What does that mean Loved to travel. But he knows that the current situation is testing teacher morale. Teacher deaths from COVID-19 raise alarms as new school year begins News helicopters flying over Miami have shown video footage of very long lines of cars waiting early in the morning for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) site at Miami-Dade College to be opened, and reports are emerging that many who were not eligible under current state guidelines were still able to receive shots there last week. On the scale of national registration for both parties, Wallace said, were talking about relatively small numbers and differences in deaths when you look at excess-death rates alone. Fourteen of the 40 deaths have occurred since January 1, 2021. [2] Over his career, he hosted over 50,000 interviews. The county has now recorded at least 42,482 confirmed cases and 689 deaths. Deputy Jody Hull (St. Johns County Sheriff's Office). Broward Superintendent Robert Runcie told NBC 6 in South Florida, I wouldve opened schools earlier for face-to-face instruction but thats Monday morning quarterbacking in hindsight., Along with Miami-Dade Superintendent Alberto Carvalho, Runcie falsely claims that their reopening has been safe and successful. Our monetization model empowers Citizen Journalists to report the news in local and national markets. UPDATED: Union says three teachers from Florida county died from COVID Opinion: Too many parents and decision makers treat teachers like they don't matter. At Least 4 Teachers Have Died of COVID-19 Since Start of School Year The Republican Party is unquestionably complicit in the premature deaths of many of its own supporters, a phenomenon that may be without precedent in the history of both American democracy and virology. Fourteen of the 15 states with the lowest vaccination rates voted for Donald Trump in 2020. A A MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. / NBC6 Fifteen staffers of the Miami-Dade County Public Schools District have died from COVID-19 in the past 10 days, officials said. So once her unpaid medical leave expires, Gotreaux plans to leave her job and possibly the profession. Ron DeSantis, the Broward County School Board voted 8-1 Tuesday to make wearing masks in all district schools and facilities mandatory for students, staff, and visitors, member station WLRN reported. "It is a big number. At first, Vasquez, who is 49, said she was willing to give the arrangement a try. According to his Facebook, Hubbard was a Marine Corps vet and served as a praise and worship leader at his church. Amanda Winkle is the digital content manager for Action News Jax. More than 15 Northeast Florida and Southeast Georgia teachers and staff members have died of COVID-19 since July, Action News Jax has learned. We almost feel as if we are being selfish if were saying were afraid to get sick, she said while choking up. One wrote: My son would always come home and share stories about what she told him about history. 6 unvaccinated Florida church members die of Covid within 10 days How many Florida teachers died of Covid-19 this past week? istock. Carvalho told reporters, I expect the next school year to be at a different level of normalcy, it would not be the old normal, it will be the new normal. When Runcie and Carvalho describe a new normalcy regarding face-to-face learning, they mean that for the ruling class the lives of educators such as Carol Zuckerman are very much an acceptable price to be paid. DeSantis Expands Monoclonal Antibody Treatments Amid COVID-19 Spike, Florida's Governor Says School Leaders' Salary May Be Withheld If They Require Masks, An 8th-Grader Finally Returns To School In Person, Hoping It Lasts. Teacher education programs continue to suffer 'death by a thousand cuts' Threatens to Withhold Pay of District Employees Who Mandate Kids Wear Masks in School, Georgia County Closes Third School amid Coronavirus Outbreak as 500 Students Are Quarantined, Wisconsin Parents Sue Schools After Their Children Contract COVID, New Jersey School District Suspends Vice Principal After COVID Outbreak at Elementary School, Will Children Have to Wear Masks When They Return to School? In fact, recent studies have concluded that in-person classes arent significantly contributing to coronavirus spread an in-depth look at two US schools released last week found that there was no evidence of student-to-teacher or teacher-to-student transmission when proper precautions were taken. Ever since her school district announced a return to in-person classes last October, the 26-year-old has been frustrated by the decisions made by local and state leaders. If you happen to live in certain states, your chances for living a long life are going to be much higher than if youre an American living in a different state, Woolf said. We felt a duty and responsibility to remember and to document as best we could the teachers, the bus drivers, the principals, the key people who keep our schools operating day in and day out, Lesli Maxwell, managing editor of Education Week, told CNN. Democrats are not without fault, though. Various unions have compiled their own statistics. There's no definitive number that records exactly how many teachers, administrators and school employees have died of Covid-19, though new reports of deaths seem to surface with. The GOP governor has built a national reputation for resisting coronavirus restrictions and has spent weeks fighting against school districts that want to require students to wear masks in schools. Recently, a teacher at another school in Vasquezs district a woman she worked with for four years in a previous job died of complications from Covid-19. Florida teacher dies while battling COVID-19 - World Socialist Web Site "I don't think that we should have that position of mandating it right now especially not me, the union president of 18,000 bargaining unit members," she said. The Republican governors light-handed approach toward Covid-19 restrictions is rooted in the belief that residents should take health safety measures into their own hands. There were questions as to how students would cope with these massive changes and how many would develop mental and emotional health issues with an impact on their personal well-being and academic progress. When we compare individuals who are of the same age, who live in the same county in the same month of the pandemic, there are differences correlated with your political-party affiliation that emerge after vaccines are available, Jacob Wallace, an assistant professor of public health at Yale who co-authored the paper, told me. "I think because they scream louder, [he thinks] there must be more of them than the constituents that are taking this virus really [seriously] and want to be safe and secure.". Her sister described Harrington to Action News Jax as the kindest person shes ever known. It is a tragedy that the Republican push against basic lifesaving science has cut lives short and continues to do so. Cases of COVID-19, fueled by the highly contagious delta variant, have spread quickly through schools. DeSantis has threatened to withhold pay from superintendents and board members who buck an executive order banning mask mandates in schools. The state now has seen 17 deaths, and American Academy of Pediatrics Florida President Lisa Gwynn said many of them may have had underlying medical conditions when they became infected.. CDC says roughly 4,100 people have been hospitalized or died with Covid Nicole never met a person she didnt like; she had the most beautiful contagious smile. Florida teacher dies after contracting COVID-19 days after her mom died On his prime-time Fox News show, Tucker Carlson has regularly questioned the safety of vaccines, inviting guests who have called for the shots to be withdrawn from the market.. But the wildly disproportionate presence of Republicans among the unvaccinated reveals an ugly and counterintuitive aspect of the GOP campaign against vaccination: At every turn, top figures in the party have directly endangered their own constituents. Santa Rosa County teacher Jeff . Ron DeSantis, who have banned them from requiring masks. Britt died July 26, Mark died just four days later. Terrazas, who lives with his mother, grandparents and sisters, said he worried about putting his family members at risk. The child deaths come as Florida finally sees an easing in the surge of new infections, which ravaged the state over the summer. When youre responsible for the education of 5.4 million children across the state, there are sometimes going to be decisions that not everyones happy with.. Since Monday, there have . People living in Republican jurisdictions have been at a health disadvantage for more than 20 years. Some of the information in this story may have changed after publication. Florida in August changed its rules for determining whether someone died of COVID-19, moving that responsibility from public medical examiners to the doctors who treated the patients. For his part, his organization is advocating that the state prioritize teachers for the Covid-19 vaccine. In places with strong teachers unions, educators have more power. If the issue is indeed systemic, that doesnt bode well for the future. SEATTLE, WA - JANUARY 29: People wait in line for a last-minute COVID-19 vaccine event at Seattle University after a freezer failure at a nearby hospital on January 29, 2021 in Seattle, Washington. More recently, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis called for a grand jury to investigate the safety of COVID vaccines. Official Government reports confirming eight times more people died due to Covid-19 vaccination within six months of the vaccine rollout than had died of Covid-19 within eighteen months are extremely worrying and evidence that the Covid-19 vaccines currently on offer should have been withdrawn from public use nearly 2 years ago. Still, the loss to the profession, said Maxwell, is noteworthy. 04 Mar 2023 20:04:11 A fleet of Broward County School Buses are parked in a lot on July 21, 2020, in Pembroke Pines, Fla. Three county educators have died of complications from the coronavirus. We are very happy to see that pediatric hospitalizations are not, in fact, increasing, Pushaw said. He will be missed dearly!! 15 South Florida school district staff members die of COVID-19 - WJXT They were pastors and custodians. She loved going to church and spending time with her five sons, 11 grandchildren and several great-grandchildren. Schools in Florida are currently required to allow families the option to opt out of mask requirements, per DeSantis, and individual school districts have been battling the state over their right to enact such mandates in classrooms. Jessie Cortez, 43, died Aug. 31, according to the Florida Education Association (FEA). When decisions are made about the lives of teachers, teachers need to be involved in those discussions, he said. Woolfs work suggests that over the decades, state policy decisions on health issues such as Medicaid, gun legislation, tobacco taxes, and, indeed, vaccines have likely had a stronger impact on state health trajectories than other factors. Graduate students at the University of Florida who are members of the International Youth and Students for Social Equality (IYSSE) report that their departments are sending around emails with details on such hopeful rumors, and the Graduate Assistant Union has tried to organize carpool rides for teaching assistants to drive 80 miles to Jacksonville in the hope that they can be vaccinated. Catherine Shuman, 38, died Aug. 11 after a battle with COVID-19 according to her family. Parents could choose whether their child attended virtually or in person, but teachers werent given an option: They had to report to the building. Based on Public Health Scotland data seen in the following chart it would seem the top pre-existing condition of those whove died with a positive test result for Covid-19 has been dementia, followed by heart disease and chronic respiratory disease. For the latest on COVID-19, readers are encouraged to use online resources from the CDC, WHO and local public health departments. Meanwhile, the number of vaccines available across Florida has been limited, with some educators driving long distances chasing rumors that vaccines are available. At least 103 police officers have died this . Hare, who is 43, said she knows how seriously the couple took the pandemic, but it still cost her coworkers husband his life. You are risking your life every day going to work, she said. Action News Jax facebook feed(Opens a new window), Action News Jax twitter feed(Opens a new window), Action News Jax youtube feed(Opens a new window), St. Johns County middle school teacher dies of COVID-19; family says she always put students first, Deputy with the St. Johns County Sheriffs Office laid to rest, River City Science Academy mourns loss of 3rd-grade teacher, Assistant principal at Arlington Middle School dies unexpectedly, school officials say, Jacksonville high school football coach dies from COVID-19, Download the Action News Jax app for live updates on breaking stories, JSO K9 escapes kennel, bites three people in Jacksonville neighborhood, To know Nancy was to love Nancy: St. Johns County woman killed in suspected DUI crash, Florida woman accused of killing terminally ill husband has been released from jail, St. Johns County Sheriffs office investigates robbery at Fresh Market in Ponte Vedra, JSO says missing child alert results in deadly drowning. Gotreaux, the special education teacher in Georgia, said shes been in a process of mourning ever since she decided to eventually leave her job. 15 Miami-Dade educators die from COVID-19 in 10 days As information about the coronavirus pandemic rapidly changes, PEOPLE is committed to providing the most recent data in our coverage. ERIC - EJ1352347 - How Students at a University in Florida Experienced According to the latest statistics, there have been over two million confirmed infections and 32,000 confirmed deaths from the virus in Florida.