The president of the teachers' union says the Omaha Public Schools' announcement this week of a phased return to in-person learning next month took many district professional educators by surprise.
O-E-A President Robert Miller tells 6 News teachers want to be back in class, but also want to be part of the discussion.
“Because when we all went virtual, it was the understanding that we would still be doing virtual learning up until second quarter,” Miller said.
Some teachers have indicated to the union they will resign if asked to return to class amid Covid-19, which could leave the district short on staff and in need of more substitutes.
“It’s a double-workload, with less time to do it,” Miller said. “We have our colleagues in Lincoln Public Schools and Millard Public Schools saying that it’s a nightmare, and it’s going to be a struggle regardless which way you look at it.”
Some teachers express concern, he said. Some are supportive of the decision, some are against it, but all want it done in a safe way.
O-P-S administrators say on October 5th, Early Childhood, Elementary and Middle School students will return to in-person learning on the family 3/2 model.
Then two weeks later, the week of October 19th, high school students will return on the family 3/2 Model.