Andover School Committee Authorizes Legal Action Against Union

ANDOVER, MA — The Andover School Committee voted to pursue legal action against the teachers union, it said in a statement Monday evening. The decision came in response to teachers' refusal to enter school buildings for the first day of professional development.

The Andover Education Association voted at an emergency meeting last week to authorize what it described as a "workplace safety action." Teachers gathered outside the high school to do professional development remotely.

The School Committee called the union's move an "illegal work stoppage."

According to the release, the Committee voted to authorize its legal counsel to petition the state Department of Labor Relations under a state law barring public employee unions from striking.

"This was not a decision the School Committee took lightly," chair Shannon Scully said in a statement. "We have worked to ensure that our school buildings are safe for our students and staff, and we are well-positioned to enable in-person learning with the district's hybrid learning plan to start the school year. It is our responsibility under Massachusetts law to notify the DLR of the union's action."

"The district was prepared to train our staff on the safety protocols, cleaning protocols and health mandates developed to maintain a safe environment in all our school buildings," Superintendent Sheldon Berman said. "It is a missed opportunity on the part of the AEA to see for themselves the precautions and care we have implemented on their behalf, and on behalf of our students."

In its statement Friday, the union asked for third-party documentation of the safety of the buildings and attributed its decision to Superintendent Sheldon Berman and the School Committee's "lack of good-faith bargaining over how to maintain the health and safety of educators and students in the reopening of schools."

"It is simply not safe at this time for students and staff to be working together in crowded settings inside these buildings," said Matthew Bach, president of the Andover Education Association. "Members have decided they will not risk the health and safety of students, staff, or the community by walking into buildings that for decades have been underfunded, understaffed, and poorly maintained while a global pandemic continues to affect Essex County, the state, and our country."

Christopher Huffaker can be reached at 412-265-8353 or chris.huffaker@patch.com.