East Brunswick Teachers Raise Concerns With Board Of Education

EAST BRUNSWICK, NJ- At the East Brunswick Board of Education meeting held Aug. 20, teachers expressed their reservations about coming back to school buildings this coming fall. The platform was open to the public after a two-hour long closed session.

Superintendent of Schools Victor Valeski had told My Central Jersey that the school district was ready with an all-remote and hybrid plan.

Lauren Broderson, a teacher for 20 years felt the ventilation system does not fulfill safety requirements to prevent the spread of COVID-19, creating an unsafe environment. “Unfortunately, I don’t feel it’s safe to return to classroom,” said Broderick. She also spoke about the fluctuating temperatures in classrooms, and had concerns about cross-contamination.

Chris Finnegan, a teacher for 11 years, urged the board to consider fully-remote learning and to use "caution and restraint" when making decisions. “It seems unlikely that schools will be able to adequately counter the spread of infection especially from asymptomatic carriers,” Finnegan told the board.

East Brunswick Education Association President, Dana Zimbicki, urged the board to place immunocompromised teachers in virtual-learning classrooms. Zambicki said around one percent of teachers from the school district were immunocompromised.

She had also written to the board on the same issue earlier.

The board is yet to take a final decision. School is scheduled to begin Sep. 8.

You can watch the public meeting here: https://www.ebtv.org/programs/eb-board-education-meetings