As educators, our first responsibility is to keep students safe and provide the best environment to support and educate them. That means protecting both students and the educators who teach them—community members with families, hopes, and dreams. Our focus has remained where it belongs: keeping students safe, making sure every classroom has the resources it needs, ensuring every child has a qualified teacher, and tackling the real challenges facing Florida’s public schools today. That’s the work that truly matters for Florida’s families and communities.
When leaders talk about pulling back vaccines, they’re talking about disrupting student learning and making schools less safe. State leaders say they care about reducing chronic absenteeism and keeping kids in school—but reducing vaccinations does the opposite, putting our children’s health and education at risk.
Florida leaders claim to care about students but silence experts and take actions that make schools less safe. They claim to care about educators but refuse to pay them fairly. They claim to care about communities but put profit ahead of people at every turn. So, the question is: Is this really about keeping students safe, or is this simply about playing politics?
We’re reviewing the potential impacts on public schools and our communities. But, make no mistake, FEA will continue to stand up for our students, our educators, and our public schools.
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CONTACT: FEA Press, feapress@floridaea.org, (850) 201-3223
The Florida Education Association is the state’s largest association of professional employees, with more than 120,000 members. FEA represents PreK-12 teachers, higher education faculty, educational staff professionals, students at our colleges and universities preparing to become teachers, and retired education employees.
