Three Broward educators died recently from COVID-19 complications, teachers union says
One week before school is set to begin, three Broward County Public Schools teachers died in recent days from COVID-19 complications, Anna Fusco, elementary school teacher and Broward Teachers Union President, told CBS4 Miami.
“It was a sad day for three schools because our teachers walked back on campus with their principals and they got the news from their families that they wouldn’t be reporting because they passed away from COVID,” Fusco said.
One female teacher, who was 48, and one female teacher assistant, who was 49, worked at the same elementary school, according to a Broward Teachers Union press release. The other teacher who died taught at another elementary school. She was 48.
The union had initially reported a fourth death, but that COVID-19 victim was not an employee, the release said, but a Broward County Public Schools graduate with close ties to the district because of her job.
“We grieve their losses along with their families and the school communities they left behind,” the press release said.
The three teachers were not vaccinated, Fusco said.
The teachers did not contract the coronavirus at school, according to Fusco. Some had family members who had contracted the virus and spread it to them.
The union did not provide the names of the schools or teachers.
“It’s extremely frightening. I hear this every day. Whether in Broward or elsewhere. We’re the fifth largest union in the country,” said Fusco.
Since Aug. 1, 138 Broward County Public Schools employees have tested positive for COVID-19, according to the school COVID-19 dashboard. Thirteen students have tested positive in the same period.
The Broward School Board recently voted 8-1 in support of a face mask mandate, defying Gov. Ron DeSantis, who has ordered schools not to make masks mandatory.
This story was originally published August 13, 2021 at 10:41 AM.
