Some APS teachers upset over requirement they return to classrooms this week

ATLANTA — Over the weekend, hundreds of Atlanta Public School teachers and workers gathered outside the district headquarters in downtown Atlanta. They wanted to speak out against the district’s plan to resume in-person classes for first time since March of last year.

They were extremely upset about the plan, which means returning to their school buildings despite the current surge in COVID-19 cases.

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Several of those teachers told Channel 2′s Michael Seiden they were concerned for their safety and wanted to know why they had to return to their classrooms while other metro Atlanta districts were not.

“We are just out here because we are really worried about safety. We just don’t know what’s going to happen when people are back in buildings,” said APS teacher Caitlin Eley.

Seiden also spoke to Tracey Pendley, who was named Georgia’s Teacher of the Year in 2020. Pendley teaches at APS’s Burgess Peterson Academy.

“It’s so ironic that now that we are eight times worse than we were in October, it’s all of the sudden, it’s time to go back. We’re afraid and we have teachers who have to take care of loved ones at home and they can’t simply take the risk of their loved ones dying,” Pendley said.

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According to APS, teachers and staff are slated to return to their classrooms Tuesday. Students will return to class on Jan. 25.

Amber Heath was one of many protesters on Saturday. She’s a fifth grade teacher. Heath was in tears Sunday as she described to Seiden her anxiety and fear as she prepares to head back to her classroom.

“For the first time ever in my 10 years, I cried on my way to work and I’ve never done that,” Heath said.

Heath and others were in front of district offices Saturday demanding APS give teachers a choice when it comes to in-person learning.

“That makes me feel undervalued, underappreciated. Really powerless,” said Heath.

Heath was also upset that she and her colleagues aren’t getting enough credit for the work they are putting in, especially those in neighborhoods hit the hardest by the pandemic.

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Atlanta Public Schools did send a statement about their decision making process, writing in part:

“The health of our students, teachers, and staff is paramount and we take our decision to offer the option for in-person learning very seriously. We value and respect the critical role our teachers play in the education of our students and we continue to listen carefully and intently to their input and recommendations.”

Pendley believes the board still doesn’t understand their plight.

“I invite every Atlanta public school teacher, please send calendar invites to all of our board members have them come eat lunch with you and your unmasked students in your classroom because that is currently the situation,” Pendley said.

APS told Seiden that roughly 280 employees which included school nurses, police officers and employees over the age of 65 were able to get the coronavirus vaccine this past weekend. The teachers told him they feel like they should be included in that group. The teachers said they didn’t know if or when they might be eligible for the vaccine, which adds to their concerns over being in class.

The district explained they are talking with school leaders and public health officials to make sure they are taking the necessary steps to protect their employees and their community.