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Teachers unions sue Florida, setting stage for school and government confrontations

20 July 2020
Dan Ackermann

Florida is shaping up as America's bellwether on reopening schools, with teachers unions suing the state on Monday.

Why it matters: The state is the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak in the U.S., home to five of America's 10 biggest school districts and governed by an ally of President Trump.

Driving the news: The Florida Education Association filed a lawsuit against Gov. Ron DeSantis and Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez over a July 6 emergency order that would require all schools to reopen for in-person in August.

  • The lawsuit, which could be the first of its kind, accused DeSantis "of violating a Florida law requiring that schools be 'safe' and 'secure'" and asked for districts and local officials to have control over reopenings, according to the N.Y. Times.
  • “Gov. DeSantis needs a reality check, and we are attempting to provide one,” the union's president said in a statement.
  • The governor's office did not immediately respond to multiple requests for comment, and the mayor's office said it would not comment on pending litigation.

The big picture: Schools open next month, and parents in most districts are facing the difficult limbo of playing full-time provider and full-time teacher to their families for an uncertain duration.

  • That's for the parents who can work from home — many others don't have that ability.

Between the lines: The FEA's national affiliate union, the American Federation of Teachers, also said Monday that 1.4 million public school jobs are at risk without more stimulus.

  • The AFT's report identifies a $93.5 billion funding gap in PreK-12 education and $45 billion in shortfalls in higher education funding, Axios' Fadel Allassan notes.
  • Another $116.5 billion would be needed for equipment to prevent virus spread.

The bottom line: The next 30 days could be one of the most contentious periods in public education in decades.

Transcripts show George Floyd told police "I can't breathe" over 20 times

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Newly released transcripts of bodycam footage from the Minneapolis Police Department show that George Floyd told officers he could not breathe more than 20 times in the moments leading up to his death.

Why it matters: Floyd's killing sparked a national wave of Black Lives Matter protests and an ongoing reckoning over systemic racism in the United States. The transcripts "offer one the most thorough and dramatic accounts" before Floyd's death, The New York Times writes.

The state of play: The transcripts were released as former officer Thomas Lane seeks to have the charges that he aided in Floyd's death thrown out in court, per the Times. He is one of four officers who have been charged.

  • The filings also include a 60-page transcript of an interview with Lane. He said he "felt maybe that something was going on" when asked if he believed that Floyd was having a medical emergency at the time.

What the transcripts say:

  • Floyd told the officers he was claustrophobic as they tried to get him into the squad car.
  • The transcripts also show Floyd saying, "Momma, I love you. Tell my kids I love them. I'm dead."
  • Former officer Derek Chauvin, who had his knee on Floyd's neck for over eight minutes, told Floyd, "Then stop talking, stop yelling, it takes a heck of a lot of oxygen to talk."

Read the transcripts via DocumentCloud.