For Immediate Release
Feb. 16, 2021

Middletown, CT -- AFSCME Local 466, a union whose membership includes 150 public school employees, is displeased with the Board of Education for excluding union members in a survey seeking staff input about increasing in-person instruction for students from hybrid to a 4-to-5 day a week schedule.

Union President Jennifer Hobart, who works in the assessor’s department, and Vice President Brooke Carta, a school secretary at Farm Hills School, shared their concerns with the Board at their monthly meeting on Feb. 9. But the concerns they raise remain unanswered.

“The members of 466 deserve to have their input heard by the Administration and Board of Education and not excluded,” said Carta. “Throughout this pandemic, educators and school staff have worked extraordinarily hard to make sure that students are engaged and learning—and most importantly that they are safe. We must be allowed to participate in the decisions that protect safety for students, staff, and their families. We can only rise to the challenge by working together as a team.”

Local 466’s membership includes custodians, secretaries, nurses, skilled tradespeople, and food service workers who work within the school system. However, those are the voices that the Board of Education neglected to include in a Feb. 4 survey that was sent to Board of Education employees, asking to share their concerns about students returning to school for more in-person learning, along with their comfort level if they are vaccinated.

“Our union members have day to day interactions with both staff and students,” Hobart stated. “If there is a COVID-19 outbreak at Middletown schools, they would be impacted by it the same way that teachers, paraprofessionals, and administrators would be.”

Through their affiliation with Council 4, Local 466 is part of a coalition of unions representing board of education personnel, including teachers and support staff. The coalition has been pushing Gov. Lamont and the state department to hold local school districts accountable for protecting students and staff during the COVID-19 pandemic. Last year, the group released 13 core principles to better guarantee safe schools; one of those principles includes formally gathering input from all employee stakeholders when assessing health and safety protocols.

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Council 4 of the American Federation of State, County & Municipal Employees (AFSCME) represents 30,000 workers in Connecticut. Find us on the web at www.council4.org, on Facebook at Council 4 AFSCME, on Twitter AFSCMECT4 and on Instagram at Council_4_AFSCME.