Teachers walk out in protest after 17year old student dies of covid

Teachers at a Pennsylvania high school have staged a “sick out” protest after an honour role student tragically passed away due to covid-19 complications.

As the Centre Daily Times reports, 17-year-old Alayna Thach was a senior at Olney Charter High School, but the huge K-Pop fan died in early December – just a month before she was scheduled to receive her first Covid vaccine.

In response to her passing, 40 teachers at the Philadelphia school called in sick on the 20th of December, in protest against the institution’s Covid-19 protocols. According to the teachers in question, the high school didn’t do enough to protect Ms Thach, as well as all other teachers and students.

In a statement given to McClatchy News, Olney Charter refuted the claim that it wasn’t effectively implementing safety protocols. “Olney has a very strong set of safety protocols in place, and we are dismayed by the teachers’ attempt to manipulate public opinion in the wake of the tragic death of an Olney student”, the statement read.

As per the Philadelphia Inquirer, the teachers who staged the “sick out” had already pleaded with the school’s board to hold classes online for the remainder of the semester.

“There isn’t really a good protocol for how it all works,” Sarah Kenney, a 10th grade African American History teacher, told The Inquirer.

“We think it’s safest to be virtual until they can come up with a plan for increased safety, just to ensure that something like this never happens again at our school.

“Alayna’s death should have been a wake-up call for Olney Charter’s corporate managers at Aspira; a sign that we need a more robust Covid mitigation strategy, which should include testing, more nursing staff, a plan for physical distancing in the lunchroom, more stringent mask compliance, and a vaccine clinic on-premises,” she added.

Aspira Inc, the company responsible for managing the charter school, stood by its preventative measures in an email sent by the company to McClatchy News.

“[Teachers were] demanding additional safety protocols without citing any relevant detailed claim – and, despite the fact the school administration has taken thorough open measures to protect the health and safety of students and staff”, the company concludes.

Ms Thach’s family expressed their solidarity with those partaking in the ‘sick out’, as CBS Philadelphia first reported.

On Monday, Dec 20th, Olney Charter did in fact revert to remote learning, stating that classes will remain virtual during the week after the Christmas break.