Union alleges safety protocol violations at DC school where teacher died of COVID

The union representing Washington, D.C., teachers has filed a complaint against D.C. Public Schools, alleging violations of safety protocols at a high school where a teacher recently died from coronavirus.

In a grievance filed Tuesday, the Washington Teachers’ Union alleged the system failed to properly warn students and staff after the late Helen White, a cosmetology teacher at Ballou STAY Opportunity Academy system, contracted the virus.

Union President Elizabeth Davis said the school system did not inform White’s students she was sick or make public that someone at the school had tested positive until 11 days after the fact.

“There is absolutely no justification for that much of a delay. None that I would accept,” Davis told DCist. “[White] was truly admired by her students, highly regarded by her colleagues.”

The union further argued the system’s handling of the case was a violation of its contract with the teachers, accusing the system of not keeping the school environment “free of hazards” to members. The union called for a meeting with the district’s employee relations department to resolve the matter, according to DCist.

The WTU sends our condolences to Mrs. White’s family and the Ballou STAY community.

We are working to uncover the facts around her in-person placement and exposure. President Davis will have further comment once we know more.

— Washington Teachers’ Union (@WTUTeacher) February 8, 2021

The campus is one of a handful in the city that opened to limited numbers of students in fall 2020. Principal Cara Fuller sent out a schoolwide message on Jan. 22 saying someone had tested positive for the virus Jan. 11, while Mayor Muriel Bowser confirmed the diagnosis of a teacher Monday but did not provide further details.

City health officials did not identify White by name but said they had determined the teacher who tested positive at the school had not been in close contact with other students or staff, according to DCist.

The Hill has reached out to the DC Public School System for comment.