Florida's largest teachers union says it doesn't support Florida's student walkouts protesting the actions of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
The statement comes on the heels of student walkouts that have been held across the state this month.
The Florida Education Association is taking a strong stance against student walkouts saying they don't condone them, and they would never plan or encourage participation.
FEA president Andrew Spar says as a teacher himself, married to a teacher, who share two daughters in Florida public schools, his organization would never promote students losing instructional time.
"The Florida Education Association has never encouraged or organized and would never encourage or organize students to walk out of class or miss instructional time for student protests period. Instructional time is invaluable. Every educator knows that we value every minute of our students' instructional time in their classroom," Spar said.
Spar's comments are in response to Florida Commissioner of Education Stasi Kamoutsas calling out the union for allegedly promoting student walkouts at a press conference in Tallahassee earlier this month.
That press conference featured union leaders, members and educational advocates from other nonprofits throughout the state. They called for more support for Florida's public schools.
One of the speakers, Zander Moricz, who is the director of the Social Equity through Education (SEE) Alliance, said it was the students' right and even duty to walkout.
"They stand together and demand safety for their peers, their families and themselves and that response, while framed by some politicians as radical, is rather reasonable. It's rational," Moricz said. "And in a moment like this, it is required."
Kamoutsas speaking from Brevard Public Schools, where several of the student walkouts have happened, said those words, "jarred parents across the country," while attributing the remarks to the FEA.
But Spar said Moricz is not a member of the union, or affiliated with the union in any way, and was sharing his own opinion.
"The FEA has not and will not organize or encourage any effort in which students walk out of class for a protest. Any suggestion otherwise is untrue and likely nothing more than an attempt to turn legislators against the hard-working teachers and staff of our great state," Spar said.
Walkouts have already been held at high schools in Brevard, Orange and Seminole counties, with others planned in Palm Beach County this week.
The demonstrations largely protest the actions of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, namely the killing of Alex Pretti and Renee Good, and widespread ICE raids that led to the detention of 5-year old student Liam Ramos.
On Presidents' Day, Brevard Public School teachers, parents, and community members gathered for what they called a protest on "their own time" to protest the actions of ICE. Students say they plan to speak at the next school board meeting about threats of suspension that were made before walkouts this month.
Gov. Ron DeSantis, Commissioner Kamoutsas, and district leaders have warned students that they could be disciplined up to suspension for participating in walkouts, especially if they disrupt class time.
So far, no students have been suspended in Central Florida for participating in the walkouts.
To learn more about the walkouts, and what students' rights are, click on Central Florida Public Media's longer form feature on the topic.
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