PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) - A Rhode Island judge on Friday rejected a request from the Providence Teachers Union to suspend in-person instruction at a city middle school over concerns about COVID-19.
Superior Court Judge Melissa Darigan denied the union’s motion for a temporary restraining order and found no violation of law or state health protocol.
The union sued this month in an attempt to force the closure of Nathanael Greene Middle School, where dozens of staff members had been out because of virus concerns. At least three students and two staff members had tested positive, according to the suit, and other faculty members were quarantining.
In the suit, the union argued that students and staff members “have an incontrovertible right to work and learn in an environment that is safe” and that meets state and federal health guidelines.
The union did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Providence Superintendent Harrison Peters said the judge found no wrongdoing by the district. “The judge also recognized the hardship that closing the school would impose on Providence families, specifically vulnerable populations, and urged PTU and the district to resolve any staff issues outside of the courtroom,” Peters said in a statement.
___
PRISON PROTEST
Protesters gathered near a Rhode Island prison that houses federal detainees on Friday, denouncing the facility’s contract with U.S. immigration authorities and pointing to a surge in coronavirus infections among detainees.
Demonstrators blocked roads leading to the Wyatt Detention Facility in Central Falls, where authorities say more than 150 detainees have tested positive for COVID-19.
Activists repeatedly have called for Wyatt’s closure, saying conditions are subpar. The publicly owned but privately operated lockup has about 540 inmates in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service and Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
In April, the American Civil Liberties Union filed a federal class action lawsuit seeking the release of dozens of detainees, saying the virus was spreading “uncontrollably.” More than two dozen detainees subsequently were freed.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.