Florida elementary school teacher David Galloway is 64, has type II diabetes, and is married to a breast cancer survivor.
Last week, Florida announced that all schools would soon have to open five days a week, despite the state’s record-setting number of COVID-19 cases.
Galloway is one of many aging or immunocompromised teachers who may quit or retire early if they have to return full-time to the classroom.
Nearly 20% of private and public school teachers are over the age of 65, an age group that is especially vulnerable to COVID-19.
According to HuffPost, teachers near or in this age range must wrestle with a number of knowns and unknowns.
How long they can make their money last if they quit? Is it worth it to leave a job over health concerns? And what if they can’t get health insurance?
We’ve gone from being the heroic teachers back in March, but now they want us to go over to the trenches like World War I. It’s been a fast fall from hero to cannon fodder. David Galloway Teacher
