Caroline County lays off 82 school support staff, says educators’ association

CAROLINE CO., Md. – The Caroline County Educators’ Association (CCEA) says 82 support staff there have been laid off because of changes made for remote and hybrid learning.

47 ABC reached out to the county’s public school system but have not heard back yet to confirm these numbers. However, the association represents almost 500 educators in the county helping to bargain for all teachers and support staff in the county. The association’s president says this decision caught staff off guard because the association was apparently not consulted on the decision.

“The Association was ready and willing to discuss and work together to creatively problem solve, but were met with opposition and blatant disregard for the need for appropriate and necessary support during the most difficult time this profession has faced. We desperately will need this support when students return to the building, but they might not be there for our children,” says Amy Anderson, the president of the Caroline County Educators’ Association.

“People have been contacting us with lots stories are really heartfelt. Situations like they’re grandparents raising grandchildren. What are they going to do? Or people that are single parents or people that that was their insurance that they lost,” says Anderson.

Anderson says she believes there are plenty of ways to use support staff by cross training them or assigning them to new areas of need like school meal distribution and specialized instruction for groups of students with high needs. Anderson also tells 47 ABC the school system has offered to put these employees on a list for future hiring but there’s no certain time frame for when that may be.