JEFFERSON PARISH, La. — After the Jefferson Parish School Board abruptly ended last night's meeting, teachers say they have even more questions today.
"I'll let you know when teachers were speaking, it was never about themselves, it was about their students," said Sandra Hauer, the Executive Vice President of the Jefferson Federation of Teachers.
Wednesday night's school board meeting was cut short, leaving those in attendance feeling deflated.
"Everybody walked in there with high hopes to have their concerns heard and when the meeting was abruptly adjourned, you still had 50 people left to speak," Hauer said.
Jefferson Parish educators have spoken out for days, to say in-person learning should be delayed until they're given adequate training and supplies.
Wednesday's meeting brought a crowd of teachers and parents, hoping their pleas would be heard. However, only about a dozen or so people spoke before the meeting was stopped.
"The delayed start isn't to say we're not teaching," Hauer said. "It's to make it ready so we are ready to teach."
Board Member, Simeon Dickerson, spoke with Eyewitness News afterwards. He says things got a bit out of control, but respects what was shared.
"I stand on their side," he said. "I too was a teacher and I come from a community hard hit by COVID. This is life or death and I want to be on the right side of this."
With in-person learning set to start in less than a week, hope is dwindling. But educators say they'll continue to speak out so their concerns don't become a reality.
"They want their students back in the classroom, they want to be in front of students everyday," Hauer said. "But they want to do it properly."
Eyewitness News reached out to School Board President, Tiffany Kuhn, for comment on Wednesday night's meeting but we haven't heard back.
Jefferson Parish Public Schools sent a statement saying: "We value input from our teachers, and anticipate there will need to be adjustments as plans are put into practice. Our primary intent for starting school now is to make sure that we educate our students to give them the best possible outcome. The protocols laid out in Start Strong Jefferson, utilizing evidence-based guidance from local health officials, will help us return to school in the safest way possible."