- Fifteen Miami-Dade school staffers have died from COVID-19 in the past 10 days, local media said.
- One of the staffers was a third-grade teacher who ran a mentoring program for minority students.
- It is unknown when the employees contracted COVID-19.
Fifteen staffers in the Miami-Dade County Public Schools District have died from COVID-19 in the past 10 days, according to reports from local media.
Sonia Diaz, a spokesperson for several unions in the school district, confirmed the number of deaths to NBC 6 on Friday.
Miami-Dade County Public Schools resumed classes on August 23, but it is unknown exactly when the employees contracted COVID-19.
“The loss of any of our employees is one that is always profoundly felt as every member of this organization is considered a part of the Miami-Dade County Public Schools family,” a spokesperson said, according to NBC 6. “We extend our hearts and prayers to the loved ones of those whose lives have recently been lost.”
Not all teachers have been identified yet. A spokesperson for the Miami-Dade County Public Schools said it does not release information regarding the cause of death of employees.
One of the teachers that have been identified is Abe Coleman, a third-grade math teacher known for running a mentoring program for minority male students called 5000 Role Models of Excellence Project. It is not known whether Coleman was vaccinated or not.
“I am deeply saddened by this heartbreaking loss. Mr. Coleman was one of the best that @5000RoleModels had working with our boys,” Congresswoman Frederica Wilson wrote on Twitter.
Wilson also described Coleman as “a highly motivated, dedicated, and inspirational site leader” who “will be dearly missed.”
United Teachers of Dade also confirmed the death of Michael Thomas, a technology teacher at William H. Turner Technical Arts High School, who passed away on Monday.
Thomas, who has been teaching for more than 10 years, was in the classroom during the first and second days of school before he was hospitalized. It is not known whether he was vaccinated.
“I was sad about it because he was a really great teacher,” former student Bryce told Local 10. “It devastated me…it just broke something within me.”
The Miami-Dade schools have defied Governor Ron DeSantis’ ban on mask mandates, requiring masking among its students and staff.
Miami-Dade County has one of the highest COVID-19 death rates in the state, according to a tracker by the Miami Herald. Around 67% of the county’s total population is fully vaccinated.