‘We’re just scared to lose our job, but we’re also scared to lose our life’; EPISD employee speaks out on campus safety

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) -- All El Paso Independent School District employees have been told to report back to campus Thursday. It's the next step as the district prepares for a larger reopening of school campuses.

Already, priority populations have been brought back on campus in learning pods, open spaces where students can have in-person support. Students will transition into classrooms next week.

Some of the staff members called to supervise on campus have voiced concern about the safety measures in place.

"They are making a choice of life and death," said one district staff member, who asked us to conceal their identity due to fear of retaliation.

"People are afraid to ask questions," they said. "They don't want to lose their job."

The learning pods first opened after the Texas Education Agency required districts provide in-person learning for some students whose parents opted to send them back.

El Paso ISD brought in essential staff members to supervise, while teachers worked from home last semester to accommodate virtual learners.

"Nobody took into consideration that they didn't give us a choice," the employee said.

Like essential employees in other industries, staffers do not have much choice unless they or someone they live with has a medical condition.

"There's nothing within the law or within the process that allows you to stay home because you're afraid," said Norma De La Rosa, president of the El Paso Teachers Association. "All of the districts have their hands tied and were put into a corner because if they didn't open the buildings then we would start losing the funding."

Still, De La Rosa said it does not mean districts get a free pass. She said staffers should press for protections.

"There is no room for deviating from any of the protocols that we have insisted have to be in place," she said.

One of the issues De La Rosa has taken up: ventilation. She said that many older buildings in various districts have aging systems and windows that do not open, which could make it easier for coronavirus to spread.

"Our facilities department has spent a lot of time working on ventilation in all of our buildings specifically for this reason," said El Paso ISD Chief Communications Officer Melissa Martinez

Martinez said the district has processed filters and HVAC systems to ensure proper ventilation.

The employee that spoke to ABC-7 had other concerns.

"These people and the students are in close contact," the employee said, adding that distancing is difficult while helping students and staffers must often touch students' electronic devices.

"If a student needs assistance, we're hoping it's short amounts of time," Martinez said.

Martinez pointed to the availability of sanitizing stations, as well as temperature checks and personal protective equipment. She said concerned employees should speak to human resources representatives.

"There are policies in place that guard against any type of retaliation," she said. "Nobody has lost their job over this. Everybody still has a position."

In an era of so much uncertainty, fear might not go away.

"We're just scared to lose our job," the employee told ABC-7. "But we're also scared to lose our life."