OTLA Sidebar September 2020

6 • SIDEBAR • September 2020 colleges also seek immunity from li- ability, arguing it is too difficult to get schoolkids to follow the rules and as a result, they shouldn’t be held account- able even if they are negligent about safety provisions or enforcement. Given the value of in-person educa- tion, we worked hard to craft some sort of compromise. However, we were adamant whistleblowers must receive extreme protection. Our members re- port workers and others who complain about inadequate safety measures face retaliation and termination. In regards to student safety, it is paramount those who see breakdowns in safety protocols be encouraged to speak up. School administrators and school board members refused to strengthen whistleblower protections and negotia- tions fell apart as a result. There is still energy from Re- publicans and a few Democrats to tackle this issue in the February 2021 session. More than half of states nationwide have granted immunity in a variety of forms while a few north- eastern states are already seeking to roll back immunity bills passed in the early days of the pandemic. Outrageously, the Oregon nego- tiations have excluded those most affected by the impacts of COVID-19. The elderly, Oregonians of color and persons with disabilities have been shut out. The only representative of any of those communities who partici- pated was a tribal leader who crashed a meeting of the business immunity committee to be heard. We expressed concern that discriminatory actions could be immunized by the proposal from business. Senator Lynn Findley (R – Vale) chimed in to say discrimi- nation is an issue we don’t have time to deal with. OTLA representatives IMMUNITY continued from page 5 “those people most affected have been systemically excluded from discussions” IMMUNITY continues on page 7