Holiday Hill EBD teachers, union urge district to restore a classroom and teacher as enrollment surges

Holiday Hill Elementary teachers and a union representative asked the Duval County School Board on Jan. 7 to reallocate staffing to a specialized EBD (emotional/behavioral disorders) PRIDE unit that teachers said has grown rapidly and now exceeds the staffing the program was designed to handle.

Why it matters: teachers who work with students in the most restrictive ESE settings told the board that high caseloads and mixed-grade classrooms are reducing the program’s ability to provide the small-class structure and individualized support those students require. Classroom teachers documented increased injuries and work‑compensation claims tied to the heavier caseload, and they urged the board and district staff to restore the teacher position removed last year.

What speakers said

- Wanda Bonner, who said she works at Holiday Hill’s PRIDE program, told the board, “How much do you value us? ... Come in work clothes like us and see what we have to put up with,” and described classes with “16 behavior kids” where staff are injured and exhausted.

- Michelle Gersten, identified on the record as a psych coach at…