Benny Westcott
The Sweet Home School District Board voted 7-2 Monday, Nov. 8, to dismiss Holley Elementary resource room/special education teacher Tina Tressel for not providing proof of vaccination against COVID-19 or submitting a religious or medical exemption, but to rehire her once the vaccine mandate ends.
Voting to dismiss Tressel were board members Dale Keene, Kevin Hill, Jim Gourley, Mike Reynolds, Jason Redick, Debra Brown and Janice Albert. Opposed were Jason Van Eck and Sarah Hoffman.
Superintendent Lisa Riggs recommended the board dismiss Tressel on the grounds of insubordination and neglect of duty for not complying with Gov. Kate Brown’s mandate, which states that no one can teach at schools in Oregon after Oct. 18 without being vaccinated or turning in an approved exemption.
“This is an uncomfortable place to be in,” Riggs said at the pre-dismissal hearing that took place during the board meeting. “It’s not where we want to be. It’s not what the district is looking forward to and it’s certainly not something that I like to bring to the board.”
An Oct. 19 letter to Tressel from Riggs provided the former teacher with a 20-day notice of Riggs’ intent to recommend termination of Tressel’s employment with the district at the Nov. 8 school board meeting. Holley Principal Josh Dargis had multiple conversations with Tressel, outlining the requirements of Brown’s mandate in the months of September and October, Riggs said.
In addition, District Business Manager Kevin Strong contacted Tressel on Oct. 18 to see if she wanted to take an unpaid leave, an option that Tressel declined.
From Oct. 19 until the board terminated her employment on Nov. 8, Tressel was on paid administrative leave and could not be present in the workplace for any reason.
“What I feel in this situation is that in our contact with you, we are trying to work on how we can keep you employed with Sweet Home School District and various options have come out,” Riggs told Tressel at Monday evening’s meeting. “Our intent is not only to follow this process but do whatever we can to keep you lawfully employed,” she added, citing the fact that the district approved all religious and medical exemptions submitted to them by other employees.
Tressel said she filled out a religious exemption and considered turning it into the district, but “My whole mind, body and soul screamed at me and told me this wasn’t right. The testing is not even proven to be very accurate, and I don’t want someone sticking something up my nose every week, and have everyone I’m around be tracked and traced. I’m already overwhelmed. This goes against my medical freedom, against the constitution, and it’s unlawful.”
She said her oldest brother, who has underlying conditions, was put on a ventilator after contracting COVID, but lived.
“I get it. I know there’s something out there that is hurting people,” Tressel said. “But I don’t believe that this shot has more benefits than risks. I completely understand that some people feel strongly the opposite of what I believe, but that’s OK. It doesn’t bother me, because that’s our right. This experimental shot should not be pushed, and the people that don’t take this shot should not be discriminated against by wearing a different mask, wearing a shield, taking tests and having someone track them.”
She said she has researched the ingredients in the COVID vaccines and decided that “they will never be put in my body voluntarily. I know my body, and these ingredients would put me more at risk rather than protect me.”
“What’s going on in the world right now is wrong,” Tressel told the board. “I’m sorry you have to be the one making this determination. This is wrong, and I’m going to stand with that.”
Board Chair Jason Redick said to Tressel: “I know the type of teacher you are. It’s exactly the type this district wants and needs. It’s in our best interest to do everything that we can to keep you here. Nobody in this room is asking you to get a shot, or do anything that violates you. As a matter of fact I think that a lot of us have a strong opinion against that.”
He put forward the option of Tressel going on an unpaid leave. “With a termination you lose years of service, retirement, all of that stuff. If you could go on to an unpaid administrative leave, you have the option of working another job in the meantime. My fear is that we get a month or two down the road, and due to the litigation that is out there, all of this changes, and we’ve lost an excellent teacher. We’ve lost somebody who is valuable to the kids in this district. I don’t want to see that happen.”
He said the unpaid leave would be “no different from a termination for you (Tressel), except you would keep all of those things that you worked for.” Tressel declined that option.
Three votes were taken before the board finally decided to terminate Tressel and then rehire her after the mandate lifts.
First, Van Eck moved to decline the superintendent’s recommendation to dismiss Tressel, and Hill seconded the motion. The motion failed 6-3, as Van Eck, Hill and Hoffman were the only board members who voted yes.
Brown then moved to accept Riggs’ recommendation, and Keene seconded the motion. This motion was passed 6-3, with only Van Eck, Hill and Hoffman voting against it.
After that, Brown moved to amend the previous motion to include the condition of rehiring Tressel after the vaccine mandate is lifted, which Reynolds seconded. The motion to add the amendment passed unanimously, leading to the final 7-2 vote to terminate Tressel but rehire her after the undetermined date at which the governor’s vaccine mandate is no longer in effect.
Tressel has worked for the Sweet Home School District for over 20 years. She began as a volunteer working in the classroom, which led her into a temporary position as a classified employee. That temporary position then turned into a permanent assistant position.
At that time, Tressel went back to school to get a speech certificate, and worked in the district’s student services department for six years while completing her bachelor’s degree. She later completed her elementary special education certification, and has been working in the district as a special education teacher since August of 2016. In a past letter of recommendation for Tressel, former Supt. Tom Yahraes described her as “a great asset to our school district.”
In other news, the board:
— Accepted the resignation of Sherry McIntyre, district nurse, effective Dec. 3, 2021.
— Accepted the resignation of Suzette Anderson, FACS teacher at the Sweet Home High School effective June 17, 2022.
— Approved the hire of Lisa Murphy, district nurse effective Dec. 1, 2021.
— Accepted the resignation of Peter Larson, social studies teacher at the High School effective Jan. 2, 2022.
— Accepted the retirement of Cheryl Hicks, transportation supervisor, effective Dec. 17, 2021.