Teacher and union leader urges trust in teachers during public comment

During the public-comment portion of the meeting, Megan O'Brien, a sixth-grade science teacher at Hixson and political action chair of the Webster Groves NEA (WGNEA), described attending a protest at the Ferguson-Florissant School District and urged the board to recognize that unions and the teachers they represent are part of the same community.

"Unions are made up of teachers, your teachers," O'Brien said, arguing that when unions raise issues in bargaining they reflect teachers' real classroom needs and that the district should trust teachers to know what they need to do their jobs. She encouraged the board and community to view teacher advocacy as part of teacher professionalism rather than an external oppositional force.

Board members briefly acknowledged the comment; no formal action was taken at the meeting on the Ferguson-Florissant situation, which O'Brien cited from recent news.

The remark was recorded as part of the meeting's public-comment segment and framed as an appeal for community support of teachers engaged in bargaining.