Here are some of the top stories from the past week you may have missed from NBC 6 News:
Florida Teachers Union Sues State Over School Reopening Order
One of Florida's largest teachers union has filed a lawsuit against the state's order requiring public schools to reopen next month.
The Florida Education Association, which represents over 100,000 education workers, says the suit is intended to "stop the reckless and unsafe reopening of public school campuses as coronavirus infections surge statewide."
Earlier this month, Florida's Department of Education issued an emergency order requiring that all public schools reopen to students in-person for the fall semester.
In the order, Commissioner Richard Corcoran called schools "not just the site of academic learning" but also critical places in students' lives that provide "nutrition, socialization, counseling and extra-curricular activities."
In the suit, the FEA states Corcoran's emergency order goes against Florida's constitution, which requires "safe" and "secure" schools.
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Miami-Dade Funds 400 More Hotel Rooms for Coronavirus Patients Who Need to Isolate
Miami-Dade County is partnering with the state of Florida to set aside 400 hotel rooms for people who have tested positive for COVID-19 and must isolate themselves to protect at-risk family members.
Residents who need to isolate from family members while they wait for test results, as well as those who have come in contact with someone who tested positive, are encouraged to call the county's helpline at (305) 614-1716. The line is operational daily between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m.
The move is an expansion on a program that is already in place. When a patient is released from a hospital and allowed to go home, Florida's Department of Health can recommend that they isolate for a number of days, and their hotel stay will be paid for.
Uncertainty Looms as Federal Unemployment Benefit Is Set to Expire
Congress is considering a second coronavirus relief package that could extend enhanced federal benefits, though likely at a lower level. Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin said the package being debated in the Senate would replace the $600 benefit with a lesser payment.
“We’re not going to pay people more to stay home than to work,” Mnuchin said. “So, we’re looking at something that looks like 70% wage replacement and we’re working on the mechanics of that.”
Meanwhile, the uncertainty has been difficult to deal with for people like Carla Lissa, who said she had already decided to sell her car to try to reduce costs.
“I don’t know what I’m going to do,” she said. “I’m just going to have to get creative, start selling things from the house to cover the main expenses and ride it like that until I can go back to work.”
Black Woman Says White Woman Had Police Called on Her Family at Fort Lauderdale Pool
A Black woman is speaking out after she says police were unjustly called on her and her family while they were swimming at a park in Fort Lauderdale.
“There’s no violence,” Ghenete Wright Muir told NBC 6. “There’s no weapons. There’s no threat of violence. There’s no danger. Why are the police being called here?”
Muir said she and her son are both competitive swimmers, and were training in the pool when another swimmer in a lane between them became agitated and eventually demanded that police be called.
Three Fort Lauderdale officers responded to the scene, and everyone was forced to leave.
Miami Native, Water Polo Star Dealing With Pandemic Ahead of Tokyo Olympics
The Toyko Olympic Games are officially a year away, now scheduled for July 2021. With the yearlong wait, one water polo star with South Florida ties is still preparing in the ever-changing landscape of a pandemic.
Ashleigh Johnson is used to going with the flow as a fierce goalie with the women’s national team for U.S.A. water polo. Now, she’s needed that skill more than ever, as she’s had to shift her training with social distancing.
"That was a really hard mentality shift for me because I am very team-oriented. I grew through team sports, and I was without a team for two months,” she told NBC 6’s Amanda Plasencia.
