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Source: AP Photo/Susan Walsh, Pool
Two weeks ago it was revealed the Centers for Disease Control allowed the American Federation of Teachers to heavily influence, word for word, official government guidance about reopening schools. The American Federation of Teachers lobbied the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on, and even suggested language for, the federal agency’s school-reopening guidance released in February, the New York post reported. The powerful teachers union’s full-court press preceded the federal agency putting the brakes on a full re-opening of in-person classrooms, emails between top CDC, AFT and White House officials show.
While summer school programs will not be impacted, full-time remote learning will no longer be available to students. We are facing a much different world than one year ago when we had to begin planning for this school year, Murphy said. We know much more about this virus and how it spreads. We have much more on-the-ground experience at fighting it and we have a robust vaccination program that now reaches adolescents as young as 12 years old.
Murphy s announcement came after Randi Weingarten, the president of the American Federation of Teachers, called last week for all schools to resume full-time in-person instruction.
What Politico fails to mention, critics noted, is that unions stood in the way of full school reopenings. Before he took office, Biden pledged to get most schools open by his 100th day in office.
But by February the administration seemed to move the goal posts when Press Secretary Jen Psaki said schools would be considered open if they had in-person learning at least one day a week, although Biden would later call that remark a mistake. Facing infuriated parents, Biden was accused of bowing to the teachers unions because he didn t want to lose their political support.
To credit Biden and the unions for urging schools to reopen is, according to The Heritage Foundation s Mike Gonzalez, sheer hypocrisy.
WASHINGTON The coronavirus pandemic-forced school closures, and upcoming reopening of all public schools this fall, are a massive opportunity to reimagine and retool public education so it serves all kids and gives teachers and staff the support and respect they deserve.