Mike Bloomberg urges Biden to stand up to teachers unions on school reopenings Print this article
Former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg hopes President Biden will teach labor unions for teachers a lesson.
On Wednesday, the billionaire urged Biden to take a stand against teachers unions, who have stonewalled public school reopening plans throughout the country.
“It’s time for Joe Biden to stand up say, The kids are the most important things, important players here, ” Bloomberg said during an MSNBC segment. “And the teachers just are going to have to suck it up and stand up and provide an education.”
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Democratic Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot called out the teachers union in a Thursday press conference, demanding that they reach a deal that would put students back in schools.
Lightfoot said that, after dozens of meetings, the Chicago Teachers Union’s failure to come up with a deal had once again left students and parents scrambling to continue with remote learning.
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“We waited for hours last night, hours, and still did not receive a proposal from the Chicago Teachers Union leadership. As of this morning we’re still waiting. But to be clear, not patiently, not anymore. After 80 plus meetings and going above and beyond to address the CTU leadership’s various issues and concerns, we are out of runway,” Lightfoot said.
K-8 students in Chicago’s Public Schools have now lost what was supposed to be the first week back for in-person learning, as the district and its teachers union remain locked in a dispute over a safe reopening plan during the coronavirus pandemic.
Chicago Public Schools (CPS) for the sixth time in a little over a week has instructed parents to keep their children home for remote learning Thursday. Friday, on the district’s calendar, is a “school improvement day” for teachers and staff that students had already been given off.
“We are disappointed to report that at this time, no deal has been reached between CPS and the Chicago Teachers Union leadership,” the district wrote on its Facebook page late Wednesday night, adding that it is extending a “cooling off period for the final time through the end of the day on Thursday to allow for further negotiations.”
Northwestern neuroscientist who wrote anti-Semitic and racist tweets dies by suicide February 4, 2021 4:05 pm University Hall at Northwestern University, which responded to a complaint about hate speech against Bart van Alphen by telling the student to reach out to Hillel, the Jewish campus organization. (Wikimedia Commons)
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This is a developing story.
(JTA) A Northwestern University neuroscientist who caused controversy with a series of racist, misogynist and anti-Semitic posts he wrote on social media has died by suicide.
Bart van Alphen, a postdoctoral fellow who studied sleep patterns, appears to have maintained multiple social media accounts under the name @The Dr Caveman that denigrated women, echoed far-right slurs and repeatedly called for the death and deportation of protesters, nonwhite immigrants and politicians whose views he opposed.
CPS announced at 9:30 p.m. Wednesday that students would continue with remote learning on Thursday, receiving some criticism for the late notice for parents that Lightfoot addressed. I ve heard from parents, Why did you not let us know last night sooner? Because we were waiting on the CTU, and on the off chance that we had the ability to actually get a break through. We wanted to be able to share that news, but we waited, and waited and waited, and waited, Lightfoot said.
Friday was previously scheduled as a non-attendance day, giving the two sides a few more days to negotiate - though the mayor insisted an agreement be made Thursday and refused to discuss what might happen is a deal is not reached.