Oakland Education Association attempts to defuse anger over reckless return to schools
Oakland teachers returned from spring break this week to find no significant preparations for a return to in-person instruction in place. With students expected to return to classrooms on Monday, there is growing anger among teachers over the unsafe and rushed plans pursued by the Oakland Unified School District (OUSD) and Oakland Education Association (OEA). Basic issues like work schedules and precisely which students are returning were left up in the air and have been determined haphazardly on a site-by-site basis this week.
With signs of a new surge of COVID-19 developing in California, the OEA executive board has cynically put a vote of “no confidence” in OUSD before its membership. This is a diversionary tactic, which was also employed by the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) in February as they pushed through their miserable deal to reopen the third-largest district in the US. Instead of or
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(Reuters) - The top executives of more than three dozen Michigan-based companies, including General Motors Co and Ford Motor Co, on Tuesday issued a joint statement opposing Republican-backed legislation to restrict voting.
The move appeared to be pre-emptive, after Georgia companies such as Coca-Cola Co and Delta Air Lines Inc endured public backlash for failing to take a stronger stance before that state enacted a raft of voting limits last month. Government must avoid actions that reduce participation in elections - particularly among historically disenfranchised communities, the statement, which bore the names of 37 top executives, read in part.
Whitmer and Biden refuse to fight surging pandemic in Michigan
For the seventh week in a row, K-12 schools were the number one source of COVID-19 outbreaks in Michigan, followed once again by manufacturing and construction job sites. Yet Democratic Governor Gretchen Whitmer continues to refuse to order schools to go virtual and nonessential workplaces to close.
Michiganders caught COVID-19 at a rate of over 7,000 per day over the last week, numbers not seen in the state since last Thanksgiving, the peak of the fall/winter surge. The number of confirmed cases Tuesday hit 10,277, the highest daily number of the pandemic to date. The state continues to lead the US with 72.9 new cases for every 100,000 residents. The next highest state-wide case rate is 41.7 in New Jersey.
April 14, 2021
From the Associated Press Michigan health director Elizabeth Hertel traveled with family to Alabama for spring break despite her department’s guidance to avoid out-of-state travel while Michigan battles a raging coronavirus outbreak. The trip was first reported by Lansing-based publication MIRS. The disclosure came days after Breitbart News reported a top aide to Democratic Governor Gretchen Whitmer, chief operating officer Tricia Foster, traveled to Florida for spring break despite the governor having expressed “concern” about trips there. Michigan’s health department, which Hertel has led since January, recommends that people not travel. Hertel and Foster are fully vaccinated. The Michigan Republican Party criticized the trips.
Ford, GM among Michigan companies opposing Republican-backed voting limits reuters.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from reuters.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.