President of key teachers union shares plea: âSchools must be openâ in fall By Dana Goldstein New York Times,Updated May 13, 2021, 40 minutes ago Email to a Friend Randi Weingarten.IRA LUPU/NYT Randi Weingarten, president of the nationâs second-largest teachers union, called on Thursday for a full reopening of the nationâs schools for the next academic year, saying, âThere is no doubt: Schools must be open. In person. Five days a week.â Her remarks come with about half of the nationâs public schools not offering five days per week of in-person learning to all students and with many families uncertain about whether they will have the option for a more traditional schedule in the fall.