Plans proposed by Donald Trump and his education secretary to reopen America’s schools in the fall are “reckless” and could lead to many teachers leaving the profession, the president of one of the nation’s largest teacher unions warned.
The new school year is just a few weeks away in the “sunbelt,” the region that stretches from southern California to Florida, as the coronavirus spreads like a wildfire. But the Trump administration has followed through on calls for schools across the country to reopen entirely, despite widespread security concerns.
Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, told The Guardian that she saw Betsy DeVos, the education secretary, in disbelief who turned to anger when she appeared on television this week calling for schools to be “fully operational ” this autumn.
“It is as if Trump and DeVos want to create chaos and jeopardize the reopening,” Weingarten said in an interview. “There is no other reason why they would be so reckless, so callous, so cruel.”
Florida is establishing new infection and death records almost daily. California is returning to closure, with bars, restaurants, and even offices closed. Texas and Arizona are requesting refrigerated trucks as cases increase, and morgues are expected to be full.
The Trump administration has made reopening schools one of its top priorities in trying to deal with the coronavirus crisis, with less than four months to go until the November election. Trump has repeatedly tweeted that schools “must” reopen in the fall, and rebuked the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s guidelines on reopening schools as too “difficult” and “expensive.”
Trump has also threatened to withhold federal funds from schools that won’t reopen due to coronavirus concerns. Although that is not within their power, Republicans in Congress are now trying to match the conditions to emergency school funds in the upcoming coronavirus relief package.
In his television appearance, DeVos distorted those schools that opted for online learning or part-time returns.
This has frustrated months of work by the Weingarten union, which has been conducting its own surveys on how to help teachers get back to work. In June, two-thirds of the 1.7 million AFT members said they would prefer to teach in person at least part-time, on the condition that there be safeguards such as masks, physical detachment, ventilation and sanitation.
A comprehensive agreement is no small feat for a teaching workforce where a quarter, or 1.5 million teachers nationwide, are believed to be at increased risk for Covid-19 complications, due to age or conditions. pre-existing. The deal is also a feat, considering that recent polls show that a large majority of voters consider returning to school risky.
“From the start of this pandemic until now, they have gotten much, much worse, not just the 137,000 who died and the more than 3 million Americans who tested positive,” Weingarten said. “Not just at the beginning, and the casual way we close, but the casual way we will reopen.”
She said, “Their recklessness scared people so much that I now fear a brain drain from people who basically choose not to teach because they don’t want to endanger their own families.”
Few argue that virtual instruction, even when necessary, is inferior to face-to-face classes. Children are much less likely to be infected or suffer from Covid-19 complications. However, that risk changes with age and chronic health conditions, and the extent to which children can spread the disease is a matter of disagreement among experts.
Schools face countless logistical challenges. Even when they modernize buildings, implement improved cleaning, and buy more supplies, state budgets hit by a pandemic-induced recession propose cuts in school funds. In one example, New York proposed a 20% cut in school funds in April.
“You should have a plan that incorporates the security and resources to do it,” Weingarten said.
The increasing increase in the southern and southwestern United States has resulted in delays in the Covid-19 test results of a week or more, and extends far beyond the most affected regions, causing search efforts of contacts are almost impossible. And school districts could also stumble on the personal protective equipment market, which is riddled with minimal mask orders and fraud.
Meanwhile, the various resources available to schools have widened the gap between rich and poor students at a steady rate. While the most vulnerable students miss school meals, wealthy private schools have been able to call donors to modernize the buildings and return to classes.
Despite these federal calls for reopening, school districts are locally controlled. The Los Angeles and San Diego schools have announced they will only teach online this fall, as cases increase in Southern California. In Florida’s worst-hit counties, officials are evaluating whether to have half-in-person, half-virtual instruction, called hybrid models, or fully online instruction.
Some states that are not experiencing widespread Covid-19 outbreaks are likely to reopen in the fall. But Weingarten called for options, both for educators with special health requirements and for parents who fear children may pass Covid-19 on to vulnerable family members.
“Teachers understand the importance of physical education, because teachers want what children need,” he said. “We are about to feel comfortable with these safeguards, until Donald Trump and Betsy DeVos intentionally scared them and scared families. And that’s why I’m so angry. “
