Le·gal In·sur·rec·tion The teachers *have* to speak up now. I do not believe the teachers approve of the actions of this despicable organization.
The Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) already proved they don’t care about kids because reopening the Chicago Public Schools (CPS) is based on “sexism, racism, and misogyny.”
The CTU filed an injunction, asking “the Illinois Educational Labor Relations Board to halt the return to in-person learning until terms can be ‘determined by good-faith collective bargaining instead of by executive fiat.’” The CTU also said, “a strike isn’t out of the question.”
Ah, yes. Collective bargaining. (I swear CTU is always striking.)
CPS has a plan to reopen schools for the first time since the pandemic began in March:
On Jan. 11, CPS says they will open school building for pre-K students, and moderate and intensive cluster programs. Feb. 1 will be the date that kindergarten through 8th grade will be able to enter buildings.
High school students who learn in general education settings will stay on remote learning classes, while CPS says they will evaluate options for returning to in-person learning.
CPS has offered parents “in-person, hybrid and remote learning options.” The parents who choose remote learning cannot send their children to school until April.
But sexism, racism, and misogyny, according to the CTU.
That is not good enough for the CTU. From The Chicago Sun-Times:
The union returned to the Illinois Educational Labor Relations Board with the new charge Monday, less than a month before teachers are expected to start returning to schools for the first time during the pandemic.
The CTU is seeking an injunction that would force the district to negotiate in good faith and reach agreements with the union on several issues before schools reopen, which the union says CPS has not done.
Following that process could delay the anticipated Jan. 4 return for preschool and special education cluster program teachers and staff and could afford the union a closer look at the district’s health protocols during a deadly pandemic before sending its members back to schools.
The CTU’s demands:
- PPE for teachers and staff
- COVID-19 Screening
- Contact Tracing
- Testing and Vaccination
- A nurse in every school
- Smaller class sizes
- Ventilation upgrades
Did anyone in the CTU read anything from CPS? Did any of them listen to what CPS told them in October? Look at this (emphasis mine):
In the notice to families, CPS said schools will be prepared for students. The letter said “the public health in Chicago and across the nation show that schools are rarely a source of COVID-19 transmission. With this new understanding of COVID-19, we must challenge the assumption that school buildings must stay closed and do everything we can to bring students back to school”
CPS leaders say there will be health screenings, face coverings required and distance between desks. Schools will also provide access to COVID-19 tests. Also, classrooms will be outfitted with HEPA air purifiers.
The CTU whined that the CPS “stonewalled” them for months. CTU President Jesse Sharkey claimed the union wants to get back to the classrooms and is only throwing a fit because of concerns for teachers and students.
(REMINDER: sexism, racism, and misogyny)
CPS spokeswoman Emily Bolton gave CTU a truth bomb:
CPS spokeswoman Emily Bolton wrote in a statement that the district has already adjusted its health protocols based on input from the union and that schools are safe and ready to reopen.
“Given the learning loss and missed opportunities for our children, the discussion can no longer be focused on whether or not to reopen but how to do so safely,” Bolton said, adding that CPS “must open our doors in order to counter the dire educational consequences for students who need support the most.”
You got your wish, CTU! I swear, they just want to strike and cause problems because they do not care about the children or education.
The CTU is making excuses and ignoring science, which the left supposedly loves so much. COVID-19 is not spreading like wildfire in elementary schools. Infectious diseases epidemiologist Walter Haas at the Robert Koch Institute in Berlin studied the transmission of the virus:
Researchers suspect that one reason schools have not become COVID-19 hot spots is that children — especially those under the age of 12–14 — are less susceptible to infection than adults, according to a meta-analysis4 of prevalence studies. And once they are infected, young children, including those aged 0–5 years, are less likely to pass the virus on to others, says Haas.
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This gradient in infectiousness is emerging in other data sets, too. In the United States, the rate of infection is twice as high in children aged 12–17 years as it is among 5–11-year-olds6. According to data on 200,000 school students across 47 US states gathered by economist Emily Oster at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, incidence was highest in high-school students, followed by those in middle school and then elementary school.
I blogged about what experts have said about keeping students out of the classroom. It’s bringing together the left and the right. The Center for American Progress released a study in October that found delaying education will harm women in the workforce now and in the future. Delaying schools will have a negative effect on minority students.
The Washington Post editorial board pleaded with schools to open their doors to students.
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio recanted and opened schools for elementary kids.
Get the kids back into the classroom. Hey, teachers! Now is the time to speak up and bring down this union. I know you guys became teachers because you want to educate children, be a part of a better future. Mold the minds of tomorrow. The CTU will never allow you to do this because it’s all about power and control to them.
