The Patriot Post® · Teachers Unions Are Hurting Our Kids

On the campaign trail, Joe Biden pledged to open up America’s schools within 100 days. Just days into his presidency, however, we’re learning that teachers unions are calling the shots in this country. Despite increasing evidence about the safety of in-person instruction, the unions are keeping classrooms closed and harming our kids.

A study shows that transmission of COVID-19 in the classroom is quite rare. Likewise, a recent report published in the Journal of the American Medical Association encourages American schools to reopen.

But that’s not enough to convince those in power that it’s time to get teachers back to the job of teaching in person.

Cindy Marten, Biden’s pick for deputy education secretary and superintendent of the San Diego Unified School District, refuses to open public schools despite the fact that the majority of independent schools in the area have opened their doors for in-person teaching and learning.

As Matthew Foldi writes at The Washington Free Beacon, “Marten’s refusal to set a timeline for schools to reopen is in direct contradiction with Biden, who has vowed to have schools reopen within the first hundred days of his presidency. Dr. Anthony Fauci, Biden’s chief medical adviser, has said the government’s ‘default position’ should be to get kids back in the classroom.”

The real issue here is the impact on our children.

We’ve documented how virtual learning has been an abject failure. Kids are increasingly suffering from emotional and psychological problems due to a lack of social interaction and being forced to sit in front of computer screens all day. And now the very people who should be looking out for our kids are telling them they don’t matter.

Power Line’s John Hinderaker writes, “The sinister role that teachers’ unions play in our society has come clearly into focus, as our children’s lives have been devastated by needless school closures across the country. These closures — still in effect in most places, despite all scientific evidence that they are both unnecessary and harmful — largely reflect the power of the teachers’ unions.”

Meanwhile, millions of people have returned to work in department stores, restaurants, and even colleges and universities. So why can’t teachers go back to work?

Hinderaker asks, “Are they seriously unaware that many millions of people have kept working right through the Wuhan epidemic? And that many millions more have returned to work in recent months? Maybe so. I am not sure they understand that most people work in the Summer.”

Recently, the Chicago Teachers Union voted overwhelmingly to prevent the nation’s third-largest school district from moving forward with its reopening plan. Teachers were scheduled to go back to work in early February, but now they’ll continue to teach remotely, nearly a year after schools were shut down.

Sadly, it’s no surprise that President Biden publicly supports the CTU.

“Unresolved disputes between the district and teachers include coronavirus vaccine availability for teachers, public health metrics determining when schools should reopen or close, and accommodations for teachers and staff who live with a relative at higher risk for complications from COVID-19,” writes National Review’s Zachary Evans.

Seems like the teachers unions are once again holding our kids hostage until their demands are met.

For nearly a year, we’ve been told to “trust the science.” Well, the science is telling us that it’s time for America’s teachers to ring those school bells and get back to teaching the three Rs in person.

Schools are one of the safest places to work for the vast majority of teachers and students. Everyone knows this, and the science supports it. Now we just need the teachers unions to stop playing politics and start caring about our kids.