We need to know something here. Is it all that common for a stakeholder to supply input to an agency that they end up using verbatim when it comes time to issue new regulations? We didn’t think so but apparently, we need to rethink our ideas of what is truly commonplace.
The CDC is supposed to be providing us with scientific guidance, so that we can make the right decisions. Near as we can tell, they are now taking their marching orders from the teachers’ unions. The teachers’ unions are the same ones who fought tooth and nail to keep kids from going back to class.
Now, they are calling the shots. It’s the equivalent of allowing leftists to sit in on gun control meetings and have all sorts of input. The fox has gotten into the hen house and it has not taken long for the fox to fill his belly. What did you expect, though? This is the world that the far left wants us to live in.
The New York Post was the first to break the news about this one. To be fair, there is nothing wrong with the CDC consulting with teachers. This is all part of the process. Any legitimate concerns should always be accounted for but this is not any ordinary party that is chiming in. These teachers were not trying to get back into the classroom until their hand was essentially forced.
Schools have not been able to properly reopen because of this reticence. It took 15 months into the pandemic before union chief Randi Weingarten was ready to finally get with the program. Even cities where there are no new COVID cases are keeping their doors closed and no one can seem to understand why. We have no choice but to assume that the teachers do not wish to work.
The local unions have been aiding and abetting them in this task. The worst part of all is that the language that was supplied to the CDC does not look to be all that helpful. The subjects are beyond banal. You would think that the agency would not need any guidance about any of these topics but here we are. The Post has more:
“With the CDC preparing to write that schools could provide in-person instruction regardless of community spread of the virus, [AFT exec Kelly] Trautner argued for the inclusion of a line reading “In the event of high community-transmission results from a new variant of SARS-CoV-2, a new update of these guidelines may be necessary.” That language appeared on page 22 of the final CDC guidance.
The AFT also demanded special remote work concessions for teachers “who have documented high-risk conditions or who are at increased risk for … COVID-19,” and that similar arrangements should extend to “staff who have a household member” with similar risks. A lengthy provision for that made it into the text of the final guidance.”
Let’s be real here. Did the teachers union really think that the CDC would refuse to update their guidance if a new, deadlier variant emerges? This is pure common sense and there’s no reason to get this deep into the weeds. Teachers with health issues should always receive special accommodations from the schools where they work.
This is another aspect of the guidance that should not be at all controversial. With any luck, getting the chance to put in their two cents on the topic will be enough to placate teachers who are still concerned. As an added bonus, the latest variant from India that is scaring everyone seems to respond well to the protection that our current vaccinations have to offer.
Brown University studies have also found that the numbers are very low when it comes to infections in schools. For every 100,000 students and teachers who are attending in person, there are only nine recorded cases. It is time to get the kids back into class. No more fooling around!
