Randi Weingarten and Politifact both fail with COVID history revisionism.

Don’t Let Randi Weingarten Rewrite COVID History

Do you believe that Randi Weingarten, the American Federation of Teachers union president, did everything in her power to get kids back in school during the pandemic? Think again. Weingarten has been touting a report from Politifact that absolves her from any wrongdoing or feet-dragging during COVID, but don’t let her or Politifact get away with whitewashing history. Her actions stunted an entire generation of kids and unleashed a deluge of negative consequences as a result of keeping kids out of school for so long.

The Truth About Weingarten’s Actions

In the spring of 2020, Weingarten said schools could only re-open if done “safely.” What did “safely” look like to Weingarten? Well, at the time she said that in-school learning could only happen if teachers across America received at least an “additional 19% — $116.5 billion — from pre-virus funding levels to stabilize budgets and then reopen safely.”

What does advocating limiting the number of tests or forgiveness of student-loan debt have to do with re-opening safely? Nothing. Weingarten used the pandemic to push for more and more demands and to demonize members of the Trump administration.

As pointed out by HotAir’s David Strom, “Congress wound up passing $190 billion in funding to meet her demands, and it still didn’t move her.”

When it became patently obvious that untold damage was being done, and that maybe kids should have been in school long before they finally returned, Weingarten said it was no biggie because “kids are resilient.”

The Consequences of Weingarten’s Actions

While Weingarten was running around doing media interviews, mental health problems for America’s youth were skyrocketing, as were drug addictions, and learning loss.

When it comes to the damage done by keeping kids out of school for so long, CNN Senior political analyst and father of four Scott Jennings said it best: “I am stunned at what you have said this week…I think you’ll find that most parents believe you are the tip of the sphere of school closures…I hear no remorse whatsoever about the generational damage that’s been done…”

The Bottom Line

Don’t let Weingarten or Politifact get away with their COVID revisionism. The truth is clear: Weingarten’s actions stunted an entire generation of kids and unleashed a deluge of negative consequences as a result of keeping kids out of school for so long. It’s time to hold her accountable.

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