Weingarten boasts House hearing proved her ‘right’ about school reopening guidelines

American Federation of Teachers President Proven Right on CDC Guidelines

The President of the American Federation of Teachers, Randi Weingarten, testified before a House subcommittee on Wednesday and proudly announced that her union’s recommended changes to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines on reopening schools had been proven right. Weingarten faced questions from the House select subcommittee on the coronavirus pandemic for three hours, discussing her organization’s role in consulting with the CDC on guidelines for reopening schools.

One of the major points of contention during the hearing was the AFT’s request that the CDC draft guidelines be edited to indicate that the guidelines could change if community transmission of the coronavirus was higher. After the hearing, Weingarten noted that subcommittee Chairman Brad Wenstrup agreed with the changes recommended by the union.

Weingarten, who has led the AFT since 2008, accepted the invitation to testify before the committee voluntarily and emphasized that teachers wanted to be in school but needed it to be safe. However, not everyone was pleased with her testimony. Isabel Blank, the senior communications director of the union watchdog group Americans for Fair Treatment, criticized the hearing for making the issue of student well-being feel like a partisan issue.

Related Links:

• American Federation of Teachers
• Randi Weingarten
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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