{"id":116487,"date":"2021-02-03T10:57:39","date_gmt":"2021-02-03T15:57:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=116487"},"modified":"2021-02-03T11:13:45","modified_gmt":"2021-02-03T16:13:45","slug":"five-cities-where-teachers-unions-are-keeping-schools-shutdown","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/five-cities-where-teachers-unions-are-keeping-schools-shutdown\/","title":{"rendered":"Five Cities Where Teachers Unions Are Keeping Schools Shutdown"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">18<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Ffive-cities-where-teachers-unions-are-keeping-schools-shutdown%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=116487&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Across the United States, primary and secondary schools are considering the return of in-person classes amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">According to data from <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.edweek.org\/leadership\/map-where-are-schools-closed\/2020\/07\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Education Week<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">, state governments are adopting a variety of policies on returning to school. Some <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">states \u2014 i<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">ncluding California, New Mexico, and Delaware <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u2014<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> ordered partial closures, while others <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u2014<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> such as Florida, Texas, and Iowa <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u2014<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> ordered all schools to open their doors. Most other states are encouraging local school districts to determine their own reopening policies.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">As <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailywire.com\/news\/bidens-covid-relief-plan-where-is-the-money-actually-going\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The Daily Wire<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> previously reported, <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/downloads.aap.org\/AAP\/PDF\/AAP%20and%20CHA%20-%20Children%20and%20COVID-19%20State%20Data%20Report%209.10.20%20FINAL.pdf\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">American Academy of Pediatrics<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> found that children represent between 0% and 0.2% of COVID-19 mortalities, with eighteen states reporting zero COVID-related child deaths between March and September of 2020. The <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/coronavirus\/2019-ncov\/covid-data\/investigations-discovery\/hospitalization-death-by-age.html\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">CDC<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> similarly revealed that children between 5 and 17 years of age experienced a mortality rate 16 times lower than that of adults between 18 and 29.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">In spite of data indicating the relative safety of returning to in-person instruction, many schools across the nation remain closed for one predominant reason: teachers unions.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Here are five cities whose teachers unions are preventing a return to classroom learning.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Chicago<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Continuing its pattern of upending all of Chicago\u2019s proposals to reopen schools, the Chicago Teachers Union is threatening a strike in response to the prospect of in-person instruction.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">On Monday, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot (D-IL) suddenly backed down from her <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailywire.com\/news\/chicago-mayor-bends-knee-to-teacher-union\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">threat<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> to bar Chicago Public School teachers from virtual learning. Virtual instruction will remain until at least Thursday so that negotiations can continue <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u2014<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> even though over 50 meetings between city officials and the union have already occurred.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cCPS is trying to move people back into school without being clear about their safety standards,\u201d reads the union\u2019s list of <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ctulocal1.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/CTU-Demands.pdf\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">demands<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">. \u201cWe don\u2019t trust them.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">In the 2019-2020 school year, Chicago Public Schools <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cps.edu\/about\/stats-facts\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">enrolled<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> over 350,000 students.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Los Angeles<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">As in Chicago, United Teachers Los Angeles is a major driving force behind continued school <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.latimes.com\/california\/story\/2021-02-01\/la-schools-remain-shut-down-near-future-covid\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">closures<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> in the nation\u2019s second-most populous city. In step with union demands, Los Angeles Unified School District Supt. Austin Beutner announced on Monday that instruction would continue virtually until teachers receive vaccines.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Supt. Beutner also criticized the California state government\u2019s policies on returning to classrooms, dubbing the COVID-19 threshold for reopening primary schools a \u201cmagic number.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">He announced that students will need to attend mandatory summer courses and a prolonged 2021-2022 academic year.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">United Teachers Los Angeles gained national notoriety in July for a highly politicized list of reopening <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.utla.net\/sites\/default\/files\/samestormdiffboats_final.pdf\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">demands<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">, which included defunding the police and a moratorium on charter schools.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cWhen politicians exhort educators and other workers to \u2018reignite the economy,\u2019 UTLA educators ask: who are you planning to use as kindling?\u201d said the demands. \u201cAs it stands, the only people guaranteed to benefit from the premature physical reopening of schools amidst a rapidly accelerating pandemic are billionaires and the politicians they\u2019ve purchased.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Nearly 600,000 students <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/dq.cde.ca.gov\/dataquest\/dqcensus\/enrethlevels.aspx?agglevel=District&amp;year=2019-20&amp;cds=1964733\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">attend<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Los Angeles Unified School District <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u2014 nearly 82% of whom are black or Hispanic.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Washington, D.C.<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Ahead of Washington, D.C.\u2019s scheduled return to classrooms on Tuesday, the city filed a court motion to <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcwashington.com\/news\/local\/dc-files-for-restraining-order-against-teachers-union-ahead-of-school-reopenings\/2558486\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">stop<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> the Washington Teachers\u2019 Union \u201cfrom engaging in a strike or work stoppage that would halt the District\u2019s reopening of some schools for in-person learning.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Though it instructed teachers to cooperate with the return to school, the union announced the possibility of a \u201csecret ballot strike authorization vote this week.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cLet\u2019s be very clear: We are not trying to stand in the way of reopening,\u201d American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten said in a Washington Teachers\u2019 Union <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aft.org\/press-release\/wtu-teachers-want-go-back-school-and-want-it-done-safely\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">statement<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">. \u201cWe are mirroring the fear we\u2019re hearing in communities and doing our best to work through that fear to make sure that when school buildings reopen, all school staff and students can be confident that the critical safeguards \u2014 a metric for closure, testing, ventilation, cleaning, PPE and accommodations \u2014 are in place, and funded, so that we can meet the needs of our students.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">In the 2018-2019 school year, over 51,000 students <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/dcps.dc.gov\/page\/dcps-glance-enrollment\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">received<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> instruction through DC Public Schools.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>New York City<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Most schools in New York City <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wsj.com\/articles\/new-york-takes-steps-toward-reopening-middle-and-high-schools-11612057705\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">closed<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> after COVID-19 cases began rising in November. As New York City\u2019s Department of Education began taking steps to reopen middle and high schools, the city\u2019s teachers union quickly voiced their opposition.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cThe city is barely managing all the aspects of the current random testing program and tracing requirements,\u201d United Federation of Teachers President Michael Mulgrew told the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2021\/01\/23\/nyc-does-too-little-covid-testing-to-open-schools-teachers-union\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">New York Post<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">. \u201cThey are not prepared to handle any additional schools.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">New York City Mayor Bill De Blasio (D-NY) issued a budget <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/ny.chalkbeat.org\/2021\/1\/14\/22232069\/de-blasio-budget-covid-relief\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">proposal<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> that would allocate $28.7 billion to the education system. He went on to state that the Biden administration\u2019s <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.newsday.com\/news\/nation\/coronavirus-schumer-fema-funding-biden-1.50119689\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">promise<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> to give the city $2 billion in federal relief dollars would be crucial in sending children back to classrooms.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The New York City Department of Education <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.schools.nyc.gov\/about-us\/reports\/doe-data-at-a-glance\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">enrolls<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> over 1.1 million students \u2014 66% of whom are black or Hispanic.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Philadelphia<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Philadelphia public schools <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcphiladelphia.com\/news\/coronavirus\/schooling-in-a-pandemic\/philly-schools-to-transition-back-to-hybrid-learning-starting-feb-22\/2680811\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">announced<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> last week that it would attempt a hybrid learning model, which would feature both in-person and virtual instruction. However, the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers immediately raised concerns.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cResuming in-person learning opportunities is a crucial step to help restore a much-needed sense of familiarity, community and connectedness for students and families,\u201d said School District of Philadelphia Supt. William Hite.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cPFT shares the District\u2019s desire to return to school buildings \u2014 but it must be safe for students and staff,\u201d said the union in a <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/PhilaFedofTeachers\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">statement<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">. \u201cWe know that students learn best in person. But community spread is very high, ventilation standards as outlined in our MOU have not yet been met, and the PFT believes that educators should be vaccinated before being asked to go into buildings.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">As of January 29, students will return to school in phases, beginning on February 22 with Pre-K through second-grade students. Even under the hybrid plan, students will attend school for two days per week and receive online instruction for three days.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The School District of Philadelphia <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.philasd.org\/fast-facts\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">educates<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> over 200,000 students.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i>The views expressed in this piece are the author\u2019s own and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.<\/i><\/p>\n<p><i>The Daily Wire is one of America\u2019s fastest-growing conservative media companies and counter-cultural outlets for news, opinion, and entertainment. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a<\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailywire.com\/subscribe\">\u00a0<i>member<\/i><\/a><i>.<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Across the United States, primary and secondary schools are considering the return of in-person classes amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. According to data from Education Week, state governments are adopting &#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1892536,"comment_status":"close","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[5037,5035,5040,4605,5038,3798],"class_list":["post-116487","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-cities","tag-five","tag-keeping","tag-teachers","tag-unions","tag-where"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/116487","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=116487"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/116487\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1892536"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=116487"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=116487"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=116487"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}