Push to Reopen Schools Is Being Driven by Inadequate Science
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A robust pandemic-era vaccination program for educators is the solution — not obfuscation and denial
Before making up your mind about whether teachers should be vaccinated prior to returning to the classroom, please take some time to consider that relying on inadequate science is no better than relying on religion or magic to make critical policy decisions. Common-sense caution always trumps inadequate science in the real world of deadly viruses.
Also, for those now suffering under the burden of taking care of “your” children while having to work from home, I get the agony of that. My wife — a teacher — and I raised four children. Despite the struggle, it’s still not worth risking human life — in this case, the lives of your kids’ teachers — to relieve you of that burden or to alleviate your concerns over the adequacy of online learning. They are your children, not the state’s or the school system’s children, right? At the end of the day, it’s your responsibility to endure and overcome that adversity without putting other people at risk. You should not demand that teachers be required to risk their health or lives for your kids — especially when the solution is as simple as a robust vaccination program for teachers.
Here in Washington state, and elsewhere, such as Wisconsin, where I have family members who are teachers; in Illinois, where a friend is an organizer for a teachers union; and elsewhere around the country, educators are being told they must return to the classroom prior to being vaccinated. And that demand, in many cases, is being made without adequate protections in place and with no clear plan to get teachers vaccinated anytime soon. This is wrong, and we should know that. I’m saying something about it.
And here’s why: As part of the Trump administration legacy, there has been inadequate tracking of outbreaks in schools nationwide and within states, which means there is inadequate science/data demonstrating that classrooms are safe for teachers. The Biden administration appears to be barreling forward with a plan, based on a campaign promise, to reopen schools within 100 days of the start of his term of office.
Yet, the Biden administration’s health care and press experts continue to dance and obfuscate…
