One year plus into the pandemic, vaccines are becoming plentiful, cases and deaths are dropping precipitously and yet schools are opening at a snails pace, if at all.
How many of you had praised the frontline workers at the height of the pandemic? Doctors and Nurses worked in the closest proximity of people infected and stricken by the virus. Police and firefighters continued to protect the communities. Many responding to calls from Covid patients on top of their more regular tasks of keeping us safe. EMTs never waivered in their dedication to the sick, infirm or injured. How many thousands of people actively virus positive were helped? The numbers are vast and incalculable.
The frontline deserved each and every thank you, lunches supplied by appreciative communities and sincere gestures of recognition for their sacrifice for the good of others. Heroes all.
Sadly, there is another side to this story. Classrooms were shuttered in the first rounds of lock down, beginning regulations and social distancing obligation. Most of the country understood, at least in the beginning. That the virus was a powerful enemy that needed to be stopped. Much was the knee jerk reaction based on emotions and fear of the unknown.
As we learned things like, respirators were not needed in all cases, drug treatments that were touted initially held no value positions and prescriptions changed. It was clear that a killer had been unleashed on us. People pitched in and stood strong for the good of each other.
Here we are one year later. Vaccines are getting into arms. All the COVID stats are trending in a downward line.
And here is the subject of this column. The children. In the hierarchy of things who should care the most about the little ones. Parents, family, health care providers and one would think teachers. The vast majority of teachers, especially those in secular schools and smaller school districts, have been back at school almost from the beginning. And the children have been in class. A wonderful, normal situation even though the masking and social distancing are practiced.
However, major teachers’ unions, primarily in very large cities refuse to return to the classroom even though the science is fully against their absence. It seems that the union leadership has determined that almost every human being who they might come in contact with be vaccinated, that three feet of separation is not sufficient, ventilation systems installed at the cost of billions of dollars are inadequate.
At first the unions were all about following the science, until science said that returning to the classroom was safe and necessary for the wellbeing and education of the kids. No matter the amount of money thrown at the appeasement of Randi Weingarten, President of the United Federation of Teachers, and her ilk made a difference. The unions are not only extorting the government, but they clearly care not about our children.
Science is telling us how detrimental it is to keep the children out of school. The Biden administration is paying lip service by calling for school opening and taking no action except sending another 130 Billion dollars into the “education” bottomless pit on top of the $100 Billion from previous relief bills that have not been spent.
It is incomprehensible that teachers being held captive by their unions and forced to ignore the pleas of parents everywhere are not rebelling. Their good name and respect are being sullied and diminished.
All municipal leaders must remember how poorly the major teachers’ unions behaved when their charges needed them the most. Look them in the eyes and say no more pandering to their demands.
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