Teachers, walk away from unions that keep fighting against reopening schools

[mystery-ak]

Teachers, walk away from unions that keep fighting against reopening schools
by Washington Examiner, |
 | September 29, 2020 01:18 AM

More than a month into the new school year, it is already evident that in-person school instruction is not causing mass outbreaks of the coronavirus.

Researchers at Brown University have found extremely low levels of infection among students and teachers. To be specific, the rate of suspected and confirmed student infections is just 0.21%. (The rate of confirmed infections is one-third of that.) Among teachers and staff, the infection rate is 0.51%. It appears that, thanks in part to schools’ precautions (social distancing guidelines, improved ventilation systems, mask mandates, etc.), one has significantly less risk of contracting COVID-19 inside a reopened school building than in most other places in society.

This is not to say there are no risks — that’s never true of anything in life, and it will certainly never be true of the coronavirus, not even after a vaccine is available. But given the American Academy of Pediatrics’s statement that the benefits to children of in-person educational instruction outweigh the risks associated with the pandemic, combined with the obvious inadequacy of most public school systems’ online instruction regimens, there is no longer any excuse for malingering by teachers unions.

Unfortunately, no one seems to have informed the union bosses about any of this.

more
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/editorials/teachers-walk-away-from-unions-that-keep-fighting-against-reopening-schools

[mountaineer]

The union bosses in my state don't want teachers to do their jobs. A lot of teachers don't agree. The result is some seriously undereducated children.

Most Parents Have No Idea How Badly Online Schooling Is Hurting Their Kids
Parents need to persuade educational and political leaders to fully reopen schools before the negative effects on their children leave permanent scars.
By Auguste Meyrat
September 30, 2020

In most public school districts, it remains uncertain if schools will reopen completely, or at all in coming weeks. In cities like San Francisco and New York City, parents have been told that students will have the option to attend school in person, only to later find out schools will stay closed. Instead of fully reopening, many districts have opted for a staggered approach that prolongs the threat of COVID-19 indefinitely.

Even in districts that have allowed in-person learning — what used to be known simply as “school” — campuses are required to follow onerous restrictions to minimize contact: masks at all times; desks kept at least six feet apart and disinfected after each period; prohibitions on paper materials and books; one-way hallways, and bathrooms monitored to ensure only one student enters at a time.

While it’s debatable whether these restrictions do much to stop the spread (outbreaks still happen), they do remove many of the benefits of physically attending school. This leaves the other option for students: virtual learning. ...

As this school year begins, many teachers are seeing in their students a serious regression both in academic progress and in behavior. This is not the usual summer lag students often have when they return to school in the fall, but something more unsettling. There are noticeable declines in not just learning ability, but awareness and responsiveness.

Instead of showing the expected curiosity, energy, and rowdiness of their age, students are tending to stay silent, often not hearing or understanding much of what teachers say. Indeed, studies show that many kids are suffering from depression and committing suicide because of the shutdowns. ...

More at The Federalist