Oh, man. Andrew Yang does know he’s running as a Democrat in New York City, right?
Because here is the mayoral hopeful telling Politico that he blames the United Federation of Teachers for the delay in getting NYC schools opened:
Andrew Yang candidate blamed the UFT for its perceived role in delaying school openings during an interview with POLITICO this week. https://t.co/igEmUMh9E1
— POLITICO New York (@politicony) March 19, 2021
Union officials disagree and want Yang to “do his homework”:
NEW: @AndrewYang places blame at @UFT for delay in school openings; union pres counters he should "do his homework." Would be strange strategy in other years, if not for widespread frustration among parents, consultants say. Story w/ @tina_nguyenhttps://t.co/dhvH8AO907
— Sally Goldenberg (@SallyGold) March 19, 2021
But this sure is a breath of fresh air:
Has any other Democratic mayoral candidate expressed anything like this? https://t.co/8EETXUO5Qz
— Matt Welch (@MattWelch) March 19, 2021
And it could be a winning issue if he keeps it up:
Every parent I know has been so frustrated with how this has gone. It is interesting that Yang is the only one to take it on https://t.co/Cw7IGnmR8O
— David Freedlander (@freedlander) March 19, 2021
He is open to criticism as he pulled his kids out of NYC and moved them upstate so they could have more room for remote-learning:
Stringer, on Yang UFT remarks to @SallyGold @tina_nguyen:"perhaps Mr. Yang wouldn't have said what he said if he had stayed in NY last spring.."
"perhaps Mr. Yang wouldn't have tried to score cheap political points at the expense of our teachers if he had come back this fall"
— Katie Glueck (@katieglueck) March 19, 2021
As for the UFT, they’re already proving Yang’s point and are challenging Mayor Bill de Blasio’s acceptance of new CDC guidance that 3-feet is enough room for social distancing and not 6-feet:
UFT statement indicating they want the state to sign off on @NYCMayor's announcement today https://t.co/Vw7ZTErxKG
— Jillian Jorgensen (@Jill_Jorgensen) March 19, 2021
More on that here:
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention relaxed social distancing guidelines for schools, saying students can now sit 3 feet apart in classrooms. The advice represents a change from the 6-foot standard that forced some schools to remove desks. https://t.co/BGLDiG0yM5
— The Associated Press (@AP) March 19, 2021
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