Only two years late, the Associated Press is reporting on the harmful effects school closures had on students:
As effects of the pandemic on kids become clear, some adults are second-guessing extended school closures.
In @AP interviews, nearly 50 educators, parents and health officials looked back at decisions to keep kids online – and some had regrets. https://t.co/AS74AoL2QC
— The Associated Press (@AP) October 21, 2022
School choice advocate Corey A. DeAngelis has posted an epic thread on the teachers’ unions and their part in keeping schools closed. He points to a representative from the American Federation of Teachers who doesn’t think it’s fair to “play the blame game.”
the blame game isn't so fun when you're at fault pic.twitter.com/UGQSVyx9VM
— Corey A. DeAngelis, school choice evangelist (@DeAngelisCorey) October 22, 2022
those at fault don't want anyone asking questions about their role in fighting to keep schools closed.
but we all need to remember why this happened or else history could repeat itself.
— Corey A. DeAngelis, school choice evangelist (@DeAngelisCorey) October 22, 2022
— Corey A. DeAngelis, school choice evangelist (@DeAngelisCorey) October 22, 2022
— Corey A. DeAngelis, school choice evangelist (@DeAngelisCorey) October 22, 2022
this ad can still be found on their YouTube pic.twitter.com/8ezX9JQwqq
— Corey A. DeAngelis, school choice evangelist (@DeAngelisCorey) October 22, 2022
— Corey A. DeAngelis, school choice evangelist (@DeAngelisCorey) October 22, 2022
— Corey A. DeAngelis, school choice evangelist (@DeAngelisCorey) October 22, 2022
— Corey A. DeAngelis, school choice evangelist (@DeAngelisCorey) October 22, 2022
Remember when they said the push to reopen schools was based on racism?
— Corey A. DeAngelis, school choice evangelist (@DeAngelisCorey) October 22, 2022
— Corey A. DeAngelis, school choice evangelist (@DeAngelisCorey) October 22, 2022
— Corey A. DeAngelis, school choice evangelist (@DeAngelisCorey) October 22, 2022
— Corey A. DeAngelis, school choice evangelist (@DeAngelisCorey) October 22, 2022
— Corey A. DeAngelis, school choice evangelist (@DeAngelisCorey) October 22, 2022
— Corey A. DeAngelis, school choice evangelist (@DeAngelisCorey) October 22, 2022
— Corey A. DeAngelis, school choice evangelist (@DeAngelisCorey) October 22, 2022
It was the summer of 2021 when AFT President Randi Weingarten tried to insist that her union has been trying to reopen schools since April 2020.
— Corey A. DeAngelis, school choice evangelist (@DeAngelisCorey) October 22, 2022
Not just fake body bags … remember when Iowa teachers wrote and sent their own obituaries to the governor ahead of fall reopenings?
— Corey A. DeAngelis, school choice evangelist (@DeAngelisCorey) October 22, 2022
"Our findings that school closures are uncorrelated with the actual incidence of the virus, but are rather strongly associated with unionization, implies that the decision to close schools has been a political—not scientific—decision." pic.twitter.com/U7hQDycadZ
— Corey A. DeAngelis, school choice evangelist (@DeAngelisCorey) October 22, 2022
"We find that mass partisanship and vested interests best explain the degree to which schools reopened. Republican (Democratic) districts were far more (less) likely to reopen in person, while districts with stronger unions relied more on remote learning." pic.twitter.com/99ykGK4d2I
— Corey A. DeAngelis, school choice evangelist (@DeAngelisCorey) October 22, 2022
"Analyzing local district reopening plans, however, we find that decisions were more tied to local political partisanship and union strength than to COVID-19 severity. Republicans in the public were also more favorable than Democrats toward in-person learning." pic.twitter.com/1FX6gk78jg
— Corey A. DeAngelis, school choice evangelist (@DeAngelisCorey) October 22, 2022
— Corey A. DeAngelis, school choice evangelist (@DeAngelisCorey) October 22, 2022
— Corey A. DeAngelis, school choice evangelist (@DeAngelisCorey) October 22, 2022
— Corey A. DeAngelis, school choice evangelist (@DeAngelisCorey) October 22, 2022
— Corey A. DeAngelis, school choice evangelist (@DeAngelisCorey) October 22, 2022
— Corey A. DeAngelis, school choice evangelist (@DeAngelisCorey) October 22, 2022
For real: Six dance instructors from Chicago Public Schools put together a video using interpretive dance to “express their desire to feel safe” upon returning to the classroom and posted it to Twitter. Remarkably, it’s still up:
Six of our rank-and-file dance teachers come together to use their art form as a voice to express their desire to feel safe amidst CPS' teacher return policy. They stand in solidarity with all educators at risk, because no one should have to choose between life and livelihood. pic.twitter.com/gajXH9PReE
— ChicagoTeachersUnion (@CTULocal1) January 23, 2021
— Corey A. DeAngelis, school choice evangelist (@DeAngelisCorey) October 22, 2022
— Corey A. DeAngelis, school choice evangelist (@DeAngelisCorey) October 22, 2022
— Corey A. DeAngelis, school choice evangelist (@DeAngelisCorey) October 22, 2022
2022 pic.twitter.com/q513fd8wpL
— Corey A. DeAngelis, school choice evangelist (@DeAngelisCorey) October 22, 2022
— Corey A. DeAngelis, school choice evangelist (@DeAngelisCorey) October 22, 2022
We know what they did.
We won’t forget.
We won’t forgive.— 🐥The🐰FOO🌸 (@PolitiBunny) October 22, 2022
“We don’t want to get political,” say the people on an election bus tour…weird.
— Beth Anne Mumford (@bamumford) October 22, 2022
The irony is that their entire careers are supposedly dedicated to ensuring children learn, and yet their actions have in many cases permanently harmed the education of those children.
— WinstonSmith (@BackporchBobcat) October 22, 2022
This is outrageous.
— Ned Stanley (@NedStanley) October 22, 2022
https://twitter.com/southbaytrading/status/1583852576503517185
Actually it’s very fair. Who kept schools closed? Unions. End of story
— Selene (@agravematter) October 22, 2022
And as the tweets above show, the unions worked in conjunction with the CDC to write the guidance on reopening schools — and that was supposed to be “the science.”
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Related:
Washington Post editor: Claim that teachers appear disproportionally in COVID-19 obituaries was clearly ‘subjective’ https://t.co/Ujnnfal2cp
— Twitchy Team (@TwitchyTeam) October 26, 2020