Philadelphia teachers union endorses bogus claims of school renovations as cover for reopening schools
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. EST Thursday night, February
the network of Educators Rank-and-File Safety Committees.
As the March 1 start date nears for the first phase of reopening for the School District of Philadelphia (SDP), the eighteenth largest in the country, the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers (PFT) is continuing to provide political cover for the school district’s reopening plans, worked out with the union behind closed doors.
The PFT, while posing as “concerned” about certain elements of the reopening plans, claims falsely that schools can be made safe through updates to decrepit school buildings, in particular, improved ventilation systems. In comments before the Pennsylvania House of Representatives’ Education Committee, PFT Legislative Representative Hillary Linardopoulos said, “Let’s be clear: our goal at [the PFT] has been, and will continue to be, to reopen buildings, because we know that inside of a classroom is where the true magic of education takes place.”