Updated
Feb 10, 2021
Amid Tough School Reopening Battles, Americans Continue To Cheer Teachers Unions
Americans remain divided over how schools should handle the coronavirus pandemic, but parents support their local districts and teachers unions.
By Rebecca Klein and Ariel Edwards-Levy
Most Americans continue to support the idea of teachers striking in response to school conditions they feel are unsafe, according to a new HuffPost/YouGov poll.
Fifty-six percent of respondents said they would strongly or somewhat support the idea, compared with 30% who said they would oppose it. The results largely mirror a September HuffPost/YouGov poll on the same issue, even as teachers unions around the country continue to engage in fraught negotiations with school districts and local governments.
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Washington D.C. Attorney General Karl Racine filed a complaint seeking a temporary restraining order against the Washington Teachers’ Union (WTU) in court Tuesday over a threatened strike.
“WTU is threatening an illegal work stoppage that would prevent the District from a partial reopening of its schools after a nearly year-long closure due to COVID-19,” Racine’s complaint said.
A strike authorization vote could come this week over safety and health concerns related to Washington D.C.’s school reopening plan, WTU President Elizabeth Davis said in a statement Tuesday.
Washington D.C. is seeking a temporary restraining order as the district’s teachers union mulls holding a strike authorization vote later this week.
The Fairfax County School Board voted unanimously Tuesday afternoon to bring all students back in-person for hybrid learning by March 16. Superintendent Scott.
Education secretary nominee Miguel Cardona pushes for teacher testing, vaccination in Senate hearing
MGN
Secretary of Education nominee Miguel Cardona told senators Wednesday that if confirmed, he will do everything in his power to reopen schools safely and called for prioritizing educators for the vaccine and increasing Covid testing at schools.
“There is no substitute for a classroom experience for our students, being in front of their teacher,” Cardona, Connecticut’s education commissioner, said at his confirmation hearing.
“So we have to do everything we can to safely reopen schools in a manner that gets the students back into their learning environment,” he added.