um how certain politicians might prefer to create strife in public education, which opens up opportunities for charter and other privatization efforts. and so, i think, that might be an underlying factor. and, of course, in the broader-political landscape, i understand that governor abbott might be trying to maintain certain allies. but as a person who s about to walk into a classroom next week with kids, um, i don t i don t even want to talk about politics, anymore. i just want to keep the kids safe. well, caroline sweet, and thank you. you re here to to spread your message, and i hope folks listen. i appreciate you coming on. thanks so much. thank you, don. be safe. thanks. i want to bring in now cnn medical analyst, dr. jonathan reiner. he is the director of the cardiac catheterization program at george washington university hospital. also with us, mr. mark mckinnon, he is the former adviser to george w. bush and john mccain and the executive producer of
weakened-immune system there is in the in the tape that we played is the governor putting your health at risk, with this ban? well, certainly, yeah. i mean, you know, i think i have a unique perspective on the pandemic because i i spent the whole pandemic um trying not to die from cancer, chemo, and covid. um, and really, i have, within me, a duty to serve children, to educate children. and that s where i need to be, too. i need them, first and foremost, to be safe when they re with me. and i need to stay safe so that i can serve them, and work with them and their families. so, yeah, my health is on the line, as well. um, and i need to stay safe for them. look. clearly, your i admire your passion on this. and i know you re worried about your students. what are you hearing from parents in the community, caroline? you know, i work in an area of austin that is underresourced. um, at the school i work at,
state capital of austin, a teacher pleads with her school board to defy the governor and the mask requirements. for many years, you have asked me to be brave. you ve asked me to be brave as i practiced getting 24 fourth graders into a bathroom. you have asked me to locate in our hiding spot anything with which i might fight off an active shooter. you have asked me to be brave as i think about what would happen if there s some sort of extreme danger in my class is on the playground. i have discussed with kids how we would run into the woods, hide by the creek, all of us together, avoiding danger. you have asked me to be brave ask come back to work during the pandemic after surgery and six months of chemotherapy for stage-three cancer and i have done it and i will do it and i will show up and i will get in my closet, and i will look for the path to the woods. board members, you don t have to do these things. but just as i will be brave and think about how my body my shield children fro