The COVID vaccines work and trust the science are the messages doctors continue to stress. Now, Philadelphia schools are weighing a vaccine mandate for teachers and staff.
Biden falsely downplays dangers of COVID-19 in schools
Speaking at a CNN town hall event in Milwaukee on Tuesday, US President Joe Biden made a series of patently false statements about the threat posed by COVID-19 to children and their parents. Biden’s false claims were aimed at convincing educators, students and parents to resume in-person learning, even though schools are major vectors for the spread of COVID-19.
In a chilling exchange with a second grade student rightly concerned that she might catch COVID-19 and possibly infect her parents, Biden flatly lied, stating, “You’re not likely to be able to be exposed to something and spread it to mommy or daddy.”
Philadelphia postpones public school reopenings to March 1
The Pennsylvania Educators Rank-and-File Safety Committee is holding a meeting at 7:30pm EST Thursday night, Feb. 18, to discuss the unfolding struggle in Philadelphia and mobilize opposition to the deadly reopening of schools. Register now and share this link with your coworkers to build the committee!
The School District of Philadelphia (SDP) announced yesterday it was pushing back its reopening of schools for in-person instruction from February 22 to March 1. The district had originally planned for a phased reopening to begin next Monday, beginning with 9,000 kindergarten through second grade students.
District Superintendent William Hite told a press conference, “I believe we all agree on reopening schools. The dispute has been how can we do that safely, and the district needs to address that.” Feigning concern for the mental and educational well-being of children, he continued, “our youngest students are falling
Toothless state recommendations over school reopenings are being swept away under Pennsylvania’s Democratic Governor Tom Wolf, as districts are told to return K-8 students to face-to-face learning in line with the Biden plan.
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From left, Philadelphia Schools Superintendent William Hite, Philadelphia Board of Education President Joyce Wilkerson, and Philadelphia Federation of Teachers President Jerry Jordan. (School District of Philadelphia/Philadelphia Federation of Teachers)
This article originally appeared on Chalkbeat Philadelphia.
Superintendent William Hite, Board of Education President Joyce Wilkerson, and teachers’ union President Jerry Jordan all say they are confident school buildings will open for some students this school year.
Hite will likely announce a reopening plan within the next “10 days or so,” he said in an interview Thursday. Hite noted the Pennsylvania Departments of Health and Education had that day revised the guidance for school reopening, encouraging schools to resume instruction for elementary students even where virus transmission rates are still relatively high.