House Dems comment on school reopenings, side with unions
In case you missed it, National Journal spoke with some House Democrats about schools reopening.
Not one Democrat representative who spoke with National Journal (including two doctors!!) agreed to adhere to CDC guidelines and open schools. Instead they all chose to ignore the science and stick to special interest talking points.
Releases like the below were sent to the districts of Democrats who spoke with National Journal:
Dr. Bera comments on school reopenings, sides with unions
Susan Wild thinks she knows better than the CDC
Haley Stevens contradicts CDC scientists
Hi!
National Journal was finally able to get Dr. Ami Bera on the record about repopening schools, and it was not good news for parents wanting to get their kids back in the classroom.
Dr. Bera is advocating to ignore CDC guidance which says schools are safe to open, and the CDC Director who says teachers do not need to be vaccinated to return to the classroom.
Bera believes teachers and staff should be vaccinated before in-person learning resumes, and that more funding is needed. Teachers unions contributed $6,850 to Bera’s campaign in 2020.
Not only does this contradict what the CDC is saying, but Governor Newsom believes students won’t be returning to school this year if districts wait to open until all staff is vaccinated. Newsom is also incentivizing schools (to the tune of $2 billion!!) to open.
Why won’t Dr. Bera follow the science?
Bera’s full comments in National Journal:
“I agree that we want to get them back in as soon as possible,” Bera said. “But I think it’s foolish to do so without making sure it’s safe, without protecting the staff and teachers that have to teach them, because while the kids may not be getting sick, if they’re carrying the virus they could also be bringing it back home.”
Bera said that both getting infection-control measures in place and vaccinating teachers will be crucial to getting schools reopened, and that he hopes most school staff are vaccinated by the spring. “I do think the schools need additional funding, and I would be surprised if that wasn’t part of a final deal that’s either negotiated in a bipartisan way or done through reconciliation … but I think the bigger variable is how quickly can we get the staff and teachers vaccinated,” he said.