Dr. Anthony Fauci Tells the Teacher's Union Biden's Goal to Open Schools in 100 Days May Not Happen
During an event sponsored by the National Education Association (NEA), Dr. Anthony Fauci reportedly told attendees that President Biden’s goal of opening most schools in 100 days is in jeopardy:
“The President is taking very seriously the issue … both from the student standpoint and from the teacher standpoint,” Fauci said during a virtual event sponsored by the National Education Association.
“He really wants to and believes that the schools need to reopen in the next 100 days, essentially all the K to 8 schools, within 100 days. That’s the goal. That may not happen because there may be mitigating circumstances, but what he really wants to do is everything within his power to help get to that.”
The degree to which schools are open varies across the country. In some states, elites like California Governor Gavin Newsom have no problem sending their children in-person to private school programs. However, state and city leaders let unions and destructive public policies like lockdowns deprive millions of other people’s children of the same opportunity.
Chicago Public Schools threatened to dock the pay of teachers who did not return to the school. The teachers voted to go on strike rather than return. School administrators and unions are at odds in many districts across the country, and parents get frustrated. A video of a father in Virginia having an angry outburst over continued school closures went viral last week.
In other areas of the country, schools are open and using common-sense mitigation efforts. In Georgia, some school districts have been open since August, without a comprehensive testing requirement. Open schools have reverted to distance learning when the number of staff required to quarantine due to an exposure exceeded the district’s ability to staff classrooms. These periods have generally been short. The quarantine requirements are strict in many districts, requiring individuals to isolate for 14 days after exposure to an asymptomatic person with a positive test, even if masking is present.
In Florida, the governor ordered all schools to open in the fall for in-person instruction. The state-level guidelines do not require comprehensive testing. It does not appear that the state requires masking, either. Schools work with county departments of health to create their mitigation plans. The state guaranteed full funding for needed increases in staff and programs aimed at closing the educational gaps that occurred due to shutdowns in the spring of 2020.
Two recent studies have supported these approaches, showing transmission in the school environment to be very low. In a large North Carolina study, most of the infections in staff and students could be traced to community spread outside the school. Across 11 school districts, the in-school transmission was almost all in the special education environment where mitigation, like masking, is challenging.
The schools were all in the ABC Science Collaborative to share best practices. The mitigation measures discussed in the study were masking, social distancing, and hygiene. There is no mention of comprehensive testing, facility upgrades, or installation of barriers. The state’s Department of Health provided an initial surge of personal protective equipment and other tools like touchless thermometers. Students and staff received approximately five reusable cloth masks. Replenishment is now done by the schools directly.
https://pjmedia.com/news-and-politics/stacey-lennox/2021/01/30/dr-anthony-fauci-tells-the-teachers-union-bidens-goal-to-open-schools-in-100-days-may-not-happen-n1419367