Babaamaajimowinan (Telling of news in different places)

Democrats try to stamp out school closures as omicron surges

When Chicago teachers voted to work remotely last week to protest COVID-19 safety protections in the nation's third-largest school district, Democratic Party officials leapt into action.

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker pushed for a quick end to the job action and helped secure rapid tests to entice teachers back to the classroom. Mayor Lori Lightfoot said the teachers "abandoned their posts" in "an illegal walkout." White House press secretary Jen Psaki stressed that students should be in school. The standoff ended with a tentative agreement late Monday.

Nearly two years into a pandemic that shows no signs of waning, Democrats are speaking out more forcefully against COVID-19 school closures, recognizing a rising anger among parents worried that their kids are falling behind. But in doing so, Democrats risk angering some teachers unions, which are advocating for more protections for educators as the omicron variant takes hold and whose support helped get Democrats elected.

https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-health-chicago-jen-psaki-illinois-0972717a6783074840c52805796bbfdc

 

Reader Comments(0)

 
 
Rendered 03/26/2024 21:32