This has been discussed by other outlets already but we cannot help but to weigh in. It’s an interesting conversation, to say the least. Some believe that it is outrageous for teachers to be jumping the line for vaccines right now. Others believe that schools need to be open and they are ready for that to happen, no matter what needs to take place.
There is a third, more nuanced group, too. They are wondering why the teachers are so hellbent on jumping the line when their unions are keeping them out of work. The Washington Post has been discussing what is happening at Fairfax County schools as we speak. It’s a very thorny situation, for sure.
Fairfax County is known for having a high-quality school district. It is not manned by lazy teachers who actively look for excuses not to work. Unfortunately, it is hard to get a firm grasp on their intentions because there have been conflicting statements. Rory Cooper of the Washington Post is sharing more on the topic.
“The Fairfax County school system demanded and then received high-priority placement for teachers and administrators to be vaccinated against the coronavirus. Those vaccines began a week ago, and, according to the Fairfax County Public Schools Superintendent Scott Brabrand, 5,000 teachers have received their first dose and an additional 22,000 teachers are registered to receive their first dose soon.
And yet, having jumped to the front of the vaccine line, Brabrand, the FCPS School Board and the teachers union are delaying opening schools. That raises the question of why they have the priority placement to begin with, and whether these vaccinations should be immediately halted so that high-risk individuals or public servants who have been working outside of their homes for the entirety of the year have access,” Cooper reports.
The district did make an announcement last week. Some students are going to be returning to the classroom setting in the middle of February and others are going to be coming back in March. Meanwhile, the Open Fairfax County Public Schools parent group is reaching its wit’s end. “Lucy has pulled this football several times before and trust is at a minimum,” they said.
As for the teachers’ union, they do not seem so sure. “At the Jan. 21 school board meeting, Fairfax Education Association President Kimberly Adams said she received her first vaccine dose on Jan. 14, two days ahead of the scheduled start for school personnel. She has said that her union would not support a return to full-time education even in the fall. The fall. As in September 2021. Nine months after she was vaccinated.
The union says that all students must also be vaccinated. Never mind that no current vaccine has been approved for use on children under the age of 14. Adams also wants 14 days of zero community spread,” says WaPo. Simply put, teachers are not going to be back in school anytime soon. Biden’s stated goal of having schools open in the fall is looking more and more like a pipe dream.
Evidence shows that a teacher is not at any higher risk of catching the virus than people who work a host of other jobs but that is not changing their minds. They are content to drag this out as long as they have to. Data has been sourced from the UK and NY on the matter but the unions are not going to be budging for the foreseeable future on this one.
If the risk factors are not elevated for teachers or students, this is not something that should be ignored. Parents are looking to get back to normal so that they are able to keep their homes and their jobs. We hope that the teachers are able to head back to work but if not? They do not need to be at the front of the vaccination line. This should not be a controversial opinion to anyone.
