| CTA Family,
To call this school year difficult for educators is a massive understatement. COVID-19 has impacted nearly every part of our lives, as the deadly virus threatens our students and their families, colleagues, loved ones and communities. We all know the best place for our students to learn is back in classrooms and we want to be there more than anyone – but that alone isn’t enough to physically reopen schools.
State lawmakers are currently discussing how to safely return to schools, and they need to hear from us – the educators on the front lines who support, protect and nurture students every day.
Share what measures need to be in place for you to feel safe returning to in-person instruction in the midst of a pandemic.
This week, CTA and our labor partners in education submitted a plan with a pathway to the physical reopening of schools, which called for phased vaccinations, multi-layered mitigation strategies and COVID-19 testing that experts agree are crucial to returning to schools safely.
One of the biggest obstacles we face are the out-of-control infection rates in our communities. Those must come down to create an environment where we can return safely. The virus is in charge right now and it does not recognize a calendar. We cannot just pick an arbitrary date and expect to flip a switch on reopening every school for in-person instruction—no matter how much politicians would like.
Please click here now to send an email to your elected leaders.
They must hear from educators and show that health and safety are the guiding principles when reopening our school campuses. Our students, educators and communities deserve nothing less.
Thank you for all that you are doing under extraordinary circumstances and please be well!
E. Toby Boyd, CTA President |
