Teachers Can Safely Return to School IF…

 An open letter to the news media: The importance of one little word.

     Politicizing scientific information and cherry-picking headlines for ratings is negligent quasi-reporting which undermines the public’s best interest and right to be honestly informed.  The issue is if and how teachers can safely return to their classrooms.  The news media have been intentionally promoting inflammatory disinformation of half-truths rather than investigating all the facts and informing the public of the truth in its entirety.

     A little over a week ago, Dr. Rochelle Walensky, the CDC Director, appeared on The Rachel Maddow Show.  During her interview, Dr. Walensky stated that the science shows that schools are among the safest places to be and that teachers do not need to be vaccinated to return to school if the necessary mitigating circumstances are in place.  The media reaction was swift.

The next day and in the days that followed, most newspaper and television reporters - on the right and on the left - trumpeted that Dr. Walensky had definitively stated that teachers could safely return to school. Full stop. Their incomplete and inaccurate information caused a furor that led to written and verbal media attacks on teachers and unions, accusing educators of not caring about their students or their mental health. Neither was true. And some in the media accused Dr. Walensky of being indifferent to teachers’ health and safety, and at odds with the President’s stated regard for teachers’ tireless efforts for students and parents during the pandemic.

The news media has created a debacle of misinformation and mistrust because they ignored everything that Dr. Walensky said after the word “if ” in her interview with Rachel Maddow. Once again, Dr. Walensky’s words were “if the necessary mitigating circumstances are in place.” When the media mentioned mitigating circumstances at all, they glossed over them as if accomplishing these things were easy and affordable for all schools.  No big deal. 

It is irresponsible for those in the news media to ignore the complexities of mitigating circumstances.  It is ignorant and divisive to suggest that teachers and their unions are selfishly standing in the way of getting kids back to school and their parents back to work.  It is insulting to imply that Dr. Walensky is somehow insensitive to teachers’ health and concerns or that she is out of step with the Biden administration. 

     The Biden administration has promised financial assistance and guidance so that schools can open safely.  If schools observe all COVID-19 protocols, scientifically, Dr. Walensky and the CDC are correct about school safety.  To be clear, to address mitigating circumstances in schools will require not only federal financial aid, but time to be in compliance with CDC safety guidelines. It will not be easy.

     For the record, mitigating circumstances include not only mask-wearing, physical distancing, hand-washing, testing/tracing, but also proper air filtration, and daily deep disinfection of school premises. Consider the following:

1.       Masking may be ignored by some children, especially as they walk from class to class.  This  behavior may be difficult to control in a large school.  

2.       Physical distancing is not possible in classrooms that are already overcrowded.

3.       Air filtration especially in some older schools might require major upgrades through federal funding and might take considerable time.

4.       Testing/tracing and PPE require federal funding.  

     Also, there are some mitigating circumstances that occur off school grounds and beyond school control.  Family travel and socializing without masks are two examples that could lead to community spread and impact safety within the school community.   The President and Dr. Walensky cannot mandate behavior in or out of schools.  Those issues are the purview and the responsibility of state and local leaders, including school district superintendents, as well as parents, students, and other community members.  

     For schools to open safely, everyone has to do his or her part.  

     Given these factors, it is understandable and reasonable that teachers have concerns about their own safety.  It is right that they have voiced them.  It is honest for them to want to be vaccinated before returning to in-person teaching and learning.  It is important for us to hear them and respect their concerns. The same should apply to other in-school personnel as well.

     The news media can help with a serious, honest, and professionally complete examination of different perspectives, the real challenges that impact school openings, and potential solutions that are realistically delineated. None of these issues should demonize teachers or anyone else.  You are journalists.  Do your jobs:

1.        Investigate, learn, and report why some schools may find it difficult to implement mask mandates and social distancing and identify realistic options to maximize in-school learning opportunities.

2.       Understand that many schools need the financial aid from President Biden’s Rescue Bill in order to afford air infiltration upgrades, thorough disinfectant programs, and testing/tracing.

3.       Respect that teachers want to be vaccinated before returning to in-school teaching and learning because they know or fear that their schools do not have the infrastructure or resources to maintain a safe environment.

     Last night President Biden announced that the federal government has purchased 100MM additional doses of the COVID-19 vaccine from Moderna and Pfizer.  The total of 200MM doses will make it possible for every adult who wants the vaccine to be vaccinated by summer.  Also, this morning, Pfizer reported that, having received FDA approval, it has a fully enrolled COVID-19 vaccine trial for adolescents 12 to 15 years old.

     In the foreseeable future, a majority of us will take the opportunity to be vaccinated.  Schools will re-open.  Teachers and students will be together in the classroom because it will be safe for all of them to be there.  Parents will return to work and know their children are protected.  Although we will be living in a new normal, hope and joy will also return.

     The news media will be leading with all these stories, including the economic recovery we will surely experience.  Most of us are not politicians, and the media should not set us against each other.  In the fight to crush COVID-19 or any other enemy that comes to our shores, we have to hear each other, respect each other, and, in the end, listen to the experts and stand together.   

     On this, Abraham Lincoln’s birthday, we note his words, “A house divided against itself cannot stand…”   At this crucial time, we need to be united in our efforts to get our kids, teachers, and all school personnel back to school safely.  The media has an important role to play.  They can help us achieve this national goal if they consistently and clearly tell us the whole truth and remember that the whole truth might be found in the very smallest word.    

Update:  On Sunday, February 14, Dr. Walensky, appeared on Face the Nation with Jake Tapper.  She clearly spelled out what mitigating circumstances entail.  She did not retract her statement that teachers do not need to be vaccinated if these circumstances are met, but she did say that teachers should be prioritized for receiving vaccinations.  Since then, President Biden, Vice President Harris, White House officials, and many medical professionals have stated that- while the decision is up to the states – they believe that teachers should be prioritized as essential workers for receiving vaccinations.