August 2021 - Safe and Sound Schools

The second largest teachers union, the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), is considering a vaccine mandate for teachers in schools. AFT leadership originally said that vaccinations should be voluntary, but that “circumstances have [now] changed.” Read on for more about a potential policy change for teachers on the way.

Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), said during a Sunday interview that she thinks teachers need to work with employers on vaccine mandates.

Weingarten also said her organization is revisiting the issue of vaccine mandates for teachers as parts of the nation see a surge in coronavirus cases instigated by the rapidly-spreading delta variant.

The AFT has not supported such mandates previously, but Weingarten said the union was willing to work with employers to try to find solutions, and she said the rise in cases across the country is “alarming.”
Read this full article in the Hill: ‘Teachers union president signals personal support for vaccine mandates’

Read this full article in The Hill: ‘Teachers union president signals personal support for vaccine mandates’

Is it safe to send kids back to school with the Delta variant? While schools have not been major super spreaders of the virus, public health guidelines vary depending on COVID cases in each state. Read on for answers to the most common questions related to Fall 2021 and the current state of the pandemic.

“As the Delta variant rages and vaccination rates remain low in many parts of the United States, worried parents have one pressing question: How do I send my child back to school safely during a pandemic?
Next week, a number of school districts in the South where case counts for Covid-19 are on the rise, including several in Alabama and Georgia, will begin the 2021-22 school year. Even more schools in Covid hot spots around the country, including districts in Texas, Louisiana and Florida, will welcome students the following week.”

“While much of the public health conversation has been focused on booster shots and breakthrough infections, parents are frustrated at the lack of advice for families, particularly those with children under 12 years old, who are not yet eligible for a Covid vaccine. On social media and at school-board meetings, parents say they face an impossible choice: send kids to school and risk a Covid-19 infection, or keep kids home and jeopardize their mental health and educational development.”