[Federalist] Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Rochelle Walensky publicly admitted that the agency’s new school reopening guidelines were informed by the opinions of anti-in-person-learning teachers unions."I recognize that the decision, on when and how to begin in-person learning is one that must be based on a thorough review of what the science tells us works and an understanding of the lived experiences, challenges, and perspectives of teachers and school staff, parents, and students," Walensky said in a COVID-19 update on Friday. "We have conducted an in-depth review of the available science and evidence base to guide our recommendations, and we have also engaged with many education and public-health partners to hear firsthand from parents and teachers directly about their experiences and concerns."
This input from some of the same people who have stalled school reopenings in cities across the nation, Walensky said, resulted in "direct changes to the guidance."
Others involved in the back-to-school conversations, Senior Adviser for Policy and Planning at the U.S. Department of Education Donna Harris-Aikens said, included "superintendents, principals, civil-rights groups, and all sorts of other folks."
Just last week, the Biden-Harris administration, which has shown sympathy to teachers unions’ anti-science approach, signaled its intent to use the CDC’s new, official guidelines concerning education and COVID-19 to justify keeping many schools closed based on the rate of community COVID-19 transmission in certain areas.