Thread by @DeAngelisCorey

you've got to be kidding me

https://twitter.com/AFTunion/status/1363201760785932289

Four studies have found that places with stronger teachers unions are substantially less likely to reopen schools in person.
nypost.com/2020/09/02/its…

The Fairfax teachers union president expressed opposition to reopening schools full time even if all teachers were vaccinated.

"So why close the schools?"

Cuomo: "well because the agreement [...] the local school districts consulted their parents, the teachers at the time, the teachers union at the time, and they came up with an agreement."

wgntv.com/news/wgn-inves…

"At least twice, the Washington Teachers’ Union reached tentative agreements with the city to reopen, only to back out a few days later."

Newark Teachers Union President: "We don’t think it’s safe to reopen. Right now, we’re doing everything in our power to try to stop it.”
newark.chalkbeat.org/2021/1/5/22216…

reason.com/2020/08/19/sch…

"Using data on the reopening decisions of 835 public school districts in the United States, we find that school districts in locations with stronger teachers’ unions are less likely to reopen in person"
 papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cf…

"We are able to confirm that union power is associated with an increased likelihood of remote learning."
edworkingpapers.com/ai20-304

"Districts with a teachers union were more likely to go virtual than districts without a teachers union."
will-law.org/2020/11/16/stu…

"School districts with more bargaining power are less likely to open in person...

Both teacher bargaining variables clearly predict opening mode, in the expected way, especially with our index that combines fully in-person and hybrid into a single index."
reachcentered.org/publications/t…

"You have said 'there is very little transmission happening in the schools'

CDC researchers: 'there has been little evidence that schools have contributed meaningfully to increased community transmission'

So why give schools that opt not to open up?"🤔

"The CDC itself released a study showing this.

It also recently wrote that there is “little evidence that schools have contributed meaningfully to community transmission.”

So why tie reopening schools to community spread?"🤔
washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/…

Dr. Fauci: "The default position should be to try as best as possible within reason to keep the children in school or to get them back to school [...] if you look at the data the spread among children and from children is not really big at all"

UNICEF: "Data from 191 countries shows no consistent link between reopening schools and increased rates of coronavirus infection."
politico.com/states/new-jer…

"Schools are not spreading covid-19. This new data makes the case."
washingtonpost.com/opinions/2020/…

"In-person schooling does not appear to increase the risk of covid-19 transmission for staff and students, according to data from New York state."

"Our results suggest that school reopenings have not increased COVID-19 hospitalizations, especially for the 75 percent of counties that had the lowest baseline hospitalizations."
reachcentered.org/uploads/techni…

"The preponderance of available evidence from the fall school semester has been reassuring”

“there has been little evidence that schools have contributed meaningfully to increased community transmission.”
jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/…

NYC positivity rate: 7.45%
NYC school positivity rate: 0.55%

If a grocery store doesn't reopen families can take their money elsewhere

If a school doesn't reopen families should similarly be able to take their children's education dollars elsewhere.

Families should be able to take their children's education dollars elsewhere regardless of the reopening decision

Education funding is supposed to be meant for educating children - not for protecting a particular institution.

We should fund students, not systems.

Families are getting a bad deal and they know it

A national survey found a 10 percentage point jump in support for school choice in a few months

They're realizing there isn't any good reason to fund institutions when we can fund students directly instead
federationforchildren.org/support-for-sc…

Another national survey found support for each type of school choice increased since last year

Education Savings Accounts: +5%
Tax Credit Scholarships: +9%
Private School Vouchers: +16%
Charter Schools: +13%

The teachers unions are overplaying their hand

Legislators in 23 states have introduced bills to fund students instead of systems this year
efinstitute.org/legislation-ma…

the teachers unions have done more to advance school choice this year than anyone could have ever imagined