Tuesday, 73% of Chicago teachers voted to compel their school district to ditch classroom instruction in favor of remote learning because of COVID-19. So, it's official: Some urban public school districts are employment programs first and institutions of learning secondarily. The union claimed to be promoting safety. But really, the union was leaning on the early myopic response officialdom adopted to prevent COVID-19 at all costs while ignoring the hazardous-to-health side effects of lockdowns. The Chicago Teachers Union posted a 10-page paper on "safe and equitable conditions for reopening" Chicago public schools. The paper argued "institutional racism" is behind the higher incidence of COVID-19 among Black and Latino children -- unperturbed by the damage remote learning poses for minority students. McKinsey reported last month that students in majorityBlack schools remain five months behind their historic levels, while students in majority white schools are two months behind -- "widening pre-pandemic achievement gaps." Remote learning robbed students of the joy (and pain) of being kids around other kids, and it's not healthy for child fitness. An August paper published in JAMA reported that overweight and obesity for 5- to 11-year-olds increased from 36% to 45% during COVID-19 -- overweight and obese children are at risk for contracting serious COVID-19. The union 10-pager also suggested Chicago "defund the police" and shift $33 million from police to health care. The paper concluded, "Normal wasn't working for us before. We can't go back." Chicago parents, you've been warned. Be it noted, more than 90% of Chicago teachers are vaccinated, which vastly reduces their risk of serious COVID-19. The district should work to accommodate the needs of the immunocompromised but otherwise treat staff like other essential workers. Like the people who work in grocery stores. Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot took back the reins when she shut off access to Google Classroom remote programming in a bid to get teachers back in the schoolhouse. She also has threatened to withhold pay. "Nobody signs up for being a home-schooler at the last minute," the progressive mayor explained. "We can't forget about how disruptive that remote process is to individual parents who have to work, who can't afford the luxury of staying home." Again, the harm of the union's vote falls disproportionately on those disadvantaged individuals the union claims to champion. Schools never should have been shuttered after the 45 days to slow the spread in 2020. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention did not recommend mass schoolroom shutdowns. CDC guidelines instead recommended closing schools for two to five days only where confirmed cases were discovered or in districts with high community transmission. But once a handful of elected officials decided to ignore the CDC and ordered long-term shutdowns of schools, others succumbed like dominos to the magical thinking that staying home was the ultimate public virtue. Chicago has been joined by Cleveland, Detroit, Milwaukee and Newark. During Wednesday's press briefing, Press Secretary Jen Psaki declined an opportunity to challenge the Chicago union during Wednesday's briefing. She only would say President Joe Biden "wants schools to be open." Apparently, if the radical teachers unions choose to deprive urban kids of classroom instruction, Biden doesn't want to go all wild and crazy by criticizing them. That leaves an opening for the right. Corey A. DeAngelis of School Choice Now responded that when Safeway workers go on strike, "families can take their money elsewhere. That bottom-up accountability provides pressure" on employers. "The only way out of this mess is by funding students directly and empowering families to access alternatives." That's right. School vouchers. Brought to you by the Chicago Teachers Union. Debra J. Saunders The Sun Bay Paper Page 15 classroom or the sadistic “grievance identifier” where you work. Instead of pulling wings off flies, they pull jobs off independent thinkers. Every moody teenager or narcissistic egoist now has the power to destroy. Because it is so easy, it is so tempting to use that power to prove how powerful you are. Mighty Conan, the Canceler will destroy your livelihood! Powerful Xena, Warrior Princess, will get you fired. Here is one example. In The Daily Signal, Douglas Blair wrote the article 8 College Professors Cancelled by Left. Blair wrote: The students at Portland State University also disliked how [Professor] Boghossian prioritized diversity of thought in his classroom. Boghossian was the target of harassment, including graffiti in the shape of a swastika featuring his name and a Title IX probe that alleged Boghossian beat his wife and children. While the probe went nowhere, Boghossian was required to attend school-mandated coaching and was banned from teaching things in a way that might reveal his views on “protected classes.” In the face of all these campaigns to discredit or fire him, Boghossian resigned. The New Stalinist Show Trials: Title IX Probes Remember, Title IX campus probes have no rules of evidence, no requirement that the accuser faces the accused, and no peer jury hearing evidence. Just a college administrator telling you you are guilty of whatever the anonymous accuser said. No evidence, no due process whatsoever. If you are accused, you are guilty. Title IX hearings are Stalinist Show Trials. Professor Boghossian was sentenced to attend school-mandated coaching even though ”the probe went nowhere.” You are punished even if you are not guilty. Salem Witch Trials Recycled? Arthur Miller’s 1953 play The Crucible told the story of the Salem witch trials in the Massachusetts Bay Colony during 1692-93. In Salem, hysterical girls discovered that they could imprison adult authority figures they didn’t like simply by saying that they witnessed that adult practicing witchcraft. Sometimes those accused were executed by hanging. Sound familiar? Young people drunk with the power to destroy anyone they choose with just an accusation. No proof required. [What Is] ‘The Woke’ Cancel Lynch Mob According to the Collins online dictionary, the definition of a lynch mob is “A lynch mob is an angry crowd of people who want to kill someone without a trial, because they believe that person has committed a crime.” The Woke Cancel Lynch Mobs want to get someone fired from their job and blacklisted from ever getting another job without a trial. The lynching is accomplished by an anonymous accusation, or an online petition collected on social media from people who are not required to testify under oath or to face the person they are accusing. What To Do? Ask your congressperson and senator to repeal Title IX. Demand that all accusations of wrongdoing be handled by police and courts where the rule of law requires evidence, sworn testimony, facing the accuser, and a jury of peers. Don’t repeat undocumented accusations. Instead, ask, “Where’s the evidence?” When no evidence is produced, say, “Get back to me when you have evidence.” Then ignore the whiny accusers until and unless they produce evidence. Don’t send your children to colleges accepting Federal Government money and therefore under the jurisdiction of Title IX. Let them take online courses or attend vocational colleges. Encourage them to get a job where they can learn on the job. Direct your children to the Mike Rowe Foundation, where they can apply for a scholarship. Stop donating to any college that permits Title IX “probes.” Including your alma mater. Michael McCarthy americaoutloud January 7, 2022 - January 13, 2022 Cancel Culture Gone Wild Cont. from pg 1 Chicago Teachers Are Teacher's Pets
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