Democrats Desperately Need Schools to Get Back to Normal

[brooklynite]

New York Times

Last Wednesday morning, Christopher Rufo, the architect of the right-wing crusade against critical race theory, sent me a message asking if I wanted to talk, I suppose because I was one of the first people to write about his project back in February. He was feeling triumphant.

A year ago, few conservatives outside of academia had heard of critical race theory, a graduate school approach to the study of race and power. Now it’s become a central issue in Republican politics, helping to fuel Glenn Youngkin’s victorious gubernatorial campaign in Virginia.

“I’ve unlocked a new terrain in the culture war, and demonstrated a successful strategy,” said Rufo, a documentary filmmaker-turned-conservative activist. With that done, he was getting ready for a new phase of his offensive.

“We are right now preparing a strategy of laying siege to the institutions,” he said. In practice, this means promoting the traditional Republican school choice agenda: private school vouchers, charter schools and home-schooling. “The public schools are waging war against American children and American families,” he said. Families, in turn, should have “a fundamental right to exit.”

Democrats need to take this coming onslaught seriously. The school choice movement is old — it’s often dated back to a 1955 essay by Milton Friedman. But Covid has created fertile ground for a renewed push.

As many have pointed out, the reason education was such an incendiary issue in the Virginia governor’s race likely had less to do with critical race theory than with parent fury over the drawn-out nightmare of online school. Because America’s response to Covid was so politically polarized, school shutdowns were longest in blue states, and Virginia’s was especially severe; only six states had fewer in-person days last year.

[underpants]

1. Sounds like Massive Resistance all over again.

The perfect racist powder keg

[dsc]

2. 2022 will be an interesting test of this

since some states with Democratic governors actually kept schools open more. My system was closed the tail end of 2019-2020 school year but we opened in late September of 2020 on an A/B/C system then an A/B system and finally under A. In sept of 2021 we opened full from jump. Most systems here did the same. If this theory is correct, then we should do better here than other places. I honestly don't think that will be the case. I think it is more of a racist backlash.

[Withywindle]

3. No. We don't need to force children and staff back into schools when conditions are still unsafe

We DO need to show up to these school board meetings, and be as willing to be as loud, angry, and confrontational as the assholes shouting about racism, censorship, and anti-science bullshit.

Liberal Mama and Papa Bear need to keep their kids home as much as they can, and roar and bare claws against people trying to shut down safety protocols and also ban real knowledge of history. Do not back down to these people! Fight back!

Appeasing them has never achieved a good result. Refuse and rebel strongly, and raise your children to do the same.

[CrackityJones75]

4. Kids 5-11 are getting vaxed now

I understand there are breakthrough cases but with kids getting vaxed ages 5 and above it IS time for kids to be in school. With other precautions of course.

My son has respiratory issues. Allergies and athsma. With masking and the other protocols in place he has had the least problems ever the last year.

Of course this all depends on the protocols and safety measures at your child's particular school. But with the vax, continued masking, and other protocols for me there is no reason to not commit to a normal school year.

[Withywindle]

5. Schools should be shut until all children, staff, and teachers who are elegible are fully vaxxed

People who are not fully vaxxed (whether child, staff, or teacher) should not be allowed in the building (UNLESS they have a REAL medical requirement against it, which is super rare). If that means they have to be laid off or suspended, too bad so sad.

Masks should still be required for everyone at all times, for the sake of people who are medically vulnerable. Masks are the easiest fucking thing. I have a lot of masks that are cool pretty patterns, fashion statements, funny, etc. A piece of cloth over the nose and mouth is so easy, no problem at all - and IME, kids have less trouble with than adults. Give them a mask based on their favorite comic character and they love wearing it. It's only adults that cause drama about it.

[CrackityJones75]

6. Fuck that!

Sorry but that is never going to happen and my kid isn’t going to get a sub par education because some dipshits refuse to vax their kids. My kid is vaxed and wears a mask. No fucking way am I going to ask that he not be fully educated and suffer the effects of that. Nope.

[Act_of_Reparation]

7. And the kids with suppressed immune systems or vaccine allergies?

[CrackityJones75]

9. Are you really making that case?

Look I feel bad for the kids with compromised immune systems and vaccine allergies. But we cannot hold back the education of the general public. We are already a nation who is becoming dumber.

Schools need to be as safe as possible and all kids need to be vaxed. But we know that isn’t going to happen. My kid is vaxed. And so he needs to be in school. Masked and as safe as possible.

[Torchlight]

17. Is there a specific measure which you assert "as safe as possible?"

Some objective data point (in regards to the pandemic) to reach as a goal?

[CrackityJones75]

19. Yes. The case counts that we have been watching per our governors orders.

Blanket statements that everyone must be this or that before anyone is let in the building are currently not workable. Again I am sorry if someone cannot get the vax. I truly am. But my kid is vaxed. He wears a mask. Precautions are in place. Do we need to wait until a third school year is impacted before we get back to some normalcy?

Thankfully our school has been operating at normal levels this year with very few issues. Our community at large is very vax compliant. Now with kids getting vaxed it will be even more so. I am not interested in blanket statements that shut down schools and deprive my kid of his education because some jackasses refuse to get with the program. The harm done to my child in that regard IS important to recognize as well.

[Torchlight]

21. What then is the specific data point of the case count you reference

to fully and wholly reopen every school?

[CrackityJones75]

22. Clearly it needs to be on a case by case basis per school

Just as we have been doing.

I don’t set the bench arks and any such number I give would be purely pulling a number out of thin air.

I know that out dept of health has been maintaining that and we have very little if any issues here.

It sure seems like you want to shut down all the schools. To what end? If the schools are operating safely then why should they not be open? This is the kind if stuff that is destroying us nationally right now.

[Torchlight]

25. I don't know what leads you to assert I want to shut down all schools.

No need to read things that aren't there, so the assertion I'm engaging in the kind of thing destroying us seems more than a bit convulsive or panic-stricken (in other words, argue the case at hand rather than arguing with your imagination).

Also, it's not a case by case basis per school in most cases, over the past ten months, it's been initially determined by local districts and then either allowed or denied by state governments.

[CrackityJones75]

26. I don't know what leads you to assert I think all schools need to reopen.

The districts are the cases by case….

Here it also goes down to school by school and sometimes even class by class or grade by grade.

[Torchlight]

27. "it IS time for kids to be in school." No additional qualifiers.

[CrackityJones75]

28. Good Lord!

I said clearly it needed to be a case by case (Read: school by school or district by district) basis.

My God whether it is fucking covid, or fucking explosive diarrhea if there is an unsafe condition the yeah the school or class shouldn’t be operatingr. Outside of states where covid is rampant and things are safe we should have them opened up.

This idea that people are spouting iff that we need to keep schools closed because an immune compromised kid might be present is ridiculous. Sorry. But that sucks. All other things being safe no fucking way should we keep our kids out of school. For what????

[PortTack]

12. Agree! Some ppl ....I have mine so screw you! Sounds very republican doesn't it??!!

[CrackityJones75]

20. Oh ffs!

That isn’t it at all!

I cannot help if someone who cannot get the vax is living through a pandemic. That sucks. It does. But we are vaxing our kids and they are wearing masks. We cannot hold back our country’s education system for years at a time. Before the vax was available for kids I would agree that we need to at the very least offer options. But at this point with vaxed kids there seems to be little reason to not send them to school.

[lagomorph777]

13. We need to make conditions safe enough for their return. Vaccines are a big part of that.

Of course, mask mandates too.

You could, I suppose, run some schools for the unvaxxed/unmasked kids and teachers. Let them fester together if they and their parents so choose. The majority of schools would then be able to fully protect everybody without all the screaming parents.

[CrackityJones75]

23. Yeah the only problem with that is

Yeah the only problem with that is what community is going to offer up their school as a no-vax no mask school. They talk a big game until it is time to put up.

[lagomorph777]

29. Some communities, sadly, will be more than willing to do that.

Communities who give a shit about their kids won't go for it, of course. But in red counties - I imagine it'll be popular.

[Reader Rabbit]

8. This may break the public education system.

Teachers are at the end of their tether right now. Many are quitting, retiring, and going on medical leave. If the country continues to put all the burdens of its society on the backs of public school employees, the system will collapse, because there won't be enough of us left to hold it up.

[XanaDUer2]

10. Too much is on teachers nt

[inwiththenew]

11. That's a part of the plan

Republicans view this as an excellent opportunity to drive a stake through the heart of public schools. They are going to take the frustration parents are feeling with distance learning and school closures and use it as a hammer to bludgeon the public school system with it.

I've already seen it here locally. Republicans are saying everyone is back to work except for the teachers. And that these shutdowns are more about appeasing the teachers unions than anything to do with safety or education of the students.

[lagomorph777]

14. Yup - Reptilians need a steady supply of ignorant fools to keep their party alive.

[In It to Win It]

15. I agree that if Democracts want to win, schools have to get back to normal

I would prefer everyone be vaccinated and take the proper precautions to prevent future spread of COVID... but I also want Democrats to win, maintain majorities where they have them, and pick up legislative and executive seats where they can.

People are COVID-fatigued. If we head into November 2022 and we're still talking masks, vaccine mandates, online school, and spreading COVID, we are going to lose an already uphill battle.

Democrats need 'Life after COVID' messaging. Schools getting back to normal and kids going to school normally should be apart of that message.

[CrackityJones75]

24. Seems to me some are dug in so bad they can't

They can’t see a life after covid.

There are very real and large consequences for disrupting kids lives. Up until recently those consequences were necessary. At some point we need to start looking at all factors as we start to have new tools (Kids vax) and keep an eye on things as we go forward.

[W_HAMILTON]

16. Most schools are already back to normal.

And they ain't teaching CRT.

[Patton French]

18. Ours is back to normal.

And no hiccups at all, at least one that I’m aware of.

[Autumn]

30. What horse shit. How can any Democrat take this shit serioisly.

“The failure of our leadership to prioritize public education in Virginia is what’s created this firestorm,” said Christy Hudson, one of the founders of the Fairfax County Parents Association, which grew out of a pro-reopening group that formed in the summer of 2020. Critical race theory, she said, “has certainly added flames to that fire,” but “this is 19 months in the making.”

What created the firestorm was parents too lazy to help their kids learn online. There are plenty of children who thrive while attending on line schools. Our schools here are all open.

Critical Race Theory is not taught in public education. Maybw they need to educate the parents first.