Statement from Amie Baca-Oehlert, high school counselor and president of the Colorado Education Association (CEA), on the Trump administration designating teachers as“essential workers”:
“Today, President Donald Trump designated teachers as ‚Äòessential workers’ in yet another attempt to force public schools to re-open despite the deadly COVID-19 pandemic gripping our nation. His actions underscore his willingness to make re-opening our schools a political decision instead of one based in science. Over the past few weeks, Colorado school districts, educators, students, and parents have grappled with the complexities of re-opening our schools in the midst of this pandemic that is both conducive to student learning and makes safety the number one priority. Just in the past week, we’ve seen several Colorado schools forced to rethink those plans in light of positive COVID-19 cases among students and staff.
“If President Trump and Secretary DeVos are truly interested in getting schools back to normal, they would make their decisions in the interest of public health and safety. They would give school districts and educators the resources they need, and they would send a message to both educators and students that our safety is the top priority, not political games and showmanship.”
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