The sprawling 550,000 student Los Angeles Unified School District remains closed, being held hostage by the United Teachers of Los Angeles (UTLA). This is after the State of California passed a $6.5 billion aid package and the imminent passage of a $125 billion federal school aid program. The UTLA is not only demanding vaccinations for all school staffers, but they are also asking for a lower COVID spread rate, more PPE and better building ventilation.
On the surface this sounds reasonable, but wait, look at nurses, grocery workers, bus drivers, factory workers etc. all going to work without those protections. What makes teachers special? Indeed schools are open in over half the country largely without incident. Given that data the CDC has said schools should open without a complete regime of vaccinations.
Another factor not mentioned is that there is a significant minority of anti-vaxxers within the UTLA. That means those teachers will not go back to work in school, but get paid for on line learning. What this all adds up to is that the UTLA is engaged in a massive program of child abuse where the lives of 550,000 school children are being systematically abused. The cost of keeping these children out of the classroom is far higher than any risk the teachers and staff may face. Also remember 80% of the district's students are Black or Latino.
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