New Billboard: Biden Needs to Stop Siding with Unions and Push to Reopen Schools Now

Contact Your Elected Officials

On February 16, 2021, the Job Creators Network (JCN), a small business advocacy organization, is launchedย NoSchoolJoe.comย โ€” a webpage that details the Biden administrationโ€™s failure to reopen schools, despite the overwhelming data that shows itโ€™s safe. As part of the campaign, JCN erected a billboard in the heart of Times Square to raise awareness of Bidenโ€™s decision to side with special interests rather than children.

Alfredo Ortiz, JCN President and CEO, released the following statement:

โ€œJoe Bidenโ€™s own CDC Director said itโ€™s safe to reopen schools, even if teachers have not been vaccinated. Yet the White House has distanced itself from those comments and has failed to full-throatedly endorse a return to in-person classroom instruction. Itโ€™s clear that Biden is siding with special interests and kowtowing to the teacherโ€™s unions, rather than the well-being of our countryโ€™s children. American schools need to reopen now and Biden should use the bully pulpit to make it happen.โ€

The billboard is located on the corner of 43rd Street and Broadway. It reads: โ€œHey Joe โ€” We thought you were going to listen to the science, not special interests. OPEN SCHOOLS NOW.โ€ The adjacent billboard reads: โ€œFind out more below and atย NoSchoolJoe.com.โ€

No School Joe

President Joe Biden and his team at the White House have said they want schools to reopen, but their words do not match their actions.

Bidenโ€™s CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said that teachers do not need to be vaccinated to safely reopen schools. She added, โ€œThere should be no confusion, the president of the United States wants schools to open, he wants them to stay open and that is key.โ€

But when Walensky made her call for schools to reopen, the administration panicked. Press Secretary Jen Psaki claimed Walensky made those remarks in her โ€œpersonal capacityโ€ (from a White House podium during a White House press conference).

One week later, Psaki was asked about schools again and she clarified that Bidenโ€™s plan to have schools reopen would be a success if teachers were โ€œteaching one day a week in the majority of schools by day 100 [of Bidenโ€™s presidency].โ€ Days later, she doubled down on that position.

So, in other words, nearly half of schools can remain closed and those that are open only need to be open one day per week. That is reopening schools in Joe Bidenโ€™s eyes.

Throughout the country, teachers in cities like Chicago are refusing to return to work at the behest of the teachers union. The unions argue that the issue is safety, despite all the studies showing that COVID is not a significant threat in schools. In Fairfax County, Virginia, some teachers will continue to teach from home while the district pays other individuals to stand in the classroom and supervise the children. (Apparently, there is no health risk to the non-teacher adults or there is a threat to the stand-ins but since they arenโ€™t in the union, the union apparently doesnโ€™t care.)

Ron Klein, Bidenโ€™s chief of staff, told CNN the problem isnโ€™t unions, itโ€™s money. The districts do not have enough cash to fully reopen safely, Klein argued, so they need additional funding.

To recap, K-12 schools already received roughly $1,321.50 PER student from the $54 billion relief package in December and $13.5 billion relief package in March on top of the savings each district has accumulated by keeping their doors shut and not having to fuel busses, pay custodial overtime during sporting events, or hire substitute teachers.

Several states have managed to reopen schools safely under the same conditions. Students and teachers in Florida have been in the classroom throughout the year, as have students in Iowa, Texas, and Arkansas. And these teachers have been in the classroom five days a week, not just one.

Klein also argued that schools needed smaller class sizes, but many schools do not have the physical space to spread out the students. If the vaccine rollout goes as planned, the spread of COVID should be conquered within the next year or so โ€” which is not enough time to build extra schools and classrooms in every district. No amount of extra cash can solve the capacity problem in the next six months.

So, Klein was probably half-right when he said school closures are about money, not unions. The part he left out is that Bidenโ€™s hesitancy to reopen schools is about money from unions.

Teachersโ€™ unions have been tremendous donors to Democratic politicians for decades and in the 2020 cycle, Joe Biden was their top individual recipient according to the Center for Responsive Politics. Biden received more than $232,000 in just this election cycle alone.

While Biden considers whether he can go against the teachersโ€™ union, students are suffering at home. The students in Fairfax County, Virginia, saw the rate of failing grades grow by 83% this year. Schools in New York are seeing a learning gap expand between white and black students. Suicide rates in children in teens have also been on the rise.

The American Academy of Pediatrics warned in June that children were suffering because of school closures. Children need to socialize to properly develop. Teachers cannot see children to detect abuse or neglect. Some children are missing out on much needed physical education after months spent on a couch while other children are missing meals without a nutritious school lunch program.

Teachersโ€™ unions are sacrificing the studentsโ€™ futures under the guise of COVID concerns and the Biden administration canโ€™t decide if they want to fall in line with the union or reopen schools.

Read Original Article on NoSchoolJoe.com

The Thinking Conservative
The Thinking Conservativehttps://www.thethinkingconservative.com/
The goal of THE THINKING CONSERVATIVE is to help us educate ourselves on conservative topics of importance to our freedom and our pursuit of happiness. We do this by sharing conservative opinions on all kinds of subjects, from all types of people, and all kinds of media, in a way that will challenge our perceptions and help us to make educated choices.

The Sacred Honor of the 56

Today we're celebrating the sacred honor of the 56 men who signed the Declaration of Independence.

Alligator Alcatraz: A Bold Step Toward Secure Borders

Alligator Alcatraz funded through FEMA, represents a decisive move by the Trump admin to address illegal immigration with efficiency and resolve.

Is America Broke?

Silicon Valley investor and economic commentator Balaji Srinivasan made...

Hungary: Prideโ„ข Cometh Before the Color Revolution

The EU engaged in a diplomatic siege of the Eastern European nation-state of Hungary pressuring it into embrace global trannyism or face wrath of Brussels.

Understanding the Trump/Musk Feud

The passion Trump and Musk exhibit over the OBBB is not contrived or for show. Each is addressing the problem from completely different approaches.

Noem Waives Environmental Restrictions to Fast-Track Water Barriers in Rio Grande

DHS Sec Kristi Noem waived federal environmental laws to fast-track construction of 17 miles of waterborne barriers in the Rio Grande in South Texas.

Federal Officials Warn of โ€˜Lone Wolfโ€™ Terror Threats on July 4, NY Governor Says

NY Gov. Kathy Hochul confirmed that federal officials informed her about a possible terrorist threat ahead of the July 4 Independence Day holiday.

Record 1 in 5 Buyers of New Cars Committing to $1,000-Plus Monthly Payments: Edmunds

The share of new car buyers committing to make monthly payments of $1,000 or more hit an โ€œall-time highโ€ in the second quarter of 2025.

US Economy Adds 147,000 New Jobs, Unemployment Rate Dips to 4.1 Percent in June

The U.S. job market remained strong in June, as labor conditions continued to hold up amid economic uncertainty.

US Keeps Pressure on Chinese Goods Amid Vietnam Trade Deal

Transshippingโ€”rerouting goods through a third country to disguise the origin of the productsโ€”is a focal point of trade negotiations with Asian markets.

White House Report Reveals Top Earners, Staffers Working for No Salary

The Trump admin released its yearly report that shows the salaries for White House staffers, also revealing officials who arenโ€™t accepting salaries at all.

Transportation Secretary Urges Governors to Remove Political Messages From Crosswalks, Intersections

Duffy sent letters to governors, mayor of D.C., and gov of Puerto Rico urging them to remove political messaging from intersections and crosswalks.

Bessent: US, India Near Agreement to Lower Tariffs

The United States and India are โ€œvery closeโ€ to a trade agreement, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Tuesday.
spot_img

Related Articles