As parents and their children continue to struggle with the consequences of remote learning, many are beginning to grow impatient with union efforts to prevent the reopening of schools.
Despite concerns about students’ mental health and failing grades, many teachers unions continue to resist efforts to resume in-person instruction. Unions like United Teachers Los Angeles will not even agree to schools implementing a hybrid learning model until their demand for all staff to be vaccinated is met.
But the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has already nullified such discussions, announcing last month that teachers do not need to be vaccinated for schools to reopen safely. Since teachers unions no longer have a valid reason to deny students an in-person education, comedian Adam Carolla took to Twitter to express his disapproval of their actions.
“LA teachers either don’t want to go back to work or are cowards. Those are the only two options left,” Carolla tweeted on Friday.
LA teachers either don’t want to go back to work or are cowards. Those are the only two options left
— Adam Carolla (@adamcarolla) February 20, 2021
UTLA responded the next day, accusing Carolla of speaking from a place of privilege, tweeting, “Teachers ARE working, @adamcarolla, but congrats on being spared the devastation our communities face. The communities we serve have COVID-19 levels 15 times greater than those in your wealthy La Cañada neighborhood.”
Teachers ARE working, @adamcarolla, but congrats on being spared the devastation our communities face. The communities we serve have COVID-19 levels 15 times greater than those in your wealthy La Cañada neighborhood.#AdamCarolla #EntitlementAlert #MakeitSafe pic.twitter.com/TgtdPQOH39
— United Teachers Los Angeles (@UTLAnow) February 20, 2021
The union added, “Who is the coward, the teachers who dare confront government officials and powerful business to fight for the health of their students and families, or you who sit safely in your La Cañada mansion criticizing what apparently you don’t even understand: Teachers ARE working.”
But as Heritage Foundation education researcher Lindsey Burke confirmed to reporter John Stossel, schools do not appear to be COVID-19 hotspots. According to Burke, studies in 191 counties found positivity rates in schools are generally lower than those in the broader community.
Carolla responded with humor in a Sunday tweet, writing, “That’s untrue. I called them cowards from my mansion Malibu.”
That’s untrue. I called them cowards from my mansion Malibu. https://t.co/EqXI4nTRcC
— Adam Carolla (@adamcarolla) February 21, 2021
One teacher also tried to admonish Carolla for his initial tweet. “As a proud public school teacher, I proudly place your books in the trash. I regret spending any of my salary on supporting you,” she wrote.
LA teachers either don’t want to go back to work or are cowards. Those are the only two options left
— Adam Carolla (@adamcarolla) February 20, 2021
“I am now going to throw out all of my text books,” Carolla responded.
I am now going to throw out all of my textbooks https://t.co/szMfd8WKCS
— Adam Carolla (@adamcarolla) February 21, 2021
He followed that tweet up with, “Thanks for fighting for the health of the students. Keep up the good work.”
Thanks for fighting for the health of the students. Keep up the good work https://t.co/tIPgII8bI0
— Adam Carolla (@adamcarolla) February 22, 2021
The comedian’s tweets followed on the heels of a Feb. 12 report from the CDC that emphasized scant evidence of COVID-19 transmission in schools. Within the report, the CDC said that it was “critical” for schools to reopen, pointing to the benefits of in-person learning for students.
The CDC also noted that keeping the schools closed hurts vulnerable children the hardest.
“The absence of in-person educational options may disadvantage children from low-resourced communities, which may include large representation of racial and ethnic minority groups, English learners, and students with disabilities,” the CDC wrote.
Many children have already lost at least a year of their education due to school closures, and it is time to reintegrate them to normal, in-person instruction.
For the students’ sake, teachers unions should follow the science and work with the school districts to safely reopen.
Story cited here.