Delegates to the National Education Association’s annual meeting again called for mask and vaccine mandates, as well as remote learning. On Nov. 8 voters will decide whether to grant Illinois union bosses more power to set school policy.
The National Education Association’s delegates called for mandatory masking, vaccinations and remote learning options during their annual meeting July 3-6 in Chicago.
Delegates discussed new business item 37, which asks national leadership to continue to support forcing COVID-19 policies on schools. The stance runs counter to guidance from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which moved to optional masking in schools in Spring 2022.
NEA isn’t the only teachers union wanting to take away personal or local choice in favor of blanket COVID-19 policies. In January, the Chicago Teachers Union, an affiliate of the American Federation of Teachers, went on strike for five school days to impose its own policies regarding testing and remote learning – again, against the expertise of public health leaders.
Chicago’s top health official and other large city schools saw no need to suspend in-person learning. The walkout was the union’s third work stoppage in 27 months.
Union bosses too often use strikes to push public policy. CTU has taken to the picket line or made demands regarding its social agenda on housing, immigration, “restorative justice,” wealth redistribution and defunding the police.
Still, they are seeking more power through a change to the state constitution. Voters on Nov. 8 will be asked to decide Amendment 1.
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