Second largest teachers union president calls for full school reopenings in the fall

Randi Weingarten, the president of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) called for schools to fully reopen for in-person instruction five days a week in the fall during an address on Thursday.

The AFT president weighed in on the debate over school reopenings amid the COVID-19 pandemic as supporters of returning to full in-person learning have accused teachers’ unions of being an obstacle to the move for requesting safety precautions.

She argued that “prolonged isolation is harmful” for students and that remote school inhibits parents’, in particular mothers’, ability to work.

“Conditions have changed,” she said. “We can and we must reopen schools in the fall for in-person teaching, learning and support. And we must keep them open. Fully and safely five days a week.”

School update: Weingarten’s address comes as about half of schools have returned to full in-person teaching, while the other half remain on either fully remote or hybrid schedules, according to the Return to Learn Tracker.

Education Secretary Miguel Cardona said last week that he expects “all schools to be open full-time in person for all students” in the fall.