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School Reopening: Backed by Science, Opposed by Unions
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Teacher unions from Milwaukee, Madison, Green Bay, Racine, and Kenosha sent a letter to Governor Evers this week demanding schools remain closed this fall, and for classroom instruction to be fully virtual. Nationwide we are seeing teacher unions exploit the crisis and make demands not rooted in science or in some cases not related to education at all, one even calling for the defunding of police before they will return to school. These demands not only ignore the evidence and recommendations of medical experts, they would also exacerbate the problems they are attempting to quell.
In addition to the American Academy of Pediatrics, the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) have recommended students return to school full time. NASEM wrote, “Weighing the health risks of reopening K-12 schools in fall 2020 against the educational risks of providing no in-person instruction, school districts should prioritize reopening schools full time.” The evidence is overwhelming both in the US and overseas that children are not strongly impacted by this virus and rarely transmit the virus, with one study reporting no evidence that COVID-19 spreads in schools.
In addition, the unions argue that minority groups will be most disadvantaged by reopening schools. The truth is, it is the exact opposite. If schools remain closed, students with little access to the internet, computers, and other critical resources will suffer the most in a virtual learning format and potentially fall way behind their peers. Students with disabilities and special education needs have struggled to keep up with a virtual format and we cannot allow that to continue. Let’s stick to the facts. According to DHS data, there have been zero deaths in people under 20 years of age in Wisconsin, so this population has very little risk. We cannot allow politics to steal a generation of students' education. Governor Evers should be held accountable if he capitulates to these baseless demands at the expense of Wisconsin students' education.
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Senate Hearing on Virtual Education
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On Thursday, the Senate Committee on Government Operations, Technology and Consumer Protection held an informational hearing regarding how schools plan to reopen this fall and the role that K-12 virtual schools play in Wisconsin.
As Vice-Chair of the committee, we heard testimony from the Wisconsin Virtual Academy, school board representatives, school administrators, and private schools. Many shared their plans to safely return to in-person instruction and why it is important for kids’ development to attend in-person school.
You can watch the hearing on Wisconsin Eye.
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Two statues at the state Capitol that protesters ripped down last month during a night of rioting will be restored. The State Capitol and Executive Residence Board voted unanimously to repair statues of Civil War Hero and abolitionist Col. Hans Christian Heg and a woman embodying the state’s Forward motto. The Department of Administration is still putting together a cost estimate for restoring the statues. The Wisconsin Historical Society has set up a fundraising drive for people to donate to the restoration effort. There is partial coverage by the state’s fine arts insurance policy which has a $50,000 deductible for damage protesters caused to the statues, the state Capitol grounds, and the Capitol building.
As I have previously stated, I continue to believe the City of Madison should be held responsible for the damages to these statutes and the Capitol. In the next budget, I will continue pushing for a reduction in shared revenue to cover these damages. The destruction caused by the violent mob on the evening of June 23rd was reprehensible. The fact that it took 2 ½ hours for the police to respond to this blind destruction demonstrates how the city was derelict in their duty to protect the city.
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