One of the bigger tragedies of the coronavirus pandemic
has been the school closings
that have forced nearly all American students
into online classes.
And it impacts everyone:
students, teachers, parents,
next-door neighbors who can hear your Zoom school
through the wall while they're trying to record a TV show!
And after nearly a year of remote learning,
President Biden has made reopening schools
one of his top priorities. Sort of.
President Biden promised to have schools reopened
in his first 100 days.
I think it's time for schools to reopen safely.
NEWSWOMAN: But the White House is struggling to explain
what they mean by schools being "open."
NEWSMAN: The CDC rolled out its guidelines
for reopening schools much to the frustration
of some stressed-out parents and students
who have been looking for a way back to in-person learning.
The CDC guidelines focus on five strategies
for in-person learning,
including universal mask wearing,
physical distancing, hand washing,
cleaning and contact tracing.
But the CDC also recommended full in-person learning return
only in places where levels of community transmission are low.
The problem right now, almost 90% of American children
attend schools located in high community-spread areas,
so-called "Red Zones."
Okay. It's good to finally have guidlines
for how to open schools during a pandemic.
But it's kind of discouraging that the guidelines are:
Try not to have a pandemic in your area.
'Cause it's like, "Uh, yeah, that would be nice,
"but we want to keep going to TGI Fridays,
so what's your plan B?"
But what did we expect?
Opening schools is so intertwined
with a global pandemic that it's bound to be difficult.
If anything, it's a lesson to not make campaign promises.
Because if schools can't open in these first 100 days,
what's Biden gonna do?
He's gonna have to wiggle his way out of this.
I meant 100 business days.
Then schools will be open.
Although, obviously no one should be inside the schools,
but the doors will be unlocked, just like I promised.
But Joe Biden is right.
Safely reopening schools needs to be a priority.
And you know that things are bad when even kids are complaining
that schools are still closed.
NEWSWOMAN: All across the country,
students are facing unprecedented challenges.
We're all really struggling.
Basically, it sucks.
I miss my friends, and I feel like I'm missing out
on a big part of high school.
I really only got to be in person for my freshman year.
In the classroom, things are comfortable and easy,
but at home, things are very difficult and intense.
It's kind of hard to pay attention during class
when you have to be, like, in front of a screen 20...
like, almost the entire day.
I need a break from my mom.
(laughter)
I just need to go back to school.
NEWSWOMAN: One second grader wrote this
for an assignment on Martin Luther King Day:
"I have a dream. I want schools to open,
but I can't do anything about it."
Oh, that is so cute.
Oh, my God.
But it's not the point of the assignment.
D-minus! Read the instructions next time!
I actually feel bad for these students.
No child should have to spend six hours a day
staring at a boring screen.
That's what your 20s through your late 60s are for.
But it is pretty weird to hear kids say
that they want to go back to school.
Then again, this pandemic has done that to everybody.
Every adult I know now is like,
"Oh, my God, I can't wait to be on an airplane again,
"sitting in that middle seat,
"squashed between two people's armpits
"while the flight attendant tells me
"that they're all out of the good crackers.
Oh, I can't wait."
And this is about more than just kids feeling cooped up.
There's some evidence that their education is suffering
and that their mental health definitely is.
Kids are stressed out. They're depressed.
And not to mention having them on the computer at home
is incredibly disruptive
for the parents who have to work.
I mean, imagine presenting a sales meeting
right when your kid's teacher
is getting to the end of Charlotte's Web.
So, as you can see, third quarter projections
are really... Wait, she dies?
So, it's no surprise that many parents
are saying schools should just open up no matter what.
And when that doesn't happen,
they're blaming the teachers.
NEWSWOMAN: Across the country,
anger from parents is boiling over.
Figure it out! Or get off the podium!
NEWSWOMAN: Much of their anger directed at the teachers' union.
Our school board has forgot who the primary benefactors
and primary reason for their existence is,
and that's the 187,000 students in this county.
WOMAN: We can talk about teachers
being afraid to go to work.
Are grocery workers afraid to go to work?
Are doctors and nurses afraid to go to work?
Yes. But they go because it's an essential service.
There are some teachers
who are benefiting from teaching at home,
and this may be a reason they don't want to go back.
Then there's the teachers that are posting on social media
about going out to restaurants in other counties
yet also posting that they don't think schools are safe
and don't want to go back.
Go to work or quit.
It's time to poop or get off the pot.
It's such a shame that parents have to fight with teachers
over the safety of our schools.
You know, it makes you miss the days before the pandemic
when all they fought over was teaching evolution.
And to all the parents out there,
I know that these are unprecedented and scary times,
but please don't forget,
teachers are not the enemy, okay?
Your children are the enemy.
If their dumb asses didn't need to be educated,
nobody would be fighting at all.
So, if kids are antsy and parents are angry,
why aren't teachers going back to their classrooms?
Well, I mean, maybe there are some teachers
who just like working from home.
For one thing, it's a lot harder
for a school shooter to get you over Zoom.
And it definitely smells better
than being in a class full of eighth graders.
But most teachers want schools to reopen
as much as anyone else.
And they've seen the reports
saying that it should be done as safely as possible.
The problem is that much like nude beaches,
what sounds good in theory
doesn't necessarily match the reality.
NEWSWOMAN: A recent CDC study says there's little evidence
for transmission in schools where precautions are met,
but some teachers' unions say school systems
do not have these COVID-19 precautions
in place for a safe reopening.
We have very old ventilation systems in our building.
And, as you can see, there is not one fan
installed into our building right now.
Just because there isn't much contribution
to community transmission
doesn't mean that there isn't individual risk
to the teachers and staff who are working at the schools.
I want to go back. But I don't want...
I'm not risking my life, my family's life.
The kids. Not just us.
NEWSMAN: CDC says states should prioritize teacher vaccinations
but should open the schools even if they can't.
That's a problem for some teacher groups
who have been urging schools to vaccinate educators
before sending them back into a classroom.
Teachers are being left to run around
to try to make their own appointments
at pharmacies to get vaccinated
like some sort of bizarre Hunger Games situation.
Yeah. Teachers are out in these streets
fighting for vaccines like it's the Hunger Games.
And kudos to that guy, by the way,
for working in a reading lesson into his interview.
You know? Because he's like,
"I feel totally disillusioned with the American dream,
much like the titular character in The Great Gatsby."
And I'm not gonna lie.
All of this has made me a little confused
about what America actually believes in
when it comes to supporting a teacher.
'Cause right now, it feels like there's mixed messages.
"Teachers need to carry guns
so that they can keep themselves safe in schools."
"Could we get a vaccine
so that we can be safe in the schools?"
"Hell, no! Suck it up, you cowards!"
But more importantly,
if opening schools is a priority,
then America should act like it.
And it should give teachers the resources
and the protection that they need.
Not only because it'll get schools open again
but because it's the least you can do for teachers
in return for them explaining to your kids how sex works.