Teachers Union Chief Concedes Offering Edits to CDC School Reopening Guidelines, Denies Substantive Changes

Did the Teachers Union Influence CDC Policy on School Reopenings?

Get ready for some tough questioning! The president of the nation’s second-largest teachers union, Randi Weingarten, faced a House subcommittee on April 26 to determine whether the union had undue influence on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) policy on school reopenings during the pandemic.

Subcommittee Chair Brad Wenstrup (R-Ohio) wasted no time in getting to the point, saying, “Americans are curious to know if the AFT [American Federation of Teachers] access was in line with CDC past practice and if their influence had a positive or detrimental impact on America’s children.”

So, what was the issue? The subcommittee wanted to know if the AFT or Weingarten herself had suggested changes to the CDC’s February 2021 guideline document, “Operational Strategy for K-12 Schools Through Phased Prevention,” that resulted in prolonged school closures.

CDC Guidance

According to Wenstrup, schools could and should have reopened much earlier than they did but remained closed based on three faulty recommendations provided by the CDC. These recommendations included using community spread rates for the virus versus school spread rates in triggering school closures, the requirement for routine screening and testing, and using six-foot social distancing requirements rather than a three-foot standard.

“None of these [recommendations] were based on sound science at the time,” and the AFT directly supported all, Wenstrup said.

But Weingarten denied any wrongdoing, saying that she had only suggested two specific policy changes, including a work-from-home option for teachers with compromised immune systems and revising the guidelines if a new variant of the virus emerged.

Clear Denial

Throughout questioning, Weingarten appeared to ramble and change the topic frequently, twice pleading her age and failing memory as a reason for lacking clarity. However, when Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.) asked about making direct changes to the draft CDC document, Weingarten answered directly and clearly.

“Documents and testimony gathered by this committee show the CDC and AFT worked closely on this guidance; some of the AFT suggestions were included nearly word-for-word by Director Wa

Key Takeaways:

• The president of the American Federation of Teachers, Randi Weingarten, faced a House subcommittee to determine whether the union had undue influence on the CDC’s policy on school reopenings during the pandemic.
• The subcommittee wanted to know if the AFT or Weingarten herself had suggested changes to the CDC’s guideline document that resulted in prolonged school closures.
• According to Wenstrup, schools could and should have reopened much earlier than they did but remained closed based on three faulty recommendations provided by the CDC.
• Weingarten denied any wrongdoing, saying that she had only suggested two specific policy changes.