Democrats Put Kids And Parents Last

BIDEN FAILED TO SHUT DOWN THE VIRUS, NOW DEMOCRATS ARE PUNISHING STUDENTS

Joe Biden has failed to “shut down the virus” as he promised, with a massive testing shortage, over 1,900 COVID deaths per day, and the U.S. setting a new global record for cases.
Now, Democrats across the country are prioritizing teachers’ union bosses over the needs of students, shutting down schools despite the harmful effects this will have on children.
This isn’t the first time Democrats have put students and parents last – Biden slow walked school re-openings for months.
- Biden health officials were directed to work with teachers’ unions to consider school re-openings “in the broader context of teacher contract negotiations.”
- The Biden administration let the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) directly influence the CDC’s guidance on reopening schools, with language suggestions adopted nearly verbatim.
Now, new information has surfaced that Biden’s Education Secretary, Miguel Cardona, solicited the National School Boards Association (NSBA) letter to the Justice Department that compared concerned parents to domestic terrorists.
Democrats’ eagerness to appease special interests, while ignoring parents and students, will only exacerbate the mental, behavioral, and emotional health crises already gripping kids.

DEMOCRAT-RUN CITIES ARE FORCING STUDENTS BACK TO REMOTE “LEARNING”

Despite the harmful effects of online learning, Biden and local Democrat leaders are moving backwards by once again forcing children out of the classroom and into online school this winter.
Democrat-run cities in Michigan have made every Friday online learning only for teachers’ “mental health relief,” with no other option available, leaving parents with little notice to adjust.
Teachers’ unions in Democrat strongholds have threatened to strike if schools do not switch to virtual learning.
- In New York, the United Federation of Teachers demanded schools go remote despite even the Democrat mayor claiming schools are “the safest place for children.”
- In Connecticut, the state teachers’ union called on the governor to reinstate remote learning as a substitute to in person school.
- In Massachusetts, the state teachers’ union demanded schools close despite the detrimental effects this has had on their students.
- In Illinois, the Chicago Teachers Union forced schools to switch to virtual learning earlier this month, forcing more than 300,000 students out of school.
This may not be the end of school closures as Biden’s Education Secretary Miguel Cardona threatened even more “emergency” closures.

DEMOCRATS STAND AGAINST PARENTS

Democrats have abandoned parents in favor of liberal teachers’ unions that donate to their campaigns.
In Virginia, Democrats in the General Assembly refused to stand when Governor Glenn Youngkin said parents “have a fundamental right, enshrined in law by this General Assembly, to make decisions with regard to your child’s upbringing, education, and care.”
In Michigan, the Democrat Party tweeted that parents should not have control over what their children are taught in school, and that if parents don’t like that they “do have the option to choose to send their kids to a hand-selected private school.”
Massachusetts Democrat Party committee member Keri Rodrigues admitted “the Democrats in this country are just not in conversation with parents, families and communities, and have completely ignored us to listen only to the priorities of the unions.”

STUDENTS ARE FALLING BEHIND THANKS TO BIDEN’S ANTI-PARENT AGENDA

Nearly all students are falling behind again after 97 percent of educators reported some learning loss last school year.
- In Oklahoma, the number of students proficient in math fell 10 percent and the number of students proficient in reading fell nine percent in the last year.
- In North Carolina, the number of students proficient in math fell 20 percent and fell at least 10 percent in reading proficiency.
- In Hawaii, 75 percent of students were one to two years below grade level in math and 66 percent of students were behind grade level in English.
When New Jersey elementary school students were asked about how online school has affected them, one said: “it’s super hard to do work at home … there’s so much things distracting me.”
- Another New Jersey student said, “during COVID, it was really hard because I was on remote all year.”

CLOSING SCHOOLS IS HARMFUL TO CHILDREN’S MENTAL HEALTH

Martin Makary of Johns Hopkins University points out it’s not just falling behind in school that is the issue with online learning: “young women have had a 51% increase in emergency room visits for self-inflicted harm” in the past year.
The American Academy of Pediatrics recently declared a national state of emergency in children’s mental health due to school closures during the pandemic.
School closures have also caused misbehavior to increase dramatically when schools are finally allowed to open.
- In Denver, the number of school fights this fall were up 21 percent compared to pre-pandemic levels.

LOW-INCOME AND MINORITY STUDENTS ARE HURT THE MOST

Democrat-run cities are allowing students to fail by keeping them out of the classroom despite leading scientific officials saying it is safe to have children in the classroom full time.
School closures have disproportionately hurt low-income and minority students.
Nationally, in majority Black schools, the share of students performing below grade level in math increased by 17 percentage points over the past year.
- In Washington, D.C., students were on average five months behind in math and four months behind in reading due to forced online learning, with minority students even further behind.
- In Chicago, at 40 high schools with predominately low-income students, one in every five grades handed out in math or English was an F.
- In Charlotte, only 16 percent of Black and Hispanic third graders reached reading achievement goals last year.
Polls found that 46 percent of low-income children faced technology-related obstacles with online school.

REPUBLICANS PUT PARENTS AND STUDENTS FIRST

Republicans are fighting back against the Democrats’ left-wing agenda to silence parents.
Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives have brought forward a Parents Bill of Rights to protect parental involvement and ensure parents voices are heard.
In Virginia, on day one Governor Glenn Youngkin issued executive orders to “restore excellence in education by ending the use of divisive concepts” and “to empower Virginia parents in their children’s education.”
- Youngkin is fulfilling his promises, saying “parents should have a say in what is taught in schools.”
In 14 Republican-led states, governors and state legislators have taken action to stop critical race theory from being taught in public schools around their states.
Republicans know that parents are the best equipped to understand their children’s needs and support the right of all children to receive a quality education.