The battle over reopening schools

Post Reports

The Washington Post

Daily News, Politics, News

4.4 • 5.1K Ratings

🗓️ 26 January 2021

⏱️ 24 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

The growing tensions between school systems and teachers unions. Plus, Biden's Cabinet may be “the most diverse in history,” but his pick for agriculture secretary has reignited criticism over the USDA’s treatment of Black farmers.

Chicago teachers are deadlocked with the school district over their reopening plans, but Chicago is far from alone. Education reporter Perry Stein explains the growing tensions between teachers unions and school systems.

On Tuesday, CDC researchers published a data review in the Journal of the American Medical Association finding that there has been little spread of coronavirus in schools when precautions such as masks and social distancing are in place.

Producer Jordan-Marie Smith talked to reporter Laura Reiley about why Tom Vilsack’s nomination as agriculture secretary reopened old wounds for Black farmers.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	From the newsroom of the Washington Post, Washington Post is Kolby.
0:11.4	Hi, Stephanie McCreement from the Washington Post.
0:14.4	This is Post Reports.
0:15.9	I'm Martine Powers.
0:19.6	It's Tuesday, January 26.
0:24.3	Today the rift between schools and teacher unions, plus how a new secretary of agriculture
0:29.9	could open wounds for black farmers.
0:37.2	Right now in Chicago there's a big fight between the teachers union and the school system.
0:44.8	They are pretty deadlocked in how they should resume in-person instruction, you know, and
0:50.1	how to convince teachers that it's safe and that they should go back to school.
0:54.5	That's Perry Stein.
0:55.5	She covers education in DC for the post.
0:58.3	We're waiting now the next large group of teachers there are set to return.
1:02.2	And this is a big deal.
1:03.2	This is the nation's third largest school district and the mayor wants schools open.
1:07.2	And all today is the first day of school.
1:10.0	It is our city's first day of embarking on our path to returning to in-person learning
1:16.9	since that learning stopped more than 300 days ago.
1:22.3	Back then our city was in a very different place.
1:25.8	And the teachers union says not now it's not safe.
1:29.3	There is no clear plan for us.
1:32.1	We want to return to school but we want to return to school safely.
	...

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