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Editor, News-Register:
Jenny Craig is the president of the Ohio County Education Association, the larger of the two local teacher unions. Recently she has been advocating on every local media outlet, be it print, radio, or television, that our kids should not be in school for at least the first nine weeks, and all education should be entirely on-line.
She says we are all in this together, and it is not a matter of us parents versus teachers. Well, frankly, I am done with her can't we all just get along fake attitude. She says it's not us versus them, but she is intransigent on not wanting to return to school. Her position is it is only safe to return to school when the virus disappears. She wants everyone to be agreeable but only if you agree with her and her union.
She ignores the American Academy of Pediatrics, which says kids should be in school. She ignores the Centers for Disease Control, which says a less than 5% positivity rate means kids can return to school. Ohio County is well under 2%. She ignores Dr. Fauci, because apparently 99.95% of us without an active case is not good enough. She ignores the WV Department of Health and Human Resources. Ohio County has a rolling seven-day average of about 1.5 new cases per day, well within the metric to return to school. She ignores the West Virginia's coronavirus czar, who has explained the science to Ohio County Schools as to why young children have dramatically lower infection and transmission rates. Lastly, she ignores her own county's return to school plan.
Every expert recommends and advocates a return to in-classroom education, but Ms. Craig and her union know better. They want our kids at home, away from the sports fields, out of the band room, and off the stage until the virus goes away. "Only when it's safe" means to them only when all risks have been eliminated. They have created a completely unrealistic standard for a return to the classroom, and then say with a straight face that they care about the health and welfare of your children. We know from the recent vote of the faculty senate at Wheeling Park High School that the overwhelming majority of teachers want back in school. Ms. Craig misleads the public with her mantra that most teachers do not want to teach in-class to students.
Sorry, it is us versus them; I guess really us versus her because no amount of evidence will ever be good enough for Ms. Craig or her union. This virus is going to be with us forever. A 99.94% COVID-free county has to be good enough to try in-person school. A positivity rate under 1.5% in Ohio County has to be good enough to try. Less than 1.5 new cases per day has to be good enough to try. Irrational fear is not a reason to stay home.
David Delk
Wheeling