Bloomberg in op-ed: School reopenings ‘should be priority No. 1’

Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg (D) is encouraging education union leaders to commit to bringing students back into the classroom in the fall, contending that reopening schools should be “priority No. 1.”

“Getting kids back in the classroom must be a society-wide priority,” Bloomberg wrote in an op-ed published by his news organization. “We must turn the page on the last school year, when too many unions obstructed or slowed down school reopenings. America’s children cannot afford a repeat of that harmful episode, and it’s essential that teachers help lead the way.”

All eyes are on education officials and public health experts as schools gear up for the fall semester, with hopes of bringing students back to the classroom after a year and a half marked by virtual learning during the pandemic.

Resuming in-person instruction, however, has become more complicated because of the growing threat from the delta variant, which is more contagious than previous versions of the virus and has taken hold as the dominant strain in the U.S.

The former Democratic candidate for president said that while the risk of COVID-19 is smaller for children, they have still suffered socially and intellectually.

He cited a study from McKinsey & Company which found that 1.6 million elementary-school students in the U.S. were on average behind five months in math and four months in reading, with the hardest-hit communities being low-income districts and predominantly Black and Hispanic ones.

“Most parents won’t be surprised by those findings,” Bloomberg wrote. “They’ve watched their kids struggle to learn online, or become increasingly isolated without the vital social interactions in-person schooling provides.”

He said that for many, remote learning has been a “slow-motion disaster.”

One topic of contention regarding reopening schools has been requiring teachers to be vaccinated, especially because no vaccine has been authorized for children under the age of 12.

Bloomberg praised Randi Weingarten, the president of the American Federation of Teachers, who recently reversed her stance and said the union supports vaccine mandates for teachers.

He also noted the “good news” that a “vast majority” of teachers are inoculated.

Bloomberg, however, slammed state legislatures that have made efforts to prevent local governments from mandating masks in schools. He called those attempts “outrageous” and “reckless,” and warned that such policies could “result in deaths.”

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) issued an executive order last month that threatened to withhold funding from schools if they implement mask mandates, sparking frustration in a number of districts.

Bloomberg called on union leaders, the White House, the Department of Education and other entities to open up schools for five days a week, “no exceptions.”

“The time for excuses is over. After saying two weeks ago that the union would ‘try to open up schools,’ Weingarten seemed to realize she misspoke — because trying isn’t good enough. Last week, she said she was ‘1,000% committed to getting teachers and kids back in school.’ That’s good, and now we need union leaders to follow through on it,” Bloomberg wrote.

“Given the appalling damage remote learning has inflicted on American children, a clear message needs to echo from the White House to the Department of Education all the way down to the district level: Open the schools, five days a week, no exceptions,” he added.