Chicago Teachers Union removes tweet claiming push to reopen schools ‘rooted in sexism, racism and misogyny’

The Chicago Teacher’s Union faced backlash on Twitter for a now-deleted tweet claiming that “the push to reopen schools is rooted in sexism, racism and misogyny.”

The CTU has posted a number of tweets emphasizing widening disparities in health outcomes from the coronavirus for people of color. One of their retweets called social distancing a “privilege” — citing a study that showed neighborhoods which had “crowded housing or had fewer people who could work from home” and neighborhoods composed predominantly of people of color “saw more COVID-19 deaths.”

“For each additional percentage point of the population that was Black, there was a 32 percent increase in the COVID-19 death rate, and for each additional percentage point of the population that was Hispanic/Latino, there was an 19 percent increase in the COVID-19 death rate,” according to the study. “Conversely, neighborhoods with a higher percentage of Asian or white residents saw lower death rates.”

Some critics of the CTU cited a lawsuit in California brought by seven families who claim that remote learning in the state “left many already-underserved students functionally unable to attend school,” according to the Washington Post. Education advocates have expressed concerns that remote learning “will widen the achievement gap that separates Black, Latino and poor students from their peers.”

Since the implementation of remote learning and hybrid models across the country, school systems across the country have reported increased rates of failure and truancy. In Fairfax County, Virginia, the percentage of failing grades had nearly doubled — hitting underserved communities and students with disabilities most severely.

The Economic Policy Institute has emphasized that following the pandemic, a comprehensive plan to address educational disparities will be vital to getting children back on track, calling for increased funding and resources for public schools so that they can rebuild the educational system to focus on “nurturing the whole child … ensuring that all children have access to the conditions and resources that enhance learning and development.”

After the widespread criticism from the tweet, CTU posted a follow-up tweet, saying that reopening schools was a “complex issue” which “requires nuance” and “much more discussion.”

“Fair enough. Complex issue,” CTU tweeted. “Requires nuance. And much more discussion. More important, the people and the decision affects deserve more. So we’ll continue [to] give them that.”

“Appreciated the feedback of those truly in the struggle,” it added.

The Washington Examiner reached out to CTU for further comment.

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