Randi Weingarten to House Subcommittee: Terror from Ambulance Sirens Justified Hurting Kids with School Closures

The President of the American Federation of Teachers as afraid of sirens - and thinks it justified keeping millions of kids out of school.

Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), testified before a House subcommittee today on the influence her organization exerted on school closures in the U.S.

She told many untruths, but I want to highlight this nugget:

"We spent every day from February on, trying to get schools open. We knew that remote education was not a substitute for opening schools. But we also knew that people had to be safe. And maybe it's because I live in New York City. I live near a hospital. Every other minute there was an ambulance. There was terror. Our members were terrified. Others were terrified. "

I have no doubt Ms. Weingarten heard plenty of sirens — especially in Manhattan, where the rich had fled and businesses were shuttered. But what does that have to do with denying children at P.S. 178 an in-person education for months?

Reliable sources say the hospital closest to Ms. Weingarten is New York Presbyterian-Columbia.

Like hospitals citywide (and across America), emergency department visits and inpatient admissions at NYP-Columbia plummeted with “stay home” orders.¹

So, schools were empty and hospital patient volumes were low, but Weingarten and her members were terrified. Ergo, hurting kids was justified?

The sooner AFT finds itself a new President, the better.

1. If this hospital is not the one closest to Ms. Weingarten, I am happy to post the same data for the correct hospital.