Teachers Unions Support Mask Mandate, Silent on Vaccinations
Sixth graders at Lincoln Middle School in East St. Louis are recognized in the Juneteenth competition earlier this year. Students and staff across the state will be required to wear masks in the upcoming school year. (Photo credit: St. Louis Post-Dispatch)
Following Governor JB Pritzker’s announcement Wednesday he will require masks in all schools around the state, teachers unions voiced their support. But, the top unions didn’t come out in favor of a vaccine mandate.
Illinois Federation of Teachers President Dan Montgomery:
“We continue to be thankful for Governor Pritzker’s steady leadership throughout the pandemic. As school resumes soon in most Illinois districts, we welcome his updated mask mandate. With the large number of unvaccinated individuals and the rapid spread of the highly infectious Delta variant in Illinois, requiring masks in all schools is a prudent course of action.
“Science tells us that a layered approach will go a long way towards helping keep schools open and students, staff, and communities safe. In addition to mask wearing, we strongly urge all school districts and institutions of higher education to employ additional safety measures, including physical distancing, regular handwashing, adequate building ventilation, and regular COVID testing of students and educators.
“The sharp increase of COVID-19 cases in our state is a stark reminder that this pandemic is far from over. It is the responsibility of every one of us to do whatever is necessary to keep one another safe and bring this pandemic to an end. Our union takes that responsibility seriously and will continue to fight to help make that happen.”
Illinois Education Association President Kathi Griffin:
“The pandemic is not over. The numbers in Illinois are going in the wrong direction. We need to keep our students in the classroom and keep them, and those who teach and work with them in schools, safe. Masks, along with other mitigation, such as ventilation, testing, appropriate cleaning and protective gear, are proven tactics.
“The number one key to controlling the spread of the virus is vaccination. We encourage all who are able to get the vaccine to do so. It is the clearest path back to “normal” that exists and only about half of those eligible to receive the vaccine in Illinois have done so.
“We all want to get back to normal. Let’s pull together and take care of one another. Vax up and mask up. We owe it to our students and we owe it to each other. We’re so thankful to have leadership in this state that won’t let the virus fester and grow. But, it us up to all of us to bring COVID-19 to its knees.”
The Chicago Teachers Union says a mask mandate isn’t enough:
As we noted when Chicago Public Schools adopted its own mask mandate, school districts cannot employ layered mitigation practices, as outlined by the CDC, and both the city and state departments of public health, and not have a mask mandate associated with an unvaccinated population.
If both the science and the directives state that layered mitigation will keep school communities more safe, then this is what districts — including our own — must do to keep children 12 and under, and their families, safe.
But while we applaud the governor for his leadership during this pandemic, schools in Chicago will need more than masking as we continue to struggle with the COVID-19 pandemic and its variants. This includes ventilation upgrades, testing plans for all members of school communities, nurses, social workers and counselors in every building, and a comprehensive home visit program to engage the families who overwhelmingly chose safety and remote learning in 2020-2021.
Last winter, our members took a strike vote for safety, taught outdoors in sub-zero weather and fought tooth and nail for access to vaccinations for educators, students and students’ families. Now, we need to go even further, and we strongly recommend that Mayor Lori Lightfoot comes to the bargaining table or empowers her team to collaborate with our union on a workable plan that builds upon the same safety and supports we fought for and won earlier this year.
