The American Federation of Teachers advocated the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and also suggested language for the federal agency School-re-guidance issued in February.
The full-court press of the powerful teachers’ union allowed the federal agency to brake before the full re-opening of the in-person in-classroom, showing emails between top CDC, AFT and White House officials.
The emails were obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request by the conservative watchdog group Americans for Public Freedom and provided to The Post.
The director of the document CDC, Drs. Rochelle Wallensky shows a flurry of activity among her top advisers and union officials – with Biden Brass at the White House announcing guidelines for the reopening of the school in 12 days before the highly anticipated guidelines. .
Thanks again for Friday’s rich discussion about your openness to CDC guidance and to the suggestions made by our president, Randy Weingarten, and the AFT, “AFT Senior Health Director Kelly Trautner wrote in a February email – in which the Union is described as the “thought partner” of the CDC.
“We were able to review a copy of the draft guidance document over the weekend and provide some initial feedback to several employees this morning about possible ways to strengthen the document,” Trattner said. “… We believe that future guidance documents can inform and enrich our experiences on the ground around being practical and prudent.”
Valensky was not on email on February 1, but was sent by White House Coronavirus testing coordinator Caroline Johnson. Several emails included Will McIntetti, associate director of public engagement at the White House.
“We are very grateful for your genuine desire to earn your appreciation for your trust and partnership,” Troutner said in another email to Valensky on 3 February.
The emails show a call between Valensky and Vengarten – the former boss of the United Federation of Teachers of New York City – was arranged on 7 February.
Lobbying paid In at least two instances, the language “suggestions” introduced by the union were adopted almost verbatim in the final text of the CDC document.
With the CDC preparing to write that schools can provide in-person instruction regardless of the community’s spread of the virus, Trattner argued for the inclusion of a line reading that “the new version of SARS-CoV- leads to higher community 2 In the event of a transmission result, a new update of these guidelines may be required. “That language appeared on page 22 of the last CDC guidance.
The AFT called for special remote work concessions for teachers who “have documented high-risk situations or for whom the risk has increased … COVID-19,” and expanded similar arrangements to “employees. Those with equal risk “. A long provision for this transformed it into a text of final guidance.
The final CDC guidance won high praise from AFT. “Today, the CDC met the fear of an epidemic with facts and evidence,” the union said on February 12 Press release.
However, many others were surprised and annoyed that they had ignored science as the CDC and also showed an increase in learning for the slow-moving person as evidence that the school was a patient of coronovirus infection. Were not the primary source unless they are followed. mitigation strategy.
In Widely watched CNN interview On February 14, anchor Jake Tapper grilled Wallensky and demanded to know why the guidelines would expand schools in areas with high coronavirus communities – know as the “Red Zone” – to opt out of in-person reopening For, given that 99% of American children fell in those areas, according to CNN analysis.
“Can you point to a scientific reason for students in the United States not to return to tomorrow’s individual classes?” Tupper demanded several times.
“If you’re in middle school or high school, we would advocate virtual learning for that group … We don’t really want to bring community illness into the classroom,” Valensky responded, refraining from recurring Refusal to provide scientific explanation for the escape. . “We also know that mask breeching is one of the reasons why we transmit within schools. About 60% of the students are reliably masking. Which has to be universal. So we have work to do. “
Dr. Monica Gandhi, a professor at the University of California at San Francisco who has written extensively on coronoviruses, called the CDC-AFT email “very, very disturbing.”
Gandhi told The Post, “What I find strange here, including phone calls, will be very intimate, where this political group will be helped to develop scientific guidance for our premier public health organization.” “This is not how science-based guidelines should work or be put together.”
Close communication between the union and the Feds came despite repeated assurances from CDC and Biden officials that the medical guidelines would “follow science” and be free of political interference.
“I can assure you that it is free from political mediation,” Valensky said When the guidance was issued.
AFT and its partners have long been one of the Democratic Party’s most reliable and deep-pocketed donors, electing about $ 20 million to elect party members during the 2020 election cycle. Center of Responsive Politics.
The union defended its role in shaping the federal COVID policy.
“AFT represents 1.7 million teachers, healthcare professionals and public employees who served in the frontline of the COVID-19 epidemic over the past 14 months. Naturally, we are in regular contact with agencies that are instituting policies that affect their work and lives, including the CDC, ”said AFT spokesperson Oriana Corin, adding to the union, the Trump administration Also worked with.
The CDC insisted on regularizing such interactions.
“As part of long-standing best practices, the CDC has traditionally engaged with organizations and groups that have been influenced by the guidance and recommendations issued by the agency. We do this to ensure That our recommendations are feasible to implement and that they adequately address the safety and well-being of those whose purpose it is to guide them. These informative and useful interactions are often beneficial, said Dr. McDonald’s spokesman, Jason McDonald. Feedback occurs, which we consider our final modifications to ensure clarity and usability.
McDonald said the agency had worked with several other non-governmental parties that would be affected by the guidance and provided draft copies to them – including the National Association of Education, the National Association of School Nurses, and the National Association of State Boards of Education .
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