Science-denying NM teachers union refusing to follow updated CDC guidelines

On Friday, the New Mexico “American Federation of Teachers” of AFT sent out a statement denying the Centers for Disease Control’s (CDC) updated guidelines announcing that it had shortened its science-based recommended social distance from six feet to three feet, opening the doors for more students to get back to school.

But the anti-science, anti-student teachers union, AFT, couldn’t handle the news from the CDC, which means a green light for children to get back to school after nearly a year of lockdown and a loss of time in the classroom. The CDC is currently headed by Rochelle Walensky, a Joe Biden appointee.

The lockdown has prompted many children into depression, leading the suicide rate among adolescents to skyroket by 88% in New Mexico. In July, it was reported that New Mexico had the highest rate of suicide over every state in the union. We now have the fourth-highest unemployment rate.

However, the callous and self-serving teachers unions, who collectively throughout the country made a whopping $122 billion off of the last round of pork-filled “COVID-19 relief,” don’t want their teachers (who are forced to pay union dues in New Mexico) to go back to teaching, no matter how many children kill themselves or how many teachers leave the profession.

AFT New Mexico sent out the following statement denying the CDC’s science as “lacking” in the “totality” of the “safety strategy,” whatever that means. The union also denid the efficacy of the vaccine, claiming it is “not a silver bullet.” : 

“We, like all New Mexicans, want to see students and educators return to classrooms as soon as possible, but today’s physical distancing guideline revisions by the Centers for Disease Control’s (CDC) should give all students, parents, and educators pause.

“While positive progress has been made regarding access and administration of vaccines for educational staff, a vaccine alone is not a silver bullet for making our places of learning safe. Vaccines are only one piece, among many, of the strategy for safely re-entering our buildings and classrooms. 

“We also question abandoning the pandemic’s most enduring safety strategy, namely ensuring a 6-foot distance between individuals, as rapid changes in health and safety guidance not only cause confusion but can undermine public trust in science-based guidance. We, like many education professionals and organizations across the country, urge the CDC to continue their research and understanding of the impact of reduced distancing by expanding their research to broader, more representative sampling of our communities. Additionally, we hope future CDC guidance decisions will more fully consider a totality of other factors which impact safety in schools, including the extent of aerosol spread of COVID-19 through substandard or outdated ventilation. 

You read that right–the AFT teachers union is actually questioning the Centers for Disease Control so it can hold hostage full reopening of schools. Parents in New Mexico are sure not likely to be pleased with this news, as children have been waiting over a year to get back to school and make up for lost time.