WEAC Issues Second Letter to State Officials to Keep Schools Safe
WEAC has issued a second letter to Governor Tony Evers and State Health Secretary Andrea Palm, doubling down on our demand that statewide gating criteria be imposed for schools to use in decisions about whether to hold classes in person or virtually.
Read the Letter
“We write to convey disappointment with your decision not to issue mandatory statewide gating criteria for schools,” the letter states. WEAC in November issued a letter including dozens of examples of unsafe situations in which students and educators were placed during the pandemic and as the basis for statewide gating criteria.
In the December letter, WEAC again asks state leaders to establish recommended science-based gating criteria for schools, along with:
- Providing assurances that the Department of Health Services will intervene when presented with evidence of unsafe policies and practices related to COVID-19 in schools.
- Prioritizing the vaccination of educators who are required to provide in-person instruction.
- Providing funding and support for rapid testing in schools.
- Closing schools for in-person instruction immediately following winter break through January 15, 2021.
The letter continues, “Implementing reasonable measures will demonstrate to these educators that you are willing to do what is necessary to keep students, staff and their communities safe.”
