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Dems and union leaders face few repercussions after studies show school closures had ‘catastrophic’ effects on children

August 1, 2022 | | Print Article

More than two years after school children were forced to stay home and attempt to learn in isolation, in front of a computer screen, multiple studies are now confirming what many have believed all along: the lockdowns of schools in response to COVID-19 have had a devastating effect on students.

And so far, the Democrats and union leaders who are responsible for keeping the public schools shut have faced little to no repercussions for decisions that have left millions of American children in crisis.

Fox News Digital reporter Jessica Chasmar writes that “union-driven school closures had catastrophic effects on children.”

With an eye on children’s mental health, development, and future earnings potential, Chasmar calls the impact on kids “devastating,” and she lists the many studies that back up her claim.

“According to data released last month by the National Center for Education Statistics, 70% of U.S. public schools have reported an increase in students seeking mental health services since the start of the pandemic,” she reports. “A study published by the conservative think tank Just Facts reported that the mental stressors brought about by school closures will destroy seven times more years of life than lockdowns saved.”

The longer the schools stayed closed, the more students dropped out of the public school system. According to the World Bank, says Chasmar, “the school closures will cost this generation of students $21 trillion in earnings over their lifetimes, which is far more than the $17 trillion estimated in 2021.”

That’s not the worst of it.

Citing a study first released in October 2020 that included a look at the plans to reopen more than 10,000 American school districts, Chasmar says it was partisan politics and the power of the teachers’ union that kept the schools closed, not science or local health guidance.

“Altogether, we find little evidence that the reopening plans adopted by the nation’s 13,000+ school boards were linked to the public health conditions on the ground in their local community,” the study revealed.

As is so often the case, it appears that money played a big role in keeping the schools closed.

“The American Federation of Teachers has donated 100% – a total of $2,674,719 – to Democratic candidates in the 2022 election cycle, and the National Education Association (NEA) has donated 98.4% – a total of $1,941,045 – to Democratic candidates this cycle, according to OpenSecrets.org,” Chasmar reports.

According to school choice advocate and the national director of research of the American Federation for Children, Corey A. DeAngelis, it was power and politics that harmed America’s children, not COVID-19.

“School closures were always more about politics and power than safety and the needs of children,” he said. “Meanwhile private schools, daycares, grocery stores, and other businesses were able to figure it out from the get-go.”

“These union-induced school closures hurt children academically, mentally, and physically,” he continued. “Teachers unions fought against reopening schools every step of the way. They even lobbied the CDC to keep schools closed longer. Government officials weren’t following the science, they were following the Political Science.”

And as Chasmar details in her lengthy but enlightening article, “the Democrats responsible for the lockdowns have not been recalled or fired in the more than two years since the pandemic struck.”

To make her case, Chasmar looks at the damning actions and subsequent lack of consequences of union leaders and politicians such as American Federation of Teachers (AFT) President Randi Weingarten, California Governor Gavin Newsom, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky, and NEA President Becky Pringle.

Said one user on Twitter in response to Chasmar’s anger-inducing article, “School closures did more damage that will never be told. Shame on the teachers who supported this.”

Melissa Fine
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