Arizona teachers are protesting the possible reopening of schools this fall as the coronavirus pandemic continues to spiral out of control in the state, according to reports.
Teachers in cities across the state are donning red shirts and holding “motor marches” — driving around in cars painted with slogans like “Remote learning won’t kill us but COVID can!”
In May, the state was seeing a seven-day average of about 500 new cases a day. Arizona has seen spikes of around 4,000 new cases at various times over the past few weeks with little sign of decline.
Republican Gov. Doug Ducey is aiming to reopen schools statewide starting Aug. 17, but educators have opposed the move. Instead, teachers would like to see the start of school pushed back to October at the earliest and increased funding for personal protective equipment.
“This is a core piece of what our educators come together for, which is to demand that schools are properly funded,” said Joe Thomas, president of the Arizona Education Association. “Until we can see that, we are not ready to come back to schools.”
The protest marks the second within two years that teachers have staged in Arizona, with a 2018 protest focusing on low pay and budget cuts. The red shirts have become a symbol of teacher protests across the nation, a Racked articles explains, with protesters in other states using the color “to show solidarity.” – READ MORE
Listen to the insightful Thomas Paine Podcast Below --