On the return of teachers and students to school in person in Florida:
I am so angry at the deadly incompetence and narcissism of our leaders in response to the Covid-19 Pandemic. Trump, Desantis, Mayor Curry of City of Jacksonville, Florida – Government, and many others, have failed at almost every turn that mattered. Blood is on their hands. Suffering is on their hands.
And now they have the nerve, the audacity, to force our teachers and students back into classrooms when they refused to lead?
If you feel this way too, would you raise your voice with me and not stop? Call City Hall, the Governor’s Office, the White House? Advocate any and every way you can?
There was only one moral choice: to crush the virus.
Many nations made this choice and have seen some measure of success and some return to normalcy.
Instead, following the corrupt lead of Trump, our leaders have walked us into 170,000 deaths, 5.4 million cases, and many, many who are suffering from this strange virus for months afterward. This is not the flu (but also – get your effing Flu vaccine!)
And now – our teachers are just supposed to make this incredibly hard decision to return to the classroom when Desantis, Curry, and Trump have REFUSED to make hard decisions?
Now – our parents and children are supposed to make the insanely hard decision of whether to return to school in person, when Desantis, Curry and Trump REFUSED to make hard decisions?
Have you seen the news? Outbreaks at UNC and public schools that have reopened. It will happen. It is happening. Teachers will suffer and die. Children and family members will suffer and die.
Its true that School IS essential. Our kids really need it.
Which is why the only moral choice was to shut everything down and keep it shut down until the virus was crushed. And to support our most vulnerable during such a shut down. That was essential because school is essential.
But our leaders simply refused to do
it. Many of us begged them. They refused.
Trump, Desantis, and Curry don’t want to make hard decisions. They want to golf. They want to walk into places without masks. They want to disregard the pandemic for their political ambitions. Deaths be damned. Our teachers be damned. Our children and their families be damned.
I need to be honest. If you still support these men, I am angry at you too. I will leave it at that.
The virus numbers are looking better with more people masked up. Thank goodness for that. Our schools and teachers are working hard with too few resources (as always) to make things as safe as possible for our children returning to the classroom.
But why risk this? It didn’t have to be this close. It didn’t have to be this hard or dangerous.
I do hope people will take more personal responsibility. But we wouldn’t have to worry as much about that if our Leaders led.
But our leaders have no courage. Not Curry. Not Desantis. Not Trump.
They could have chose to make things safe for our teachers and students. They could have done the moral, right thing.
They did not. Should our teachers, students and their families risk their lives and health when these men would not risk bad poll numbers?
If you feel a fire stirring in your bones, would you raise your voice too?
To Teachers – I know the every day challenges you face from my days in the classroom but I have no idea the enormity of what you face now. I love you, and I have your back. Whatever you need from me, you have it.
To Students returning in person and their families – I know you are doing your best. Please be careful because our leaders are not looking out for you the way they should. I love you and I have your back. Whatever you need from me, you have it.
Matt Hartley 