By Peter Galuszka
Here at Bacons Rebellion, a favorite blood sport of late has been tearing apart school teachers by ripping up their “values,” their personal courage, their honesty, their intellects and their mindless lapdog following of their commissars at teachers’ unions
The same is true for college professors and administrators (Golly Darn, Reed Fawell just discovered the 1960s!”)
The issue is a deadly one, the COVID-19 pandemic that has so far killed more Americans – twice more U.S. military in fact – than were killed in the Vietnam War. Today, there is an understandably complicated and confusing exercise that will try to come up with the safest ways to go back to school.
I won’t get into that because I am no expert, but I cringe when I read the likes of Kerry Dougherty and James A. Bacon Jr. in their endless attacks on the teaching profession.
She opines: “Odds that elected representatives will have the courage to stand up to the teachers and reopen schools? Zero. It seems that some teachers want guarantees that there is no risk. Preposterous. There can never be a risk free environment.”
Now for a reality check. The Virginia Mercury reports that when public school teachers do report back to work in classrooms at risk for virus, there is no guarantee that they will get workman’s compensation if they become infected.
“The burden of proof to determine that’s where you contracted the disease is going to be tough to do,” said Lee Bannon, an official with VACORP, which insures many of the state’s school district.
Sure you might get to file a claim. But do they know that you didn’t get infected at the gas station, the gym, the grocery store, the church or a parking lot?
One workman’s compensation advocate, Mike Beste, told the Mercury that if teachers choose to go back to work, there aren’t a likely to be a lot of protections. Kathy Beery, an official for Virginia Educators Unit, said that the issue is a major frustration.
Some Republican legislators are also trying to add more lawyers of insurance protections for the school districts but not the teachers. “Too many school districts are having to make decisions based off the fear of litigation,” said Republican Sen. Jill. Vogel of Fauquier.
Well, there you have it, Kerry and Jim. More evidence that teachers are selfish, fearful, and otherwise not worth it. Teachers Unions are dangerous. Teachers deserve low pay and if they get COVID 19 and don’t get workers comp. That’s just too bad. We’ll get to Fawell and the Danger of Marxist Professors later.
