Sue Them. See What Happens. What's the Alternative?

The question isn't why the Florida Education Association has sued the State of Florida about having to make its teachers and support staffs go back to school. The question is why the other NEA state affiliates haven't done so, too.

Maybe the mechanics seem insurmountable. Maybe it's because it looks like they're going to lose and that politically, the deck looks stacked. Maybe they're waiting for the right moment, in which case, they'd better hurry the hell up because for some states, school's supposed to begin in something like three weeks.

Okay, maybe so. But to do nothing is wrong. To sit there and watch school staff re-report to their jobs under this pandemic risks their very lives. Their lives.

It's bad enough that assassins roam with personal sickness, wanting to commit suicide but first shooting up classrooms. That the school culture has had to absorb that horrible reality, practicing shutdowns just in case, is bad enough. Now, an additional, unseen enemy has emerged: a virus that some people claim won't bother them all that much, so not to worry.

But some kids are going to get sick. Some will spread it amongst others, including teachers, and bus drivers, and custodians, and cooks, and school secretaries, and administrators. It. Just. Takes. One.

The Florida Education Association has counterattacked against this madness. They want to know, in fact dare someone, to tell them whether the state is going to order them back to work or not. The only alternative is to strike. Or, enter the potential cauldron.

I don't think it's all that tough of a choice. Not long ago, thousands of teachers in states like Kentucky, West Virginia, Oklahoma and Arizona marched on their state capitols, demanding better financial support for what they do. They did it for the kids, they said, which gave them moral backing.

They can still do it for the kids, and for themselves. Who will replace them when they get sick? Would you be a substitute teacher under those conditions? A substitute bus driver? A substitute cook?

Who's living in this wishful wasteland? Let's go to court and find out. If they lose, the teachers should walk. Those should be the choices. Either way, the virus determines whether they go back to work, nobody and nothing else.

Here's another: When the r0 goes to less than 1.0, then go back to work. Then have school again. That's fine, since the science says that the virus will disappear with time when the numbers say that and people keep observing healthy practices at at least the same rate. Viruses rarely disappear completely, anyhow. But don't reopen until then. Until then, it will spread. And schools will be the Petri dishes.

Little kids are less likely to get infected? Okay, sure. But not entirely unlikely. Especially in conditions in which they'll be closer to more kids than they have since February. For the governor of Missouri to claim that if they get sick, they'll just go home and get better, assumes they can't spread it to their parents and/or older siblings. That's just plain dumb.

This is not just the flu. We know this. This is more infectious, and more deadly. 143, 000 already, and probably a quarter-million by October. The FEA will undoubtedly wear masks in court. I wonder if the State of Florida will.

Nevertheless, this strategy should be copied by every state affiliate: Sue them first. Make someone admit this is crazy. If you lose, have your strike vote. And live, or die, with the results.

Yes, they can do this. Yes, they should. They need to protect their people by striking, or dictating the terms by which they go back, with safety the highest priority. If they lose, okay then: They did what they could. The members got their monies worth: Now, it's up to them.

Several large districts are choosing to begin the school year virtually. Perhaps the country needs to do so as well. It's worth the try. The president doesn't care. The Secretary of Education doesn't care. It's time someone does.

This should be a no-brainer, ironically. The adults in charge have failed the country. This is one of the prices it must pay.

WEAC shouldn't wait to see how it goes for the FEA. Michigan EA shouldn't, either. Nor should Education Minnesota. Sue now if the state government isn't cooperative. Get it started. They can always withdraw.

Be well. Be careful. Wear a mask. With some luck, I'll see you down the road.


Mister Mark