Connecticut educators denounce right-wing record of Biden’s pick for Education Secretary

In the eyes of the Democratic Party and all of its backers, Cardona’s two chief qualifications for the position are that he is Latino and that he has forcefully advocated the reopening of schools during the pandemic as Connecticut’s commissioner of education.

In its article, headlined, “Biden Picks Latino Chief of Connecticut Schools as Education Secretary,” the New York Times glowingly wrote, “The selection of Dr. Cardona, a Latino, would fulfill Mr. Biden’s campaign promise to appoint a diverse cabinet and a secretary of education with public school experience—a blunt juxtaposition to Ms. DeVos, a billionaire champion of private schools that she and her children attended.”

BUT, as you read on, the continuing shout of, say hello to the new boss, same as the old boss, just keeps getting louder.

[wsws.org]

{A Hartford educator who chose to remain anonymous spoke about this to the WSWS, stating, “Cardona never allowed for the possibility of school closures. He claimed teachers would receive PPE, but no improvements made to ventilation systems in extremely old buildings. Data was being manipulated; the CSDE kept saying kids don't contract the virus to justify the reopening. The decisions were not based in reality. They kept moving the goalposts on what would require a closing, and Cardona didn't listen to the teachers pleading not to reopen the schools. Teachers have gotten sick and some have died.”}

Yep, that's what we need. Expected casualties, the new norm of today. shhh just don't say it out loud for gods sake.

{In concluding he said, “We have had several iterations of the Connecticut school reopening plan. Again, the CSDE just kept rewriting it as the infection rates rocketed. They gaslit everyone. It's been really tragic for many. I no longer want to be an educator. There is no integrity in the public system.”

As a result of these and other policies implemented by the state’s Democratic politicians, Connecticut now has the fifth highest ratio of deaths per person among all US states. In total, 170,705 of the state’s 3.6 million residents have been infected with COVID-19 and 5,736 people have died. Cases have surged in the past two months following the reopening of schools throughout the state, with a record 8,129 cases on December 7.}

What's been bouncing around in my skull with this bullshit narrative about the effects on kids from not being in a class room. And as I watched Mary's grandchildren here yesterday it gave me some legitimacy.

When I was a kid, I/we had our little groups of best friends where we rode our bikes all over town or played out in the back yard of someone's house. Then and into our teens we threw together baseball, basketball, and football games. Later teens we usually hung out at a local school yard and or decided who's house to go party at. When we got our license it was common to meet up and hang out at the high school. In Marion where I live we would shoot the loop. Marion has one ways streets running down each side of the city, we called it the loop. A parking lot on one end where many hung out in.

I don't see this shit anywhere today. All these kids have some god dam device with a screen stuck to their face 90% of the day. Or playing some freaking console game. And if they'll lucky they have a friend that comes over or to go to to play with. So tell me again how there's a sense of social harm to these kids if in their spare time they don't practice social contact anyways. The only places I see social contact among kids today are in poor neighborhoods where they can't afford this stuff. The 2 girls sat on the couch well over 90% of their time here yesterday watching some game I can't even begin to remember the goofy name they game it. All the times we went to Mary's son house all the kids were always there doing nothing or playing play station. Poor Mihaly wasn't even allowed to have a cell phone until yesterday which she got for Xmas. Rarely allowed to go anywhere. She's going to college next year! Just joined facehack yesterday. Mary got her one about a year ago in secret to keep up with her because her parents treat her like shit. Mary was the only one she had to speak to about her issues. I don't get it. What am I missing here?