Wenstrup to Hold Hearing on Consequences of Pandemic-Era School Closures with American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten
WASHINGTON — Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic Chairman Brad Wenstrup (R-Ohio) will hold a hearing titled “The Consequences of School Closures, Part 2: The President of the American Federation of Teachers Ms. Randi Weingarten” to delve into any role Ms. Weingarten and the AFT may have played in editing the CDC’s COVID-19 school reopening guidance and keeping schools closed longer than necessary. At the Select Subcommittee’s first hearing on pandemic-era school closures in March, expert witnesses testified that the “science” never justified the prolonged closing of schools. Chairman Wenstrup sent a letter to Randi Weingarten last month requesting documents and information related to AFT’s impact on the CDC’s scientific school reopening guidance.
“The influence of Randi Weingarten, President of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), may have jeopardized the well-being of our nation’s children during the COVID-19 pandemic. If so, she should be held accountable. Even when healthy and successful learning environments were possible, Ms. Weingarten and the AFT advocated against school reopenings. Safely returning our children to school as soon as possible should have been our top priority. I look forward to hearing Ms. Weingarten’s testimony and learning about the role AFT played in promoting school closures that ultimately harmed the academic, mental, physical, and social development of our youth,” said Select Subcommittee Chairman Wenstrup.
WHAT: Hearing titled “The Consequences of School Closures, Part 2: The President of the American Federation of Teachers Ms. Randi Weingarten”
DATE: Wednesday, April 26, 2023
TIME: 2:00 PM ET
LOCATION: 2154 Rayburn House Office Building
WITNESS:
Randi Weingarten
President of the American Federation of Teachers
Former President of the United Federation of Teachers
Former High School Teacher
The hearing will be open to the public and press and will be livestreamed online at https://oversight.house.gov/. Press must be congressionally credentialed and must RSVP by emailing oversightgoppressrsvp@mail.house.gov by Tuesday, April 25 at 5:00pm.
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Wenstrup Calls on CDC, AFT, 14 Others to Explain Role in School Closure Policies
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