Prairie State Wire

Justin Spiro, a licensed Clinical Social Worker, is sounding the alarm on a major teachers' union plan, namely the idea of mandatory masking of the children.

 “The NEA - a major national teacher’s union - is calling for mandatory masking and an unrestricted “remote learning” option for NEXT SCHOOL YEAR!!!" Spiro posted on Twitter. This is a CODE RED alert that would exacerbate 2+ years of damage to our nation’s children! This MUST be stopped!”

Delegates at the National Education Association’s July meeting in Chicago called for mandatory masking, vaccinations, and remote learning options in schools for the upcoming school year. They discussed New Business Item 37, which asks the Union leadership to continue to back COVID policies in schools even though these run counter to CDC guidelines. This comes as the Chicago Teachers Union, a subsidiary of the National Federation of Teachers, another powerful union, has a history of striking to make workplace and political demands. In November, Illinois voters will vote on a proposed amendment that would give government unions more power. Because this is constitutionally backed, elected officials would have no power to stop union demands, so teacher unions could overrule parents and public health officials in making school policy if the amendment is passed, according to Illinois Policy.

"One year ago today CDC Director Dr. Walensky told all Americans to put their masks back on," Spiro said in another Tweet. "This was the day we entered into Forever Pandemic Mode. Once everyone 12+ had vaccine access and we decided to still mandate masks, we blew past any hope of an off-ramp."

In February of 2022, Sangamon County Circuit Judge Raylene Grischow deemed Gov. J.B.Pritzker’s emergency health rules for schools “null and void.” A lawsuit was brought by more than 700 parents across the state who were tired of the mask mandates in schools. The judge said the executive order was a violation of the children’s substantive due process rights. She argued that the governor’s executive order was illegal because it attempted to bypass the legislature, The Center Square reported.

According to a Pew Research Center poll conducted in August of 2021, 61% of U.S. adults supported vaccination requirements to board an airplane; 57% favored vaccine requirements for a sporting event or concert; 56% favored vaccine mandates for public universities; the public was split 50/50 over restaurants, and 45% supported vaccine mandates to go into stores. In all five scenarios, a majority of Democrats support the mandates while a majority of Republicans oppose them. Furthermore, there is distrust of vaccines. In the same poll, 80% said public health officials are not telling everything they know about vaccines. All this to say, vaccine mandates are not wildly popular with the American people.

According to an Axios-Ipsos poll from August 27-30 of 2021, 43% of Americans said a workplace vaccine mandate would compel them to take the jab, up from 33% the previous month. It also found that 68% of parents said that they were likely to vaccinate their children as soon as it was approved. It also found that 72% of adults took it, 8% plan on taking it, and the other 20% say it is unlikely for them to take the vaccine. Furthermore, 19% said employers are requiring vaccination, and 40% said local government-mandated masks in public places.