AFT boss Randi Weingarten questioned language in school reopening plan in chummy exchange with CDC chief, texts show
American Federation of Teachers president Randi Weingarten voiced concern to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention director Rochelle Walensky about the language of the federal agency’s February 2021 school opening guidance a day before it was made public, according to newly reported texts that shed light on their friendly relationship.
The text messages showing the chummy exchange between Weingarten and Walensky were obtained by the Fairfax County Parents Association through a Freedom of Information Act request with the CDC.
The text chains seem to show Walensky caving to pressure applied by Weingarten to keep schools shuttered in February 2021 and then thanking Weingarten, whom she refers to as her “friend,” after the union released a statement praising the health agency.
On Feb. 11, 2021, a day before the CDC issued guidance that put the brakes on full, in-person instruction in schools, text messages show Weingarten informed Walensky that she had learned of language in the incoming guidance that seemed “at odds” with something they had previously discussed.
“Hi, it’s Randi. We heard something from a [New York Times] leak that seemed at odds with discussion. Do you have time for a call,” Weingarten texted Walensky.
“Hmmm. Argh. In a wall of meetings. Can touch base this afternoon. Are you able to ping what you learned?” the CDC director responds.
The powerful union boss then sends Walensky language that she claims “was leaked by someone in agency” to the news outlet that reads, in part, “all schools can provide in-person instruction (either full or hybrid), through strict adherence to mitigation strategies.”
The following day, when the CDC released its operation guidance for schools, the phrase “all schools can provide in-person instruction” was modified to “all schools have options to provide in-person instruction.”
Weingarten then texts Walensky a link to the AFT’s press release on the guidance which includes her glowing statement about the CDC.
Weingarten’s statement lauded the agency for meeting “fear of the pandemic with facts and evidence” and producing “an informed, tactile plan that has the potential to help school communities around the country stay safe.”
Walensky responds to the message by saying, “This gave me the biggest smile of my week, Thank YOU, Friend!”
Weingarten replies with a smiley face emoji and tells her, “We will fuss a little on ventilation but I am so grateful.”
“Me too. Totally fair!” Walensky texts back.
Fairfax County Parents Association spokeswoman Christy Hudson told The Post on Friday that the parents group was “surprised” it received these texts in response to its 2021 FOIA request, but “not at all surprised by its content.”
“As parents who very closely watched the political maneuvering over school closures at the local, state, and federal level, it was apparent to us from the start that the CDC was deferring to teachers unions and not science when it came to reopening schools,” said Hudson
“Since June 2020, parents in Fairfax County were sounding the alarm about the emotional, mental, academic, and social harms happening to children during school closures.
“As we have always told our parent advocates, teachers unions exist to represent the interests of their dues-paying members. They do not exist to advocate for the interests of children. These new text messages unfortunately confirm that the CDC was not interested in the best interests of children either,” she added.
Walensky, who announced last month that she would step down on June 30, will testify later this month before the Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic, which has been scrutinizing the communications between her and Weingarten in the run-up to the February 2021 guidance release.
Weingarten informed Congress in April that she and Walensky spoke directly by phone and communicated about CDC policy regarding school reopening guidelines in early 2021.
