Today on AirTalk, we discuss how teachers' unions are handling the ongoing pressure from politicians and pediatricians to return to classroom instruction. Also on the show, we answer your COVID-19 questions; talk to history teachers about their approaches to Black History Month; and more.
Teachers Face Increasing Pressure To Return To The Classroom Without Full Vaccinations
Teachers unions are pushing back against pressure from the Biden Administration and Gov. Gavin Newsom, who yesterday said that campuses could reopen without teachers receiving vaccinations.
The Southern California chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics called for schools to open immediately, arguing that the challenges with keeping students at home outweigh the risks of reopening. United Teachers Los Angeles (UTLA), pushed back, however, saying that officials are risking the lives of members, students and their families. The renewed fervor over reopening campuses comes as coronavirus infections decrease throughout much of the state. Under state rules, it’s up to local health authorities to decide when school workers have access to a vaccine, once supplies increase. In LA County, teachers are not yet eligible for the vaccine, but they are in Long Beach, which has its own health department.
Today on AirTalk, we’re learning more about what opening school campuses would mean for teachers that have not yet been vaccinated. Are you an educator? We want to hear from you! Comment below or give us a call at 866-893-5722.
This segment is being updated
Guests:
Heather Messner, visual arts teacher in the Duarte Unified School District; president of Duarte Unified Education Association, the union representing Duarte Unified teachers
Ashley Bettas-Alcala, president of the San Bernardino Teachers Association
Teri Sorey, president of the Irvine Teachers Association
COVID-19 AMA: School Reopening, Vaccine Priority And More
In our continuing series looking at the latest medical research and news on COVID-19, Larry Mantle speaks with UCLA’s Dr. Annabelle De St. Maurice.
Topics today include:
SoCal pediatricians call for L.A. schools to reopen. Many teachers don’t want to return until they’ve been vaccinated
CA thinking of giving vaccine priority next to people with a medical condition or disability
Can painkillers be a problem when it comes to getting vaccinated?
A new paper suggests that the AstraZeneca vaccine helps limit the spread of the virus from a vaccinated person to an unvaccinated one
NBA says its players are COVID-19 free for the past week. What are the PAC 12’s safety conditions?
What’s going on with the Super Bowl?
What should you know about the vaccine if you’re pregnant?
Guest:
Annabelle De St. Maurice M.D., assistant professor of pediatrics in the division of infectious diseases and the co-chief infection prevention officer at University of California Los Angeles/Mattel Children’s hospital; she tweets
Where The Divided Republican Party Stands On Reps. Cheney, Taylor Greene
House Republicans will be forced to go on the record, defending or rebuking Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, who has drawn bipartisan condemnation over her embrace of far-right conspiracy theories, racist comments, as well as her past endorsement of violence against Democrats.
Democrats are expected to move forward Thursday with a vote that is all-but-certain to strip the Georgia Republican of her committee assignments. For Republicans, it represents a politically agonizing dilemma that underscores tension that has riven the party over the path forward since Donald Trump lost the White House. Do they support a newly elected colleague, whom Trump has praised as a “future Republican star"? Or do they side with Democrats and take action against Greene, who has suggested that school shootings were staged, voiced support for the baseless QAnon conspiracy theory and once said Black people “are held slaves to the Democratic Party.”
On Wednesday, House Republicans blocked an effort by conservative hardliners to oust the No. 3 House Republican, Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., from her leadership role. Cheney, a daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney, had enraged Trump supporters by voting to impeach him over the riot at the U.S. Capitol. In sticking by both women, McCarthy was attempting to placate both traditional conservatives and populists, like Greene, who emulate Trump. The moves were typical of McCarthy’s preference to avoid ruffling feathers as he charts his path to someday becoming House speaker.
With files from the Associated Press
Guest:
Tyler Pager, White House correspondent for POLITICO; he tweets
Jeff Bezos Is Stepping Down As CEO Of Amazon. What Does It Mean For The Future Of The Trillion Dollar Company?
Jeff Bezos announced Monday that he is stepping down as CEO of Amazon, the company he founded as an online bookseller in 1994 and grew into a $1.7 trillion online retail giant.
Bezos plans to become executive chairman and hand his position over to Andy Jassy, currently chief executive of Amazon’s cloud computing division. The change will take effect in July. Bezos has in many ways personified Amazon; as his company grew and upended retail worldwide, he became the richest person in the world (Elon Musk surpassed his $188 billion personal wealth just last month). Amazon’s growth has continued during the pandemic as demand for e-commerce increases, but the company has also received greater scrutiny from lawmakers and regulators over antitrust issues in recent months. Amazon warehouse workers have also expressed alarm over safety conditions during the pandemic, and workers at an Alabama fulfillment center are attempting to unionize.
Today on AirTalk, we’re learning more about what the shift in Amazon’s leadership will mean for the company. Questions? Give us a call at 866-893-5722.
Guests:
Matt Day, reporter for Bloomberg Technology based in Seattle who covers Amazon; he tweets
Sucharita Kodali, e-commerce analyst at Forrester Research, a technology research and advisory firm based in Cambridge, MA; she tweets
We Talk To History Teachers About Their Approach To Black History Month
Black History Month dates back to 1969, when black educators and students proposed the idea at Kent State University in Ohio.
Now, Black History Month is celebrated in a myriad ways, including in schools, where teachers often use it as an opportunity to highlight aspects of black history or the black experience that are not a part of the curriculum. The range of approaches to Black History Month is wide and varied, with some teachers choosing to focus on the joyous aspects of black history while others focusing on lesser known figures. And some teachers acknowledge the month but feel that black history is history, and needs to be incorporated more thoroughly in the yearlong curriculum.
We sit down with three history teachers to discuss their approach to Black History Month. Plus, what did you find most illuminating or surprising when you had Black History Month in school? What did you learn or wish you had learned? Or if you’re an educator, what’s your approach? Call us at 866-893-5722.
Guests:
Malcolm Green, retired social science high school teacher who taught in Pomona Unified District for 40 years; he also ran a mentoring program club for African American students for 20 years
Miguel Covarrubias, 10th and 11th grade history teacher at Ramón C. Cortines School of Visual and Performing Arts in Downtown Los Angeles; he’s been teaching in LAUSD for 20 years; he’s also a Teacher Leader at the UCLA History-Geography Project, which trains SoCal teachers
Khalif Rasshan, retired history teacher who taught 5-12th graders in Pomona Unified School District for 36 years; he is the co-founder and curator of the African American Museum of Beginnings in Pomona