U.S : School re-openings are doomed if we don't do this.

Dear friend,

Trump thinks we're supposed to send our kids, and teachers and staff, back to school--whether or not they'll be safe. He's threatened to cut off funding to districts that don't reopen for in-person classes but is doing nothing to ensure they can do so without putting the lives of children, employees, and everyone they live with at risk.¹ 

Schooling and childcare are essential--women, and especially women of color, are bearing the brunt of the closures.² But if schools don't reopen safely, parents will not send their children back. And if kids can't get back to school, many women can't work. This poses a huge threat to families and the economy, regardless of how the stock market is performing for the rich. And teachers and school staff, overwhelmingly women, are being asked to shoulder this responsibility at great risk to themselves. 

In order to safely reopen, while putting all CDC guidelines and protocols in place, schools and childcare centers need billions more in funding. This money would be an essential investment not just in educating our children but ensuring that our economy can get back to work. And right now, as Congress debates another stimulus package that must send much-needed funds to our schools, we cannot keep silent. 

Will you sign this petition calling on Congress to allocate resources so schools can reopen safely and not recklessly?

Tell Congress :  "Schools need the funding to open SAFELY."

Sign the petition

Working mothers are in a precarious situation right now that only threatens to get worse. Already, surveys show the gender pay gap is expanding by 20% to 50% for women who must cut their hours in order to care for or school children at home.³ A whopping 33% of working parents report leaving the workforce or dropping down to part-time work--and mothers have reduced their work hours four to five times more than fathers. And these statistics are worse for Black women, who are twice as likely to lose work and pay because of a lack of childcare than white women.⁴ 

To safely re-open for in-person classes, schools and childcare centers are facing unprecedented demands : protocols to screen every person entering the building, isolation rooms, health equipment like thermometers, hand-washing stations, and personal protective equipment. They will need to stagger classes and perhaps move to hybrid models so teachers and students can properly socially distance. They will need frequent and deeper cleaning and disinfection. 

All of these safety measures will require billions of dollars in funding that school districts don't have right now.⁵ If Congress can bail out the airline industry and banks, why are teachers, school bus drivers, working moms, and our nation's children forced to impossibly fend for themselves ? Congress must act now. And the mandate has never been clearer--Trump's approval ratings are at an all-time low and only 39% of parents polled have said they feel it's safe to send their children back to school right now.⁶ With enough pressure from all of us, we can force Congress to pass bills like the HEROES Act and the Childcare Is Essential Act, and to introduce new legislation that will provide additional funding for schools and childcare.

Will you add your name?

Thanks for speaking out !

Shaunna, Kathy, Anathea, Sonja, Melody, Lindsay, Pam, Maria, Kimberly, Katie, Elisa, and KaeLyn, the UltraViolet team

Sources :

1. Trump Threatens to Cut Funding if Schools Do Not Fully Reopen, The New York Times, July 8, 2020.

2. ‘I am definitely panicking’: Parents say school reopening plans leave them without any good options, CNBC, July 16, 2020.

3. Ibid

4. How Child Care Disruptions Hurt Parents of Color Most, Center for American Progress, June 29, 2020.

5. 'Big Mess' Looms if Schools Don't Get Billions to Reopen Safely, The New York Times, July 9, 2020.

6. ‘I am definitely panicking’: Parents say school reopening plans leave them without any good options, CNBC, July 16, 2020.

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