Reopening Philadelphia’s schools

We look at the Philadelphia School District's plan to reopen schools as disagreements between the district and teachers continue.

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Philadelphia public school teachers rally outside the school administration building on North Broad Street

Philadelphia public school teachers rally outside the school administration building on North Broad Street to oppose what they say is an unsafe rush to reopen schools for young students. (Emma Lee/WHYY)

In-person learning was set to resume in the Philadelphia School District on Monday. But ongoing disagreements between the school district and the teachers union over safety have forced the start date to move again, now to March 1st.  The majority of teachers are voicing opposition to returning to schools over safety concerns, while many parents would like to see their kids return to normal in-person learning and the socializing that remote classrooms cannot provide. Today on the show we look at the district’s plan to reopen and what health experts say about COVID risk and schools. We’ll talk with SUSAN COFFIN, an infectious disease physician at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia who has written guidance for school reopening, school parents SHAKEDA GAINES, and TAKENIA GOODMAN, and kindergarten teacher KATE SANNICKS LERNER.

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