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Teachers' Union Head Feels 'Really Good' About School Covid Safety

NEW BRITAIN, CT - August 26, 2020: Tape marks where students can’t sit in the in CREC Academy of Science and Innovation in New Britain in order to maintain social distancing. The school also turned their gymnasium into an eating area to accommodate the need for extra space. (Ryan Caron King / Connecticut Public)
Ryan Caron King/Connecticut Public
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Connecticut Public
NEW BRITAIN, CT - August 26, 2020: Tape marks where students can’t sit in the in CREC Academy of Science and Innovation in New Britain in order to maintain social distancing. The school also turned their gymnasium into an eating area to accommodate the need for extra space. (Ryan Caron King / Connecticut Public)

The last days of August were the first days of school for most state students in kindergarten through the twelfth grade.

It was also the first time that some students who spent the pandemic learning from home on their computers entered a school building in over a year.

Connecticut Education Association President Kate Dias joined us on All Things Considered to talk about how safe student and teachers are, as Covid-19 continues to spread.

She also had comments on the angry reactions she has seen from anti-mask protestors, the states decision not to make schools continue to offer a limited distance learning option, and the deteriorating state of climate and ventilation systems in Connecticut school buildings.

Dias also talked about how her thinking on mandatory teacher vaccinations has evolved now that the Food and Drug Administration has formally approved the Pfizer vaccine.

John Henry Smith is Connecticut Public’s host of All Things Considered, its flagship afternoon news program. He's proud to be a part of the team that won a regional Emmy Award for The Vote: A Connecticut Conversation. In his 21st year as a professional broadcaster, he’s covered both news and sports.

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