Congressman wants students back in school

The Brillion News

WAUSAU - Wisconsin Congressman Tom Tiffany, R-Seventh District, is calling on Governor Everes to allow all students in Wisconsin to be back to school, in school every day, when the school year begins in September.

Tiffany wrot to Evers on Wednesday, AUgust 12, calling schools and education "essential" and called teachers "essential workers."

"A growing body of science and data indicates that the risks of keeping schools closed far outweigh the risks associated with reopening," he said. Tiffany cited opinions of the American Academy of Pediatrics and Dr. Robert Redfield, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

"Open-ended school shutdowns have harmed out children, made it more difficult for our teachers to teach, and is [sic] pushing Wisconsin parents to the breaking point," Tiffany wrote.

He called the shutdown of school "misguided" and said "It is not an overstatement to say that we could see the demise of public schools in Wisconsin" if schools are off-limits to in-school, in-person instruction.

Milwaukee television station WTMJ is reporting a surge in Wisconsin families taking their students out of public schools and enrolling them in private school that are offering in-person classes instead of "virtual" learning on line.

Tiffany said school districts that choose "virtual school" over in-person education had bettwen have evidence to back up their decisions to keep students off campus. He said those districts need to "conduct a Social Impact Assessment that explains exactly how they plan to address the very real scholastic, psychological and physical threats that have been outlined by health professionals."

Tiffany said parents want their children back in school and teachers in the school district his children attend also want to return to the classroom.