Teachers’ Union Head Doesn’t Rule Out Strike as States Opt for Right to Choose Over School Mask Mandate

Teachers’ Union Head Doesn’t Rule Out Strike as States Opt for Right to Choose Over School Mask Mandate
Masked students at an elementary school in Chula Vista, Calif., on July 21, 2021. Denis Poroy/AP Photo
Bill Pan
Bill Pan
Reporter
|Updated:

American Federation of Teachers (AFT) president Randi Weingarten on Wednesday said it is necessary to enforce that all K-12 students and staff wear masks in order to keep schools safely open, and that her organization wouldn’t rule out striking over states that ban mask mandates.

During an interview with MSNBC, Weingarten was asked about the AFT’s position on states like Texas, where public schools can no longer require that masks have to be worn on their campuses under Gov. Greg Abbott’s executive order. Abbott has made it clear he will not rescind the order.
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