AFT PENNSYLVANIA RELEASES NON-COMPLIANCE REPORTING FOR PUBLIC SCHOOLS

Patience—counseled by former Vice President Joe Biden all election week as Americans waited for votes to be counted—finally paid off Nov. 7, four days after Election Day, when Biden won in Pennsylvania and gained enough Electoral College votes to acquire a new title: president-elect. AFT President Randi Weingarten says the union’s leaders and members “can’t wait to get started” on the work ahead “with an administration that will embrace and fight for the values we hold dear.”
AFT President Randi Weingarten’s latest column outlines the urgency of using our voices—our votes—in this life-changing election, when we will make a choice “between President Donald Trump, who has trafficked in chaos, fear, lies and division, and former Vice President Joe Biden, who seeks to reverse Trump’s failures on COVID-19 and the economy, and to unite and uplift the American people.” Besides the four crises we face—a pandemic, an economic crisis, racism and a climate emergency—democracy itself is on the ballot, as Trump continues to cast doubt on the legitimacy of the election.
In her September New York Times column, AFT President Randi Weingarten says that going back to school has never looked like it does now. Weingarten explains that because of President Donald Trump’s response to the coronavirus, which has been chaotic, contradictory and inept, and the lack of federal guidance and funding, we’re seeing a patchwork of school reopening plans across the country.
During the eighteen months leading up to the 2016 election, there was an escalation of hate toward immigrants, Muslims, people of color, women, the disabled, and LGBTQ folks. Trump's victory has elevated this hate to a new level. The attack on black students alerts us that college campuses and educational institutions are not immune to violence and hate, indeed, may be especially targeted. We cannot accept this. Not in our universities, not in our communities.
Many of our members are librarians, writers, or teachers of English and Literature. This year we're highlighting their voices for Banned Books Week. Read on for more about their favorite banned books, why they teach what they do, and what's so important about intellectual freedom.
Join us on Saturday, April 19, 2014 at Media Mobilizing Project (4233 Chestnut Stree, Philadelphia PA 19104) from 9am to 3pm for our first conference for contigent faculty in Philadelphia. Check out our program for an overview.