Will Cain says Chicago Teachers Union guilty of 'child abuse' and 'abandonment' with return to remote learning
Chicago Teachers Union voted to halt in-person learning indefinitely
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"Fox & Friends Weekend" co-host Will Cain said Wednesday that the Chicago Teachers Union that voted in favor of an indefinite return to virtual learning is guilty of child "abuse" and "abandonment."
The teachers' group voted late Tuesday to discontinue in-person learning until cases of COVID-19 "substantially subside" or until union leaders approve an agreement for safety protocols with the district.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Cain denounced the move on "Fox News Primetime," saying the decision risks causing further harm to children already grappling with the mental health impacts of the pandemic.
"It’s child abuse. It is not tantamount to child abuse. It is child abuse," he told guest host Lawrence Jones. "After two years, we know there is isolation, depression, loss of learning, and increasing risk of suicide."
Chicago Public School teachers, parents and students protest. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)
"We have sacrificed our children on the altar of fear and power and all the other ugly human sins," he continued. "I don’t know what they want. Money? Power? All I know is they do not want what is best for our children."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The vote was approved by 73 percent of the union's members and immediately went into effect, with Wednesday's classes moved to virtual instruction.
The union is using the "guise" of remote learning to justify a collective "work stoppage," Cain said.
A sign taped to the front door of Pulaski International School of Chicago. (REUTERS/Jim Vondruska)
"What we have watched is a society who takes its most vulnerable, its children and to add on top of that — disproportionately Black and Brown children — to the top of the volcano and tossed them into the fire."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Former Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Robert Redfield decried the move in an earlier interview, saying the "safest place" for children is in the classroom.
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"There's no question that the public health interest of K-12 students is not served by remote learning," Redfield said Wednesday on "America Reports."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"Public health interest is to keep the kids in face-to-face learning. It can be done safely and responsibly," he said, adding that "it’s actually safer than having them at home in the community."