California teachers union leader under fire for maskless picture at Rams game
The union has continued support school mask mandates
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A member of the California Teachers Association Board of Directors is under fire for the union's continued support of school mask mandates despite being pictured at a recent Los Angeles Rams game without a mask.
"This California Teachers Association Board of Directors Member, Jesse Aguilar, isn’t interested in a ‘cautious’ approach for adults, only our kids. This is Jesse Aguilar. He went to NFC championship game with 70k strangers - he is #DoneWithCovid but his Union wants kids masked," the LA Parent Union, a group advocating for an end to California's school COVID-19 restrictions, posted on Twitter Monday.
Masked students wait to be taken to their classrooms at Enrique S. Camarena Elementary School, Wednesday, July 21, 2021, in Chula Vista, California. (AP Photo/Denis Poroy, File)
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Pictured in the tweet was CTA Board of Directors member Jesse Aguilar, who appeared to be celebrating the Rams NFC Championship win last month. A Facebook profile belonging to Aguilar features the same photo from Jan. 31.
Attached to the LA Parent Union post was a recent statement from the California Teacher's Association, which included CTA President E. Toby Boyd applauding the state's decision to keep COVID-19 restrictions such as masks in place for K-12 students.
Photo of Gov. Gavin Newsom and Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson)
"We support the administration's decision to pause and gather more information to make a science-based decision on school masking that responds to this moment in the pandemic and helps the state transition with an eye on equity," the statement reads.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The picture of Aguilar comes from the same game that saw California Gov. Gavin Newsom generate controversy for his own maskless photograph, a move he defended despite a policy in place that required all spectators to wear masks.
"I was very judicious yesterday, very judicious, and you’ll see the photo that I did take where Magic was kind enough, generous enough, to ask me for a photograph, and in my left hand’s a mask and I took a photo," Newsom said of the photo he took with NBA legend Magic Johnson. "The rest of the time I wore it as we all should — not when I had a glass of water or anything, and I encourage everybody else to do so."
California Gov. Gavin Newsom. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu, File)
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Aguilar took a similar line of defense to his maskless picture in a Facebook post Monday, claiming that he only took off his mask to snap the photo.
"This person wants to know where my mask was. It was in my pocket. I took it off for the picture. There was nobody in front of me," Aguilar said in the post. "I’m glad to wear my mask in a pandemic. It’s not hard and it shows I care about the people around me. I was glad SoFi required proof of vaccination. Getting vaccinated is the sane thing to do in a pandemic. I’m glad sane people behave in a sane manner in an insane time. Where’s your mask?"