The question of reopening schools across Missouri is one of when, not if. When that day comes, we must all agree that the health and safety of every student, teacher, and staff, as well as the community at large, are our top priority. We must, to the very best of our abilities, insure their health and safety, before they are asked to occupy those schools.
But not every elected official has the health and safety of Missourians as a priority. Ann Wagner has been silent on that vital metric. Along with the other Republicans in power, she only seems to care about opening the schools, with not a word on doing so safely, let alone taking any concrete action to insure a healthy and safe outcome.
We need representative who understands the need for the resources that will be required across the state to insure public health and safety. We need our representatives to follow science and heed the advice of health professionals and doctors, rather than making political calculations at every turn.Â
So, when the schools reopen in Missouri, we need to be doing it safely. We need to make sure that schools have the resources, and proper funding, to keep students, teachers and staff safe, including (but, not limited to) PPE for teachers, staff, and students.
Mike Unruh
Ballwin
