Teachers In Iowa Sending Their Own Obituaries To Gov. Reynolds
It's an interesting way to get the point across to those who they feel need to receive it.
A handful of teachers in Iowa are so frustrated with the perceived lack of guidance on the part of Governor Kim Reynolds when it comes to back-to-school planning amidst the Coronavirus pandemic, they are sending her a morbid message in a shocking manner. They are writing their own obituaries.
Reynolds announced last week, overriding any plans schools had already made on their own, that a minimum of 50 percent of class-time must take place in person. Cedar Rapids Community School District has already made a plan to accommodate that. Their hope is to have high school students attend in-person three days a week and online for two, with the physical attendance being alternated by name. More on that here. To many, there are still more questions than answers.
One of the teachers participating in this messaging campaign is from Sioux City, Jeremy Dumkrieger, who said, according to KWWL, “I wrote my obituary just to bring attention to Kim Reynolds not having a plan and not knowing anything. I hope to God not to use it and I don’t expect to, but it’s just one of those things where I want people to think about it. This is serious."
It is serious, and Dumkrieger says beyond the teachers already doing it, he doesn't expect it to become a widespread campaign. He's worried about his students' safety as much, if not more than his own, as well as their mental health and the susceptible loved ones they may take the illness home to. In just a few weeks, school will start. The obituary-drafting teachers ask above all that the Iowa Department of Public Health mandate masks across the board before in-person class begins.
We pray for safe returns to school this Fall in whatever form it eventually takes.
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