Chicago Teachers Union tweets effort to reopen schools is 'rooted in sexism, racism, and misogyny'

The Chicago Teachers Union is facing backlash following a now-deleted tweet that was posted on Sunday claiming that the movement to reopen schools is "rooted in sexism, racism and misogyny."

Despite deleting the tweet, the union later retweeted a message of support about the original post, "We can discuss the merits of reopening but the conversation cannot be rooted in white supremacy. White folks questioning BIPOC's intelligence, especiall women of color. Our ability to 'understand the science.' The coded language is hella out of pocket," read the retweeted message.

Following the initial wave of backlash, then union tweeted, "Fair enough. Complex issue. Requires nuance. And much more discussion. More important, the people the decision affects deserve more. So we’ll continue give them that. Appreciate the feedback of those truly in the struggle."

The dispute comes as schools across the nation debate whether or not to reopen for some amount of in-person education, as coronavirus case numbers spike. 

Leading voices from across the government and various medical agencies have argued that schools can remain open as long as the proper precautions are taken. "We're not seeing intra-school transmission," said Dr. Robert Redfield, who runs the CDC. 

"I just think it's healthy for these kids to be in school," said Redfield. "That said, they got to do it safely and they've got to do it responsibly. And when this was started over the summer, no one really knew for certain. They thought that these public health measures would work. But now the data clearly shows us that you can operate these schools in face-to-face learning in a safe and responsible way."

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the Director of the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Disease said during an interview on ABC, "We say it, not being facetiously or having a soundbite or anything, but you know: close the bars, keep the schools open, is what we really say. Obviously, you don't have one size fits all, but as I've said in the past, and as you accurately quoted me – the default position should be as best as possible, within reason, to keep the children in school and get them back to school."