White House declares teachers essential workers

The White House is formally declaring teachers critical infrastructure workers.

Under the designation, teachers are subject to the same kinds of safety guidelines as other essential workers like doctors and law enforcement officers.

That means teachers can continue to work even after exposure to a confirmed case of COVID-19, provided they remain asymptomatic.

The move is just the latest in the administration’s aggressive campaign to pressure districts into bringing back students this fall.

The president of the American Federation of Teachers says the critical worker designation could be used to “threaten and bully teachers into classrooms without the proper safety considerations.”