Friend,

Back-to-school season has been chaotic and confusing for students, parents, teachers and school staff everywhere. President Donald Trump and Education Secretary Betsy DeVos have refused to help with either national guidance or dedicated federal aid. And Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell refused to negotiate resources after the House of Representatives passed the HEROES Act relief package in May. So today, across the country, people are taking part in a day of action to #DemandSafeSchools.

The House-passed COVID-19 relief bill, the HEROES Act, would fund what schools need to reopen safely and provide the necessary academic, social, emotional and mental health services for our kids. But Senate Republicans and the White House won’t negotiate, and the senators won’t call a vote. Their inaction will soon force deep cuts to essential services and cause a massive wave of layoffs that will affect every single community—yet they still have no plan.

We won’t sit back idly; we are going to make sure they know we are watching and we demand that they fund our schools, fund education and fund our future. And we need you to help make sure McConnell and Trump feel the heat.

Please add your voice today. Host a small, socially distanced rally outside a school, join a car caravan, or organize your child’s class to post signs and pictures to social media, for example, calling on the Senate to act.

Check the map to see if there’s an event near you.

If you can’t join one of these events, make sure you tweet with the hashtag #DemandSafeSchools. We need this to trend on Twitter.

You can also call the Senate and demand that they finally take up a COVID-19 relief bill to help schools and frontline workers.

Have a great day of action!

In unity,
Randi Weingarten
AFT president

AFT president