Teachers’ Union Chief Objects to Putting Students 3 Feet Apart Instead of 6

American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten expressed fear on Friday about potential risks of placing students three feet apart in American classrooms.

“The issue is that this is being driven by space concerns, not by safety concerns,” Weingarten said in an interview with CNN’s Kate Bolduan. “I just hope this is not a rush to put in twice as many desks in a place where we’re really starting to get things reopened.”

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released new guidelines on Friday advising that it was permissible for schools to reduce a six-foot distancing rule for students in elementary school to just three feet. However, it continued to advise that schools adhere to other safety measures related to the Covid-19 pandemic, such as ensuring ventilation systems work properly, or taking additional measures to enhance airflow if those systems are inadequate.

“The CDC is saying that all these other mitigation measures have to say there, including good ventilation, which 40 percent of the schools do not have, [and] mask wearing, which Texas and Florida and others are not doing,” Weingarten said. “So the teachers are being vaccinated, that’s really good, but I worry with the new variance, what’s going to happen in terms of transmissibility with kids and with their families.”

Correction: The initial post said Weingarten was concerned that putting students three feet apart could lead to “twice as many deaths.” She said “twice as many desks.” The post also incorrectly identified the CNN anchor interviewing Weingarten. Mediaite regrets the error.

Watch above via CNN.