Irving Middle School teachers all called in sick on Monday, declaring their fear of contracting COVID-19, and effectively abandoning the children that they should be instructing, sacrificing their well-being to a childish political game.
A positive development, and unexpected, is that the teachers returned to school on Tuesday, after the district superintendent sent a letter to the teachers letting them know that they will face unpaid leave if they test negative for COVID and remain at home.
Yes, they should be fired and new teachers should be hired. But the problem stems from the fact that the schools and teachers experience almost no competition. These problems emerge every single time a monopoly on a single service exists. Crap service, crap employees. The only cure is competition. Insert a competing private option right next to Irving Middle School, and watch how quickly Irving shapes up.
