Teachers, Smoke if You Got 'Em!

About a month or so ago I wrote a blog post wondering if teachers lives matter in reopening the schools. It seems that we are moving closer to seeing that teachers loves do in fact matter.

At today's delegate assembly, these words were actually spoken by Mulgrew...

Medical accommodations--We're advocating with DOE and CSA--We need to know approved medical conditions for accommodation. If anyone needs to do this they will ask for accommodation due to condition, so as to work from home. These people will do remote instruction. Hope to have it by end of month to send out to all.

Good. It's a start.  Or it could be an end. But in my opinion it is headed in the right direction.

We saw something like this last week in an email from Mulgrew...

The DOE has committed to offering accommodations to staff members with high-risk medical conditions in accordance with CDC guidelines.

So what are those medical conditions that are in accordance with CDC guidelines?Who might be eligible to teach from home next year?

Based on what we know now, those at high-risk for severe illness from COVID-19 are:

• People 65 years and older
• People who live in a nursing home or long-term care facility

People of all ages with underlying medical conditions, particularly if not well controlled, including:

• People with chronic lung disease or moderate to severe asthma
• People who have serious heart conditions
• People who are immunocompromised
  Many conditions can cause a person to be immunocompromised, including cancer treatment, smoking, bone marrow or organ transplantation, immune deficiencies, poorly controlled HIV or AIDS, and prolonged use of corticosteroids and other immune weakening medications.
• People with severe obesity (body mass index [BMI] of 40 or higher)
• People with diabetes
• People with chronic kidney disease undergoing dialysis
• People with liver disease

Most are specific. The immune compromised category seems rather broad, and for a good reason. But it is good that the DOE will not come up with their own, make believe, guidelines and follow the actual guidelines of the CDC. But what is one to do if one still does not feel safe about entering a building next school year and you don't fall into any category.

Simple. Smoking (see above). If you have quit, start smoking again. If you are trying to quit, throw away the Chantix, the patches the gum or whatever you're using. And if you are still smoking, smoke more. But remember, get a doctor's note.

Yeah, cigarettes are too expensive. But smokes go for $8 in Pennsylvania or buy a cheap off brand. Or go the loosey route. As an ex smoker I will share with those that ask where to get loosies on the Bronx.

Go out, get a pack, or a carton, of Newports, get a doctor's note, and teach from home in September.