Throughout the course of the Wuhan coronavirus pandemic, we have heard teachers and administrators say they are afraid of teaching in-person out of fear of catching the virus. School districts around the country decided to conduct school online through "virtual learning."
It turns out that one of the biggest proponents behind the push, Chicago Teacher's Union's (CTU) Regional Vice President, Sarah Chambers, is afraid of teaching her students in a classroom but she is not afraid to travel internationally.
Chambers posted a photo on her Instagram account showing her lounging at a pool in a resort in Puerto Rico, WGN-TV reported. The post reportedly said she previously had the Wuhan coronavirus, tested negative for the virus and consulted her doctor before traveling across the world.
Sarah Chambers is on Chicago Teacher’s Union executive board. She implored teachers to stay safe and stay hone... then snapped an insta on a beach NOT in Chicago ;)
— Justin Hart (@justin_hart) January 1, 2021
Rules are for thee, not for me. https://t.co/vAcqRpJgkb
The kicker is Chambers posted the photo hours after the CTU stated they had concerns about the district's HVAC system, which includes air filtration.
“This is the most difficult time. Transmission is highest. It’s dark and cold. People are indoors and the holidays are coming, so there’s going to be a lot of transmission,” CTU President Jesse Sharkey said as the union fought district administrators.
Chambers herself tweeted she would continue to participate in online, virtual learning with her students.
"I have signed [a] pledge, along with over 8,000+ union educators to continue to work remotely," Chambers wrote in a tweet, Just the News reported.
Once the CTU head came under fire for her hypocrisy, Chambers took to Twitter to defend her actions.
"I got 4 covid tests (2 rapid, 2 PCR) b4 coming here & wore 2 masks (N95)," she wrote. "Scientists said airplanes are safer than grocery stores bc airplanes have ICU level filtration & everyone wears masks."
"My doc said it's extremely unlikely for me to get Covid again since I had it so badly," Chambers explained.
Since this story has gained national attention, Chambers has made her Instagram account private and protected her tweets from the public.
This is not the first time Chambers has come under fire from union members and the public. In the summer of 2019, Chambers and a handful of other people traveled to Venezuela under a "CTU trip." During that trip, they met with Venezuelan government officials, visited a commune and participated in local media interviews, the Chicago Tribune reported.
To make matters even worse, Chambers and those on the trip with her "were excessively complimentary of President Nicolás Maduro" in their writings.
“I am appalled a delegation representing themselves as CTU went to Venezuela, not to support striking teachers, not to object to human rights violations, but to go on what appears to be a state-chaperoned propaganda tour," Karen Moody, a teacher and union member, told the Tribune at the time.
Chambers is another example of a union boss who enjoys rules for others but not herself. If the Wuhan coronavirus poses so much of a threat that she cannot show up to in-person classes and teach her students, then the virus is dangerous enough for her to stay in-state. Hell, she would be staying home, not traveling to a foreign country.