Video Lands Berkeley Teachers Union Prez In Turmoil

BERKELEY, CA — Sometimes, the nuances of complicated policy disputes over the politics and science of reopening schools in the middle of a pandemic can be overwhelmed by optics.

So, when video surfaced over the weekend on social media showing a Berkeley teachers union leader hawkish on safety protocols dropping off his child at a preschool, whatever your views on the above-mentioned debate happen to be, the optics were not good.

The YouTube video posted by a Guerilla Momz, a group advocating for a swift reopening of local schools, has landed Berkeley Federation of Teachers president Matt Meyer at the center of a firestorm.

The video, which shows Meyer dropping off his 2-year-old daughter at a preschool for in-person learning, has fueled the narrative of school opening proponents accusing teachers union leaders of a double standard, KQED reports.

The story has made headlines across the nation and around the world.

A headline in the U.K.’s Daily Mail read: “California teachers' union president is blasted as a 'hypocrite' …”

A New York Post article cited an organized group called Reopen California Schools assailing the teachers union head, tweeting “Matt Meyer who has led efforts keeping Berkeley schools closed nearly a year because it’s “unsafe” caught dropping daughter off at private in-person school. Why is it safe for him but not the rest of BUSD families???”

Meyer told Patch in an email that keeping students and teachers safe in a small preschool is very different from doing so in the public school district with thousands of students.

Meyer helped lead negotiations with the Berkeley Unified School District on a tentative reopening plan contingent on teachers being vaccinated, Berkeleyside reports.

“My 2-year-old does attend preschool,” Meyer said.

“Unfortunately, there are no public options for kids her age. There are major differences in running a small preschool and a 10,000-student public school district in terms of size, facilities, public health guidance and services that legally have to be provided.

“We all want a safe return to school. The Berkeley Federation of Teachers is excited that Berkeley Unified will be reopening soon with a plan, supported by our members and the district, to get our students back in classrooms. We already have our most vulnerable students being served in-person and elementary will be back later this month.”

Meyer in a text message exchange with KQED accused Guerilla Momz of engaging in stalkerish tactics to capture the video that "scared my kid and the others in the vicinity. It was super inappropriate."