President Donald Trump today reinforced his contention the reopening of schools is essential to reopening America, saying: "Our country has got to get back, and it's got to get back as soon as possible. And I don't consider our country coming back if the schools are closed."
At a White House event and in press statements, Trump said, “We want to reopen the schools. Everybody wants it. The moms want it. The dads want it. The kids want it...So we’re very much going to put pressure on governors and everybody else to open the schools, to get them open.”
Trump said the resumption of in-person classes will help the economic health of the country and the mental health of families. “It’s very important for our country. It’s very important for the well-being of the student and the parent. “
Supporting the president was Dr. Robert R. Redfield, director of the Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Redfield also called on schools to open, saying, “We think as you measure the different risk, it’s clear that we would see the greater risk to our society as to have these schools closed.”
The CDC plans to release guidelines next week on how schools might safely reopen.
School has always doubled as child care for America’s working parents, a fact that became all the more evident during the COVID-19 crisis. But many teachers are leery of returning to the classroom while the virus is still raging and there is no vaccine available.
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The White House cited a statement released last week by the American Academy of Pediatrics, which said that "the coming school year should start with a goal of having students physically present in school. The importance of in-person learning is well-documented, and there is already evidence of the negative impacts on children because of school closures in the spring of 2020."
In response to Trump’s demand to reopen schools, six education organizations issued a joint statement, the National Education Association, National Parent Teacher Association, American Federation of Teachers, Council of Administrators of Special Education, National Association of Secondary School Principals and the National Association of State Directors of Special Education.
Here is their statement:
No one wants students to safely return to classrooms more than parents, educators and administrators. We also recognize that we must do it the safest way possible, not the most politically expedient way.
The White House and the CDC have offered at best conflicting guidance for school reopening, and today offered little additional insight. Without a comprehensive plan that includes federal resources to provide for the safety of our students and educators with funding for Personal Protective Equipment, socially distanced instruction, and addressing racial inequity, we could be putting students, their families, and educators in danger.
Throughout this pandemic, the administration has failed to address the needs of students, especially those students who need the most support. They have failed to listen to families and public school educators who have been on the frontlines serving their communities. This vacuum of leadership leaves this administration with zero credibility in the minds of educators and parents when it comes to this major decision.
To safely re-open our schools, health experts should be relied on to figure out the "when" and educators and parents should be central to figuring out the "how." Public school educators, students and parents must have a voice in critical conversations and decisions on reopening schools. The president should not be brazenly making these decisions.
As parents, educators and administrators, we want to do what is best for students and we are fighting for what we need to reopen schools safely. This administration and Congress must do better to partner with us and lead.
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