Education Secretary Betsy DeVos said it’s up to local leadership to start preparing for the reopening of schools across the country this fall, calling guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention “just that.”
The coronavirus pandemic, which has transferred classroom environments to remote learning since March, is set to be a major concern on how to safely resume schools as early as next month.
“Kids need to be back in school, and that school leaders across the country need to be making plans to do just that,” DeVos said Sunday on CNN’s State of the Union. “There’s going to be the exception to the rule, but the rule should be that kids go back to school this fall. And where there are little flare-ups or hot spots, that can be dealt with on a school-by-school or a case-by-case basis.”
Education Secretary Betsy DeVos calls on schools to reopen despite CDC guidelines that say children meeting in groups can put everyone at risk: “There is going to be the exception to the rule. But the rule should be that kids go back to school this fall” #CNNSOTU pic.twitter.com/XDwaFdjLCX
— CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) July 12, 2020
DeVos has been adamant about her stance that schools should reopen in the fall backed by President Trump. Trump and his administration have also threatened to restrict federal funding from school districts that don’t fully open in the fall. DeVos said districts need to have plans to put into place for safety measures, most of which have already been in place for other businesses and essential places.
“It really is a matter of paying attention to good hygiene, following the guidelines around making sure we’re washing hands, wearing masks when appropriate, staying apart at a bit of a distance socially,” she said. “And, you know, doing the things that are common sense approaches ensuring that kids can go back to the classroom and can go back to learning.”
The CDC laid out guidelines for the reopening of schools, which Trump has called too costly and impractical. Devos on Sunday called the guidelines “just that, meant to be flexible and meant to be applied as appropriate for the situation.”
As school districts struggle to combine the Trump Administration’s push for in-person learning with CDC guidelines, Education Secretary Betsy DeVos says “the CDC guidelines are just that, meant to be flexible and meant to be applied as appropriate for the situation” #CNNSOTU pic.twitter.com/aMyTL2x6eu
— CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) July 12, 2020
Among some of the guidelines is placing physical barriers among students to ensure safe distancing, having students bring their own lunches, and close down all gathering areas such as playgrounds and community areas.
