With the school year beginning in weeks in some parts of the United States, Biden’s plan says, “We had a window to do this right. And Trump ruined it.”
“Everyone wants their schools to reopen. The question is how to make it safe, how to make it work,” Biden said in a video accompanying the plan. “Forcing educators and students to return to a classroom in areas where the infection rate increases or remains very high is simply dangerous.”
Biden’s wife Jill, a community college teacher, also appears in the video, saying: “Schools and parents want a clear science-based strategy. Not mixed messages and ultimatums.”
Biden’s five-point plan says that decisions by state and local officials to open schools should be “based on science,” circumstances within the community, and “with the safety of students and educators in mind.” The first step, he said, is to work to slow the spread of the virus.
“It has to start by reducing cases in our communities. That is the first step. It means wearing a mask, following social distance guidelines, ensuring effective testing and tracking, and that workers have the protective gear they need to be safe,” Biden said. “Donald Trump may have waved the white flag and given up, but the rest of us cannot do that.”
Biden suggests that Congress approve additional funding of $ 30 billion to “ensure schools have the additional resources they need to effectively adapt to Covid-19,” including personal protective equipment and “alterations to the building’s ventilation systems. , classrooms, schedules, class size and transportation. ” It also wants an additional $ 4 billion for broadband technology and updates.
The former vice president said he would ask the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, along with other federal agencies, to provide guidelines to reopening safely for state and local officials.
Biden’s proposal comes as school districts across the country are evaluating how they will resume teaching. Several of the nation’s largest districts have said they will extend remote learning through the fall.
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