The House Select Committee on the Coronavirus Crisis asked the Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos
Elizabeth (Betsy) Dee DeVosTexas officials offer schools the option to offer classes online only until November. The Coronavirus committee demands that DeVos clarify the threat of cutting funds from schools. Fear not: the lies of the “deep state” undermine the truths of the federal bureaucracy. PLUS on Friday to provide details about the Trump administration’s threat to cut federal funds from schools that were not fully reopened during the pandemic.
President Trump
Donald John Trump Civil Rights Legend Representative John Lewis Dies Biden Warns About Interference In Russian Elections After Receiving Intelligence Reports Texas Officials Offer Schools Option To Offer Classes Online Only Until November MORE and DeVos have threatened to cut funds if public schools do not follow through on their demands to completely reopen classroom instruction in the fall.
Whip James Clyburn (DS.C.), chairman of the House of Representatives selection committee, asked DeVos in a letter obtained by The Hill to provide documents to the panel by July 31 detailing any plans to condition subsidies or funds for the reopening of schools.
Clyburn also requested that DeVos provide documents on any action the Department of Education has taken to acquire and distribute protective equipment for use in schools.
“I am especially concerned that, contrary to laws passed by Congress, you have threatened to cut federal funds from schools that do not comply with your potentially dangerous demands. I urge you to end this illegal threat and allow schools to make reopening decisions based on the best science available, “he wrote.
Clyburn added that the lack of details on threats to cut funds added further confusion for schools trying to figure out how they can safely reopen.
“His statements have created confusion among state and local officials and school districts already facing challenges in planning and paying for accommodations to address the current public health crisis,” he wrote.
Educators echoed concerns that unspecified threats from the administration to cut funding have created more uncertainty for schools.
“Unfortunately, all we are getting from Betsy DeVos and Donald Trump have been empty threats and radical privatization schemes, such as pushing vouchers during a pandemic,” said president of the National Education Association, Lily Eskelsen García.
The Trump administration has limited ability to cut funding for schools. Only about 10 percent of public school funding comes from the federal government, while state and local governments provide the rest.
Initially, DeVos said last week that he was “very serious” considering withholding funds from schools that do not fully reopen. But then he said the Trump administration is investigating an unspecified coupon program for families “to find out where their children can be educated if their schools refuse to reopen.”
A coronavirus relief law enacted in June provided about $ 13 billion to help K-12 schools respond to the coronavirus pandemic.
Lawmakers on both sides are discussing the possibility of providing additional funding to help schools meet the guidelines of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) if they reopen for face-to-face instruction as part of a package. of coronavirus relief expected in the coming weeks.
CDC guidelines include that students and teachers wear masks, separate students in classrooms and on school buses, disinfect surfaces, and ensure that ventilation systems are up to date.
CDC Director Robert Redfield said last week the agency would issue additional information to clarify its guidelines, after Trump tweeted that they were “very difficult and expensive.”
But as of Friday, the CDC has yet to issue additional guidance.
The White House rejected a request by the House Education and Labor Committee to hear Redfield’s testimony next week about the reopening of schools.
Several school districts this week announced plans to start the school year with fully virtual learning, while others plan a combination of virtual and in-person instruction.
Updated: 10:40 pm
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