Education Secretary Betsy DeVos told “The Story” on Wednesday that “it is not acceptable for schools not to reopen” for face-to-face classes this fall.
“Education is an essential function,” DeVos told host Martha MacCallum. “Schools are essential, teachers are essential, children have to go back to school, and this administration will continue to fight to expand options and opportunities so that families who want to choose a different option have the power to do so.”
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DeVos spoke hours after school officials in Prince George’s County, Maryland, outside Washington, DC, announced that they planned to start the 2020-21 school year with online classes and set a goal to return to in-person instruction. by the beginning of the third quarter. next year in February.
The president of the American Federation of Teachers, Randi Weingarten, has called for additional funds to reopen schools safely, insisting that educators want to return to their classrooms, but many school districts are “immobilized” due to budget cuts.
“When we talk about reopening schools again, it seems to focus more on the needs and problems of adults than what is right for children,” DeVos replied.
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“Certainly, we all want school to be safe for children, but the reality is that science tells us that being in school is safe for children,” he added.
“Clearly we have to follow hygiene guidelines, wear masks when appropriate, and ensure teachers have distance and protection, but this can be done,” DeVos continued.
Later in the interview, DeVos told MacCallum that, while the pandemic has highlighted the importance of expanding school choice to improve access to charter schools for students, the decision would eventually be expelled to the states for they decide for themselves.
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“We need education to increase to meet the occasion at every moment and we know that for many students this spring, their experience at their assigned schools was less than ideal, less than optimal,” he said.
“All states have that opportunity, and I urge all states to seriously consider expanding the election program they already have or creating new ones to meet the needs of these families.”
