Fox’s Cavuto Presses Education Sec. DeVos: ‘Would It Be Reckless’ to Reopen Schools in Places We’re Seeing Covid Spikes?
With President Donald Trump saying he wants to see schools opened in the call, Fox News’ Neil Cavuto pressed Education Secretary Betsy DeVos Wednesday over whether schools can be safely reopened un places where coronavirus cases are currently going up.
DeVos echoed the president in saying they’re “urging governors across the country” to reopen schools and claimed “there’s nothing in the data that would suggest that it would not be appropriate to he kids in school.”
“While there may be spikes in certain areas and certain communities, those are exceptions to the rule,” she continued. “The rule should be that kids need to be back in school. It’s important for their health across the board.”
When Cavuto asked about the president threatening to cut aid for schools that don’t reopen, DeVos said schools would be breaking their “promise” to schools by not reopening. “So why should they receive funds for something they’re not going to do?”
“But there are extenuating circumstances, right?” Cavuto countered. “They don’t willy-nilly break their promise. And we haven’t seen a school system yet that’s defied that. But, I mean, there was this little thing called the coronavirus, right?”
DeVos emphasized the risks of kids continuing to not go to school and the health problems that arise, saying, “Frankly, it’s an issue for the future of our country. If kids miss more months if not years of learning, it puts everyone at a huge disadvantage.”
Cavuto again brought up the coronavirus and states where they’re seeing spikes in cases, asking, ” Would it be reckless of a governor or a mayor in those locales to go ahead and open schools as if none of that were going on? Is there any risk to them just holding off a little while? That or most of the nation, to your point, it’s fine. But for these affected areas, it is not fine.”
She pointed to the plans Florida and Texas have put in place for reopening schools despite those concerns.
At one point Cavuto brought up concerns from teachers worried about reopenings because they’re more vulnerable to the virus, adding, “Tthere are a lot of parents listening to us right now and they might be anxious about, especially in areas where there are spikes, whether their kids are safe.”
“And those are issues for local school buildings and school districts to work out,” DeVos said. “But I think the posture needs to be — and the president has made very clear — we are underscoring the fact that kids have got to get back to school. Kids I’ve got to get back to learning. And there’s nothing in the data that suggests they should not do that.”
You can watch above, via Fox News.
