Kamala Harris Wants to Make Schools Stay Open and Staffed 10 Hours a Day

Charlie NashNov 6th, 2019, 10:18 am
 

Trump Campaign Official: Kamala Harris 'Scares Me the Most'

Political pundits freaked out on Wednesday after it was reported that 2020 Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA) had proposed a new bill which would incentivize schools to stay open later for parents who are working.

“Harris frames her proposal through that lens, with a promise that ‘aligning school and work schedules is an economic growth and child development strategy.’ Her plan: A pilot program that gives money to 500 schools that serve a high proportion of low-income families to develop a school schedule that better matches the work schedule,” reported Mother Jones, Wednesday. “Each recipient school would receive up to $5 million dollars over five years to keep their doors open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., with no closures except for weekends, federal holidays, and emergencies.”

Harris justified the bill by declaring, “My mother raised my sister and me while working demanding, long hours… So, I know firsthand that, for many working parents, juggling between school schedules and work schedule is a common cause of stress and financial hardship. But, this does not have to be the case.”

Though the bill is reportedly supported by Sen. Kristen Gillibrand (D-NY), Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR), and Sen. Michael Bennet (D-CO), many political pundits responded negatively to the proposal, misreading the bill as a mandatory extension to school hours.

Editor’s note: This post has been edited since first being published to more accurately reflect the nature of the bill in question.

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