DeVos defends push to reopen schools as Trump administration is accused

Education Secretary Betsy DeVos defended the Trump administration's aggressive push to reopen schools in the fall amid the worsening coronavirus pandemic, saying Sunday that a hybrid of virtual and in-person learning is ''not a valid choice for families. ''Speaking on CNN's ''State of the Union, '' DeVos also refused to say whether the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's guidelines for schools should be followed uniformly.''The CDC guidelines are just that, meant to be flexible and meant to be applied as appropriate for the situation, '' she said. The guidelines say children meeting in groups ''can put everyone at risk, '' adding that children ''can pass this virus onto others who have an increased risk of severe illness from COVID-19. '' The guidelines also call for 6 feet of social distancing and other measures to decrease the risk of spreading the virus. With the coronavirus running rampant throughout much of the Southern U. S., where record caseloads and increased hospitalizations are being reported, schools are scrambling to figure out plans for the imminent school year. Some districts, such as the New York City public schools, are planning on such a hybrid model. In recent days, President Donald Trump and his administration have pressed for schools to fully reopen, with the president claiming that Democrats want schools to stay closed to hurt his re-election chances. He has also threatened to withhold money from districts that don't reopen in the fall.''School leaders across the country need to be making plans'' to have students in the classroom, DeVos said. ''There will be exceptions to the rule, but the rule should be kids go back to school this fall. And where there are little flare-ups or hot spots, that can be dealt with school by school or a case-by-case basis. There's ample opportunity to have kids in school. ''Speaking on ABC's ''This Week, '' Dr. Brett Giroir, the assistant secretary of health and human services for health, said: ''We have to do this safely, but kids not being in school risk their social and emotional health, risk many people with nutrition, the recognition of child abuse, child sexual abuse. It's really important to get kids physically back in school.''But we do have to do that safely, '' he said. ''And the first thing we need to do is we need to get the virus under control. When we get the virus more under control, then we can really think about how we put children back in the classroom. ''Giroir said the Trump administration's guidelines ''tend to be a little bit academic and long, '' adding that the administration is working to make additional school guidelines ''much more concise so people can really follow them and understand them. ''House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said on ''State of the Union'' that DeVos' interview was evidence of ''malfeasance'' and ''dereliction of duty. ''''This is appalling, '' she said. ''The president and his administration are messing with the health of our children. All data is taken from the source: http://nbcnews.com Article Link: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/dona... #school #newsexpress #newstodayfox #newstodayworld #newstodayusa #kingworldnews #