President Trump said Tuesday that his administration would “put a lot of pressure” on the US governor to reopen public schools in the fall.
“We will strongly pressure the governor and everyone to open schools, to make them open. This is very important, “Trump said at the White House event which presented health experts, educators and politicians in the reopening of schools.
“So we will put a lot of pressure [governors] to open your school in the fall, “he continued.
“Everyone wants it. Mothers want it. Fathers want it. Children want it. It’s time to do it. “
The president also touted his administration’s efforts to combat the coronavirus pandemic – and pointed to Florida GOP Governor Ron DeSantis, who announced earlier in the day that the school would reopen there in the fall despite the recent large surge in several cases. .
“[Vice President] Mike [Pence] told me that Governor DeSantis did great [job]”The newly announced school will open in the fall and we hope that most schools will open,” Trump said.
He then appeared to accuse the governor of not wanting to reopen on security grounds for trying to hurt him politically.
“They thought it would be good for them politically so they closed the school. Impossible.”
First Lady Melania Trump focuses on children and their educational and emotional needs in a short speech.
“The government has been working all the time to protect Americans from the corona virus, but many challenges for children and families can be as invisible as a virus, and as dangerous as children who are not in school,” he said.
“They lost more than just time in class, they lost the laughter of friends, learning from the teachers and the joy of resting and playing,” continued the first lady before stressing the importance of safe reopening.
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“For children with disabilities, without access to technology or a home that is not a safe place, the situation could be worse. As the beginning of the school year approaches, I encourage parents, teachers and schools to teach children about the importance of the CDC guidelines and to implement them when appropriate, “he said.
“The mental health and social development of children must be as much a priority as physical health.”
While Trump and Pence talk about the danger of closing schools to children, business and conservative groups urge the opening of safe schools as important to getting their parents back to work and reviving the US economy.
“Schools connect students with peers and mentors, channel young energy into productive activities, teach important academic skills and knowledge, and give parents who are overwhelmed to breathe and work,” said the American Enterprise Institute here in urgent preparation for reopening of a fallen school.
Pence at the event promised that the federal government would work with the governor and other local leaders that reopening was carried out safely and that children’s health would be a priority.
And the chief commander said that once schools and the country were reopened there would be no return – even when several governors stopped their plans to reopen their economy.
“Now we are open and we want to remain open and we will remain open. We do not close. We will put out the fire when they come out. I call them embers and fire and whatever you want to call it, “he said.
And he reiterated that his administration had saved millions of lives based on projections that two million Americans could die without mitigation, and that the only reason the US led the world in confirmed cases was because of what he called extensive testing.
“If we do half the testing, we have fewer cases,” Trump said.
Colleges and universities are also considering plans to continue this fall, including changes to the calendar and online classes.
The Trump administration said Monday foreign students must leave the country if their schools move to online classes completely, which could hamper income for these schools.
