In demanding that schools reopen full bore and on time, President Donald Trump is once again putting his own political interest ahead of the country’s interest.
Fortunately, many school districts from Los Angeles to New York aren’t buying, opting to start the school year late or with a hybrid combination of in-class and remote learning designed to protect the health of not only students but teachers, custodians and bus drivers.
Trump’s current effort parallels the way he pressured states with Republican governors to reopen their economies prematurely to launch the “great American comeback” he desperately needs for his reelection.
The result has been disastrous. States that acceded to Trump’s entreaties without even meeting his administration’s own guidelines — like Texas, Florida and Arizona — are being overwhelmed by a resurgence of the pandemic, forcing them to reinstitute closings. Rather than speed an economic revival, the result may be to slow it, while increasing the risk that thousands more will get sick.
In recent weeks, Trump and Education Secretary Betsy DeVos have mounted a similarly heavy-handed effort to force local school districts to open with full classrooms this fall, regardless of their local health situation or their capacity to protect students and teachers.
Their underlying goal is similar: to spur economic recovery by making it easier for parents to go back to work.
They have disdained those who favor combining in-person and online instruction, as many school districts prefer, creating substantial confusion in the process.
Trump has consistently downplayed the health threat, citing a low mortality rate among children despite an increase in cases involving younger people. But Dr. Anthony Fauci called that “false complacency” that ignores the possibility asymptomatic younger victims could serve as carriers and infect their parents or grandparents.
It also doesn’t account for the risk to many older school employees such as teachers, custodians and drivers.
The president also invoked the success of various foreign countries in reopening schools, without mentioning their success in curbing the virus made it possible.
And he threatened to cut off federal school funds for recalcitrant school districts, pretty much an empty threat. More than 90 percent of local school funds come from localities and states.
Trump has pressured the Centers for Disease Control to revise its “tough and expensive guidelines” on grounds “they are asking schools to do very impractical things,” like keeping classroom desks 6 feet apart.
That’s not going to happen; regardless of what Trump and the CDC say, state and local officials will make the crucial decisions based on local circumstances, just as they did last spring. Protecting the health of students and other school personnel will be a prime consideration.
Besides, it’s evident there is no one-size-fits-all for the nation’s 2,300-plus school districts, which vary in size from the 72-student Washington Island School District in Wisconsin to New York City’s 1.1 million public school students.
Many school districts are ignoring Trump’s demands. Mayor Bill de Blasio announced New York City schools would use a mix of classroom and remote learning this fall. Officials in Atlanta, Los Angeles and San Diego, all in states with severe virus resurgences, said they would start the school year with all-remote learning. Phoenix said it would delay the start of the school year.
As with reopening the economy, there is no real disagreement with the ultimate goal. Everyone wants to see their children back in school, but only when it is safe.
It is far from certain that either federal or local governments can ensure that safety. In many areas, officials remain hamstrung by the same shortage in testing materials and protective gear that undercut the nation’s original response to the virus.
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