Trump threatens to cut funding to schools if they don't reopen amid pandemic
Washington: Federal aid for US schools could end up being partly cut if they refuse to fully reopen, as President Donald Trump ramps up pressure to get students back into the classroom during the global pandemic.
In a bid to boost America's economy after months of coronavirus shutdowns, the White House is pushing states to reopen school doors despite rising infection rates around much of the nation.
Donald Trump also said he disagreed with the CDC on their "very tough" guidelines for opening schools.Credit:AP
As debate raged about how to do this safely, Trump on Wednesday, local time, tweeted: "In Germany, Denmark, Norway, Sweden and many other countries, SCHOOLS ARE OPEN WITH NO PROBLEMS. The Dems think it would be bad for them politically if U.S. schools open before the November Election, but is important for the children & families. May cut off funding if not open!"
In the US, the bulk of school funding comes from state and local governments, however, the federal education department can withhold emergency relief funding - money that is often used by districts to assist the most vulnerable students.
The President's threat came moments before the White House coronavirus taskforce held a briefing with Vice President Mike Pence, Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, and the administration's coronavirus response coordinator, Dr Deborah Birx.
US Vice President Mike Pence listens to Dr Deborah Birx at the coronavirus taskforce briefing.Credit:Bloomberg
However, notably absent was the President himself, along with the nation's top infectious diseases expert, Anthony Fauci.
Dr Fauci had earlier noted that the emphasis on coronavirus death rates - often cited by Trump - was a "false narrative" because "there's so many other things that are very dangerous and very bad about this virus".
"Don't get yourself into false complacency," he said earlier this week.
During the briefing, Pence acknowledged that more than 131,000 Americans had died from COVID-19, and more than three million people had tested positive.
But more than 39 million people had been tested overall, the Vice President said, "and we are encouraged that the average fatality rate continues to be low and steady".
Asked, however, if the White House was putting children at risk by pushing for face-to-face teaching to resume, Pence said that "apart from having an underlying health condition, children do not appear to be susceptible to this virus". Therefore, the risk was "very low".
The CDC's guidelines include using cloth face coverings, staying home when appropriate, modifying seating to allow social distancing of at least 1.8 metres and shutting communal spaces. Some US states are developing their own rules, noting that they would struggle to keep children apart if schools reopened.
Many are also criticising the mixed messages over the response to the pandemic, with the White House pushing for students to return at a time when some states have had to wind back plans to reopen restaurants and other venues due to troubling spikes.
And in comments that added to the nation's confusion about how to handle the virus, Trump on Wednesday also Tweeted: "I disagree with @CDCgov on their very tough and expensive guidelines for opening schools. While they want them to open, they are asking schools to do very impractical things! I will be meeting with them!"
Education has been a critical concern during the pandemic, with children across the world kept at home in order to stop the spread of COVID-19.
However, this has had implications for both parents and students who have struggled with social isolation, mental health problems, and the challenges of distance learning.
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