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“ “I wouldn’t trust you to care for a house plant let alone my child.” ”
That’s Rep. Ayanna Pressley, ripping U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos on Sunday over the Trump administration’s efforts to restart schools this fall.
DeVos appeared on CNN’s “State of the Union” on Sunday morning calling for schools to reopen, despite surging coronavirus cases around the nation.
“There’s going to be the exception to the rule, but the rule should be that kids go back to school this fall,” DeVos told CNN. “And where there are little flare-ups or hot spots, that can be dealt with on a school-by-school or a case-by-case basis.”
CNN host Dana Bash pressed DeVos to clarify what the federal government plans to do to if there are outbreaks at schools, and at what point the government would order affected schools to close again.
DeVos dodged the question, saying “every school should have plans for that situation,” while avoiding saying what, if anything, the government recommends those plans to be.
In a tweet shortly after the interview aired, Pressley, a Massachusetts Democrat, tore into DeVos.
“[Betsy DeVos] you have no plan,” Pressley said. “Teachers, kids and parents are fearing for their lives. You point to a private sector that has put profits over people and claimed the lives of thousands of essential workers. I wouldn’t trust you to care for a house plant let alone my child.”
On Sunday, a number of public health officials urged a cautious approach to reopening schools, saying decisions to open should be based on health data, not politics.
While some argue that children appear to be less at risk of catching and spreading COVID-19, Israel recently saw a nationwide spike in cases after reopening its schools.
