Florida at center of virus outbreak and battle over school reopening
by Chris Lefkow
Florida is the new epicenter of the coronavirus epidemic in the United States and is shaping up as a key battleground in a partisan-tinged fight playing out nationally over reopening schools in the fall.
While cities such as Houston, Los Angeles and New York plan to begin the school year virtually or on a restricted in-person basis, Florida governor Ron DeSantis is insisting schools reopen fully in August.
The Republican governor’s demand mirrors that of President Donald Trump, who is facing a tough re-election battle in November and is pushing for schools to reopen as a sign of a return to normalcy.
Trump, who is trailing Democrat Joe Biden in polling, has even threatened to cut federal funding for those schools that refuse to open their doors.
“The president has said unmistakably that he wants schools to open,” White House spokeswoman Kayleigh McEnany said on Thursday. “And when he says open, he means open and full, kids being able to attend each and every day.
“The science should not stand in the way of this,” McEnany added. “The science is on our side here.”
A Yahoo News/YouGov poll published Thursday found that 63 percent of Americans said Trump should not be pressuring schools to reopen, while 25 percent agreed with his push.
Ninety-five percent of the Democrats and 58 percent of the Republicans surveyed agreed that reopening schools should take a back seat to public health.
Trump and DeSantis have only so much leverage, however, in a fight that has them butting heads with teachers’ unions, medical experts and many wary parents.
State and local officials have the final say when it comes to their school districts.
The Houston school district, which has more than 200,000 students, plans to begin the school year virtually on September 8 and start in-person classes on October 19 “subject to change based on COVID-19 conditions.”
Once in-person classes resume, “parents will have the option to opt out of face-to-face instruction entirely,” it said.
The Los Angeles school district, with 700,000 students, said classes will be online-only until further notice.
In New York City, which has the nation’s largest public school system with 1.1 million students, Mayor Bill de Blasio said classroom attendance would be limited to one to three days a week.
Other major cities, including Chicago and Washington, have kept parents on tenterhooks and not yet announced plans for the fall semester. (AFP)
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