President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump will participate in a dialogue for reopening schools on Tuesday afternoon.
A livestream of the event is slated to begin at 2 p.m., but delays are possible. If there isn’t a livestream available, check back at a later time.
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Trump scheduled the White House event to present his case for reopening schools. Vice President Mike Pence and education and public health leaders are expected to attend.
DeVos rejects part-time reopening for schools amid pandemic
Earlier Tuesday, Education Secretary Betsy DeVos assailed plans by some local districts to offer in-person instruction only a few days a week and said schools must be “fully operational” even amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Anything less, she said during a call with governors, would fail students and taxpayers. Audio of the call was obtained by The Associated Press.
“Ultimately, it’s not a matter of if schools need to open, it’s a matter of how. School must reopen, they must be fully operational. And how that happens is best left to education and community leaders,” DeVos told governors.
President Donald Trump has insisted that schools and colleges return to in-person instruction as soon as possible. Trump said Monday on Twitter that Democrats want to keep schools closed “for political reasons, not for health reasons.”
“They think it will help them in November. Wrong, the people get it!” Trump tweeted.
No campus should reopen until pandemic begins to subside, Texas teachers association says
Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath and state leaders have deemed it safe for schools to reopen in August despite the recent spike in COVID-19 cases.
The Texas State Teachers Association on Tuesday lambasted the reopening of campuses amid the surge. The Texas State Teachers Association President Noel Candelaria said schools must reopen safely, but should only do so when the pandemic begins to subside.