The Federalist: Congress wants to pay public schools to stay closed
Trump says he is comfortable with sending his son and grandchildren to school amid the coronavirus pandemic; reaction and analysis from Ben Domenech, The Federalist publisher, on ‘America’s Newsroom.’
Sending kids back to schools in the fall is the "right thing to do" and those "playing politics with the situation" know it, The Federalist's Ben Domenech said Thursday.
In an interview on "America's Newsroom," Domenech said one of the "big silver linings" amid the coronavirus pandemic is encouraging signs from other countries' schools that have reopened their doors to younger children.
TRUMP SAID HE IS COMFORTABLE SENDING HIS SON, GRANDCHILDREN BACK TO SCHOOL
"Right now you have a situation where teachers' unions, powerful entities, are playing politics with the situation even though the science is entirely on one side of this," he said. "Showing that, yes, you can safely return these kids to schools and that we should not put them through the terrible risk for their health, for their educational futures, of keeping them outside, particularly when they're asking for billions of dollars in additional funding."
While some epidemiologists have warned there is not yet enough known about the virus to reopen schools safely for all, others – like the director of the Centers for Disease Control – argue that keeping them closed would be an even greater threat to children.
In addition, knowledge of COVID-19 has evolved over time, altering attitudes about critical precautionary methods like wearing face coverings.
Domenech said this is "one of those situations" where there will be "plenty of data" to take draw conclusions from in other countries and there is "clear guidance on this."
"I understand the concerns of parents. Obviously, everyone is concerned for their child," he told host Bret Baier.
Reception teacher Elizabeth Dockry places signage in a classroom as measures are taken to prevent the transmission of coronavirus before the possible reopening of Lostock Hall Primary school in Poynton near Manchester, England, Wednesday May 20, 2020. Since March 20, the coronavirus has forced British schools to close to all but a small number of key workers' children and those under social care. The government wants children to start returning to primary schools in stages from June 1. Those going back first include the youngest — ages 4 to 6. (AP Photo/Jon Super)
"But, in a situation where this is being used to demand a 600 percent increase, billions of dollars of additional funding that won't even get to the schools this year…That [would] be on top of the funding that was [given] earlier in the spring toward keeping these schools clean, even though they haven't had students in them..." he mused. "This is a situation where I think it's very obvious – for the sake of the children involved, for the sake of their families and frankly for the sake of their continued educational future and development – we need to be able to get back to schools, and we need to be able to do so soon."
As Domenech's colleague Joy Pullmann reported on Wednesday, Congress had already allocated $31 billion for online learning and facility sanitation. However, "education special interests" are demanding nearly half a trillion in additional deficit spending for the fall without requiring schools to operate.
"Democrats want nearly $430 billion extra to put kids in the equivalent of Khan Academy online math lessons," wrote Pullmann. "Did I mention that Khan Academy is free? And that the ask to duplicate it is 600 percent more than annual federal spending on K-12?"
"Democrat parents want their kids to go back to school too. It doesn't seem like it's, you know, a bright line politically. But yet, it has become a political issue," Baier noted.
"It absolutely has," said Domenech.
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"Look, I think that this is a situation where a lot of people are making assumptions about what parents want and they're not necessarily looking at what's the best thing for the kids involved. And I think that, in this situation, everyone should be emphatically in favor of getting people back to school as soon as possible," he said. "But, that's not really the case, Bret."
"This is turning into a political football. I think that, you know, both sides can read the polls in the situation. And, playing into the fears of people in this moment is something that I think, while unwise and irresponsible, is potentially politically beneficial," Domenech concluded.
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