Duval County

Vice president says it is absolutely essential to reopen schools with new CDC guidelines

Stock photo of a classroom.

(Wokandapix / Pixabay.com)

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — President Donald Trump said he would cut off federal funding for schools if students aren’t back in the classroom this fall.

Vice President Mike Pence called it absolutely essential for students to return to the classroom for in-person learning this fall.

Right now school districts across the country and locally are struggling with how to safely get students back into the classroom.

In a news conference today, Pence said the plan is to get new guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in order to reopen schools.

Pence said the number of people across the country dying from coronavirus is slowing down.

But he mentioned states like Arizona, Florida and Texas have seen some of the biggest spikes in coronavirus infections lately so there could be a delay in reopening for some states.

Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos agreed that schools must open.

“Ultimately it’s not a matter of if schools should reopen. It’s simply a matter of how. They must fully open and they must be fully operational. And how that happens is best left to education and community leaders,” said DeVos.

“There may be some states and local communities that, given cases or positivity in that community, may adjust to either a certain set of days or certain limitations and we’ll be very respectful of that,” said Pence.