Joe Biden On Reopening Schools: “This Is A National Emergency”

Joe Biden says he and Kamala Harris “will be ready on day 1 with a roadmap for reopening” schools. He held a news conference today (watch above) from Wilmington, Delaware saying:

“Let me be clear: if President Trump and his administration had done their jobs, America’s schools would be open. Instead, America’s families are paying the price for his failures.”

“President Trump may not think this is a national emergency but I do. Protecting our students, our educators, and our communities. Getting our schools open safely and effectively – this is a national emergency.”

The former vice president’s remarks followed a briefing both he and Dr. Jill Biden received from education leaders and experts.

Biden also laid out on his plan on his website, writing:

The challenge facing our schools is unprecedented. President Trump has made it much worse. We had a window to get this right. And, Trump blew it. His administration failed to heed the experts and take the steps required to reduce infections in our communities. As a result, cases have exploded. Now our window before the new school year is closing rapidly, and we are forced to grapple with reopening our schools in an environment of much greater risk to educators, students, and their families than there would have been if America had competent leadership. 

NBC News writes:

Biden said that if he were president, he would direct the Federal Emergency Management Agency to make sure that all K-12 schools received “full access to disaster relief and emergency assistance funds” that would allow them safely reopen and operate during the outbreak.

Those funds, he said, could be used to purchase large amounts of personal protective equipment, install better ventilator systems or fund more teachers to allow for smaller class sizes. It could also be used to fund more remote learning technology and to address emotional and mental health needs among students.

Read Biden’s full plan here.