White House press secretary Jen Psaki is turning up the heat on Republicans to stay true to their advocacy for reopening schools as long as that means voting yes on President Biden’s $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package. In a recent press briefing, Psaki misconstrued the CDC study on students and teacher transmission of COVID-19 to promote and endorse Biden’s school re-opening agenda.
A new CDC study in Wisconsin found that COVID-19 instances were much lower than the county at large, which counters some teacher unions that have refused to send teachers back amid the pandemic. The study found that among 5,530 student and staff members, only seven of the 191 COVID-19 cases reported were traced back to in-school transmission.
On a recent CNN segment, anchor Erin Burnett even pointed out that most of the union’s cases were being overruled to what the studies show. White House Chief of staff Ron Klain defended teachers unions on the show, saying that schools haven’t made the investments to keep students safe. “I don’t think unions are overruling studies. I think what you’re seeing is schools that haven’t made the investments to keep the students safe,” he said.
The CDC study shows that schools were able to sanitize classrooms, mandate masks, and provide social distancing measures without a fancy government paycheck or Biden’s fancy relief plan. Are they following the science or the funding at this point?
Biden’s plan for reopening a majority of K-8 schools includes funds for testing, equipment, and school upgrades. About 38% of schools are offering “virtual-only” classes, 38% are attending fully in-person sessions, and the rest are still on a hybrid schedule.
MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow had asked press secretary Psaki if Republicans were now against reopening schools in which she twisted a recent CDC’s study results to fit the budget of Biden’s bill.
“The CDC study, which I know has received a lot of attention, was based on kind of an area that was more rural in Wisconsin. … For areas where they are more populated or schools where there is a lot more foot traffic … there are going to need to be a lot of steps put in place in order to make the schools reopening safe,” Psaki said.
Psaki said that ALL schools should remain closed until every school is able to have the equipment and resources needed to open safely. The Biden Administration continues to “follow the science” but only when it supports their own viewpoints and agenda.
“Keep students safe” is a phrase that doesn’t mean anything anymore. It’s never been about the kids, it’s been about the teacher union campaign donors who want to get paid to stay home.
