Scalise: Reopen Schools Now

WASHINGTON—Republican Whip and Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis Ranking Member Steve Scalise (R-La.) today issued the following statement on the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) school reopening guidance:

“Today’s CDC guidance essentially reiterates the same guidance issued eight months ago. It’s time for President Biden to stand up to the unions and reopen schools. The science could not be more straightforward: schools must safely reopen their doors to students now. Dr. Fauci has stated that ‘it’s less likely for a child to get infected in the school setting than if they were just in the community’ and CDC Director Walensky has stated that teachers can return to classrooms without being vaccinated.

“The facts clearly show that shuttering schools causes more harm than the virus itself and is setting back a generation of children. Where schools have reopened, there is scant virus transmission, but in communities where schools are closed, child abuse and neglect, mental health issues and suicide, and failing grades are all up. This is unacceptable and our nation’s children deserve better from their leaders.

“President Biden pledged to reopen schools in 100 days and follow the science, but instead he has broken this promise and followed the radical unions’ lead. The President calls school closures a ‘national emergency’ but he is enabling it. It’s past time for President Biden to put the needs of students first and take the steps necessary to reopen America’s classrooms and have teachers instruct students in-person.”

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