Rep. Bonamici Joins Advocates in Calling for Action to Keep Children, Teachers, and School Staff Safe and Prioritize Equity for All Kids

Press Release

Last night, the Congressional Progressive Caucus Center and Act.TV hosted Dispatch from the Frontlines: Standing Together to Demand Safe Schools, a tele-town hall viewed by more than 125,000 people, discussing how the federal government must respond to keep students and teachers safe if schools are reopened in the fall, while making sure that all students----regardless of where they live, who they are, or how much money is in their parent's bank account----are able to access the education they need.

The discussion featured Rep. Suzanne Bonamici (OR-1), President Lily Eskelsen Garcia of the National Education Association, John B. King Jr., President and CEO of the Education Trust and Beatriz Beckford, National Director of MomsRising Together.

The full livestream broadcast is available on the Congressional Progressive Caucus Center's Facebook page.

"Donald Trump is saying that the virus will "go away' - not true - and that children are "almost immune' - also not true," said Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici. "He and his Administration have refused to take the pandemic seriously for months and have failed to work toward science-based solutions that would help us reopen schools safely - like more testing and personal protective equipment. And the Administration is threatening to withhold funding in an attempt to force schools to open without regard for the safety of our students, families, educators, and staff. With the steep decline in state and local revenue, the federal government must provide significant resources to support public schools in this unprecedented time. The federal role is one of equity, and we know that low-income students, students of color, and students with disabilities have been disproportionately affected. If our nation values our teachers, our children, and our future, we must commit the appropriate resources and efforts to our public education system."

"The Trump administration has provided no real plan to educators, school administrators, parents, and students on how a return to face-to-face learning can be done safely and equitably. Educators, students and parents should not have to risk their lives because politicians are pushing schools to reopen against advice from health experts," said President Lily Eskelsen Garcia of the National Education Association. "School buildings should only open when it is safe to do so -- when transmission rates in the community are both low and declining. Otherwise, reopening school and campus buildings may cause a resurgence of the virus, and the school or college becomes the super-spreader event. We are hearing from our members -- loud and clear -- that they will continue to teach and support students whether buildings are open or not. Americans don't have time for the false choices that politicians are peddling during a pandemic. We need Congress to step up. The House already did that with the HEROES Act. It's long past time for Mitch McConnell to quit playing politics with kids' lives. The 3 million members of the National Education Association have one message for the Majority Leader: Get in the room and negotiate a deal with Speaker Pelosi and Leader Schumer."

"We really have two pandemics: we have the pandemic of COVID-19 and then we have the pandemic of systemic racism that's been with us since the beginning of the country," said former Secretary of Education John B. King Jr., President and CEO of the Education Trust. "The result of those twin pandemics is sadly, tragically, unjustly disparate impact on kids and families of color. For example 79% of white families have reliable access to the internet----only 66% of Black families, only 61% of Latino families. So in school districts where learning is happening through distance or hybrid, the schoolhouse door is barred for kids because they don't have internet access. We've gotta solve that in the wealthiest country in the world, we can solve that."

"As a mom, like so many other parents and caregivers across the country, I am juggling so many uncertainties right now. Getting Washington to act in the best interest of their constituents on issues like education and child care should not be one of them," said Beatriz Beckford, National Director of MomsRising Together. "Our families need our elected leaders to robustly fund and immediately pass the supports our families depend on regardless of what school looks like in the fall, for all this talk of the economy there is no economy without it."

The federal government has thus far failed to meet the needs of working families and students across the U.S. Teachers fear for their lives without funding for necessary protective equipment; children might carry the deadly virus to grandparents back at home if they go back to school; and there is no plan to keep people safe while supporting children's education and equity.

The full livestream broadcast is available on the Congressional Progressive Caucus Center's Facebook page.

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