The coronavirus might still have a hold on the country, but President Trump wants state governors to consider sending children back to school.
CNN obtained the audio of a teleconference call President Trump had with the nation's governors on Monday, where he tells governors to "start thinking about school openings."
"Some of you might start thinking about school openings because a lot of people are wanting to have school openings. It's not a big subject, young children have done very well in this disaster that we've all gone through," Trump said. "So a lot of people are thinking about the school openings. And I think it's something, Mike [Pence], they can seriously consider and maybe get going on it."
Despite his efforts, it's unlikely that schools will reopen this year. Per CNN, 43 states and the District of Columbia have either ordered or recommended that schools remain closed for the rest of the academic year. California, Idaho, Kentucky, Maine, South Dakota, and Tennessee have recommended that local officials continue to support schools through distant learning methods. Only Montana has given school districts the option of reopening, which could happen as early as May 7.
The director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Dr. Anthony Fauci, explained earlier this month that the timetable for when children would be able to return to the classroom is "unpredictable." Yet, he does believe that the country will have the pandemic under control by the fall.
"I fully expect—though I'm humble enough to know that I can't accurately predict—that by the time we get to the fall, that we will have this under control enough that it certainly will not be the way it is now where people are shutting schools," Dr. Fauci said before stating that the classroom experience will be "different."
Once children do return to the classroom, it will be on school administrators to keep the kids safe. This could result in all children and teachers wearing masks, staggering start times, and the cancellation of assemblies and sporting events.
