(Photo: REUTERS/Carlos Barria)
United States President Donald Trump said that states must "seriously" look into reopening their public schools before end of the academic year, although many have already stated that returning before the summer or fall will be very risky for the students.
Trump said that some may start considering about reopening the schools simply because "many people want the school openings." The president added that this is not a huge subject as "young kids have done really well" in this crisis that everyone else has gone through.
During a White House briefing, Trump pointed out that many (state governors) are actually thinking about reopening their schools. "Even if it is just for a very short period of time, I think (reopening the schools) would be a good thing," he told members of the press.
Trump's call to reopen American schools is part of his campaign to restart the US economy, although several states have already requested that the school year not be reopened. But, so late in the academic year, many students are unlikely to return to the classrooms in the near future.
Forth three states including Washington, DC, have mandated or agreed that schools do not reopen this academic year, according to a CNN count of school closures.
Other states have suggested only that local authorities continue to help the students through modules of distance learning. These states are California, Idaho, Maine, Kentucky, Tennessee, and South Dakota. The governor of Montana has given school districts the opportunity to start learning in-classroom as early as May 7.
According to a recording received by The Associated Press, none of the governors on the call answered the request.
Trump made the remarks while the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention worked to complete plans for reopening the economy. For classrooms, this included positioning 6 feet (1.8 meters) apart desks for the pupils, serving meals in the classroom instead of the cafeteria and barring entry to play areas.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said earlier this month that the situation is still very unpredictable when he was asked about reopening US schools.
As this developed, the nation's two largest teachers' unions claim they'd support strikes or significant demonstrations if schools reopened without adequate security measures in place or against medical expert advice - increasing the risk of further school disruption.
Randi Weingarten, President of the American Federation of Teachers, previewing a reopening proposal with Politico, stated that a huge amount of money is required for a variety of schools' public health programs, including personal protective equipment, among other critical devices for students' safety.
The pandemic has sickened over 3 million people around the world since the outbreak began, with more than 1 million cases recorded in the US as of mid-afternoon, Tuesday
