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White House Coronavirus Task Force Advocates Entirely In-Person Learning For Fall

In a press briefing on Wednesday, the White House Coronavirus Task Force and Vice President Mike Pence advocated for the K-12 transition to an entirely in-person curriculum in the fall. 

Opposing the alternative blended model of learning that William S. Hart Union School District originally intended to implement, the Coronavirus Task Force supports the transition to in-person classes with restrictions in place to limit further spread of COVID-19. 

“It’s absolutely essential that we get our kids back into a classroom for in-person learning,” said Pence. “We can’t let our kids fall behind academically, but it’s important that the American people remember that for children that have mental health issues, for special needs children, for nutrition for children in communities facing persistent poverty, school is the place where they receive all those services.”

The full reopening of K-12 schools is expected by the Coronavirus Task Force to not only efficiently guide student’s learning, but also yield positive impacts on the economy and the unemployment crisis. 

“One study has suggested that if we closed all our schools and daycare for just a month — just, hypothetically, if we did that — the impact on U.S. productivity would be in the order of $50 billion,” said Eugene Scalia, the United States Secretary of Labor. “That gives you some sense of the impact having our schools closed can have on our national recovery.”

As the 7-day average daily positivity rate in Los Angeles County was determined on Wednesday to have risen to 10.4 percent, a rate that has not seen since late-April, officials continue to urge the public to socially distance, a measure that would be challenged by the reopening of schools, according to the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health. 

Related: Education Secretary Says Schools Must Be ‘Fully Operational,’ Criticizes School Partial Reopening Plans For Fall

Focusing on the states where the number of cases have increased, including California, the Coronavirus Task Force and Pence believe that in-person learning should only be enforced if school safety is equipped to protect the most vulnerable.

“I think we would account for the fact that while we hope — we hope every school in America is able to open this fall, there may be some states and local communities that, given cases or positivity in that community, may adjust to either a certain set of days or certain limitations.  And we’ll be very respectful of that.”

The William S. Hart Union School District board president, Linda Storli, questioned the proposed 5-day in-person school week plan to be implemented in the fall due to the increased cases in the community.

“We have teachers that are afraid, we have students whose parents are afraid, nothing would please me more than to just have this thing over and go back to school, but that’s not where we are,” said Storli. “We are in a place where we absolutely must take into consideration the safety of our teachers and our students.”

The district continues to weigh the expense of school reopenings amid currently increasing COVID-19 cases.


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White House Coronavirus Task Force Advocates Entirely In-Person Learning For Fall

16 comments

  1. Sect. of Labor, Eugene Scalia is apparently saying the safety of our children is outweighed by lost revenue if schools remain closed until reopening them is again safe; this as we are in the midst of the highest number of cases to date and continue climbing. We still have no vaccine, hospitals are filling, medical equipment remains in short supply and the federal government still has no plan when all they had to do is the same thing they failed to do in March- look at what Europe did to knock down the numbers to a safer level before proceeding to reopen schools.

    How much revenue was lost by giving corporations and the already obscenely rich more tax cuts? We could have used that money now to fight this virus, provide medical care, supplement innovative education alternatives, provide supplemental relief for families that have suffered income loss this year amid the shutdown etc etc etc… But not with this administration where money Trumps all. Please understand- TRUMP does NOT care about you, your children or the country. He cares ONLY for himself. Always has.

    • Danny,
      Thanks for the CNN update and your warped views. Maybe your next try you can watch some real news. Its a shame that the dems can take something as serious as this pandemic and make it political as they do with everything else. All that does is confuse the public of the facts that they should be getting.

    • Denny is exactly right in everything he said right there! ?
      Too bad the Right always has to make this a political thing like they always feel they have to do for some twisted reason! They want to mis-lead you, Trump wants all Americans to walk off the cliff and doesn’t care if you are sick, poor, or dying! He seems to want that! He wants to give us bad info, and try to confuse you, and everyone who has ANY brain knows everything that has ever come out of his mouth is a complete LIE! Thank God this will finally STOP come November, as we don’t need any more of he’s lies, deceptions, cons, or any more of his asinine racism and simple disregard for this country anymore! He’s a crook, and he should be in JAIL for all the mis-deeds he has incurred on our people! Honestly, he should be given the death penalty for all the felonious crimes he has committed! What kind of leader would try to discredit one of their county’s most knowledgable scientists just because the public believes him more than the president? But that’s what he does to everyone who doesn’t completely agree with him, and makes up childish names for them! America can’t WAIT to exorcise this demon out of office! Worst American President in History! That’s what the history books will say!

  2. We’ll said. What Trump has done to his businesses – run them into bankruptcy not once, but several times, he is doing to our country on every level. The dilemma we face is that Biden is equally as bad. Please don’t forget he’s had to drop out of the Presidential race in the past for lying! It’s time for a change… we need Bernie.

  3. The requirements are costing school districts money they didn’t have in the first place. Grocery store employee are working and have worked through the entire pandemic. Retail and restaurants are open too. Why is is teachers can’t go bs k to work? First responders continue to work. I can go on but you get my point. Lots of employees are working and continue to work. Teachers are essential as is our children’s education. High risk = long distance learning. The rest should be able to decide on their school needs. In -person or distance learning. If a teacher doesn’t want in person then have them teach distance learning. We need teachers in school just as much as teachers distance teaching.

  4. Schools should be re-opened for students in the fall.
    .Teachers are still being paid for doing nothing but whining about their own welfare. As stated, grocery stores workers interface with people daily and run the risk of infection. Get to work teachers and think of the children who are being cheated on education!! You teachers chose this type of job.

  5. Here here! Laurel & Wendy, Pay no attention to those nah Sayers,

  6. The schools should be reopened in the fall. I agree whole heartedly with Laurel and that all essential
    workers and that means TEACHERS should go back to WORK. They are getting paid during this pandemic for doing nothing but whining. Getting infected with Corona V. social distancing and mask should work for you.
    Children need to be in school (Distant Learning)
    doesn’t work per many parents attest to. Stop cheating our children. They’ve lost a lot in 4 months.

  7. Since school districts closed in an effort to stop the virus’s spread, and our Legislature has agreed to cover funding during school closures so educators in LA county districts will continue to be paid during the “governments mandated closure”
    How about we share some of that funding with the parents for having to picking up the slack of the paid educators with their efforts at home schooling. I’m sure they could use the funds, seems to be pretty essential to me.

  8. Wendy,
    You don’t know what the teachers were doing from March through mid-June. It doesn’t mean they weren’t working.
    Right now, there are no clearly-stated plans for the way a school campus would be set up for improved safety. It is hard to expect teachers and parents to agree to starting instruction up again on campus without knowing what that would look like.

  9. LA Teachers Union won’t reopen schools until Charter schools are closed and police are defunded. This isn’t about safety!!! This is clear by the demands made by the teachers union. It’s WRONG!!! And then people wonder why the discussion of COVID hoax is prevalent. Because of this!!!

  10. You are making an illogical connection. The union is NOT negotiating with the district on school police & charter schools IN CONJUNCTION with establishing protocols for returning to school safely.
    Apparently you think returning to campuses is safe for all. Maybe you can explain your scientific knowledge to us readers. You seem to think the teachers have ill intentions. I don’t agree with you.
    This pandemic is REAL.

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About Rachel Matta

Born and raised in Santa Clarita, Rachel Matta has always had a love for writing and media. The first time she ever smiled was actually while she was laying next to her mom as she flipped through the pages of a magazine. Upon graduating from high school in 2019, she chose to major in both journalism and political science at College of the Canyons with the intention of concentrating in news reporting. She began her journey at KHTS as a news intern in the summer of 2020 and officially joined the newsroom in the spring of 2021, intending to move forward with compassion and inquisition.