Ed Secretary Betsy DeVos: Teachers’ Unions ‘Playing Politics with Children’s Lives’

U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos said Thursday teachers’ unions’ continued pressure to keep government schools closed during the pandemic amounts to “playing politics with children’s lives.”

DeVos told FOX Business’s Maria Bartiromo children need to be in school.

“It’s something the president has been calling for, for months, as have I and others,” the secretary said, adding the American Academy of Pediatrics also declared the best place for children is in school.

“This is no excuse,” DeVos said. “The only reason kids are not back to school in person in too many places is because the teachers’ unions have been standing in the way and have been playing politics with children’s lives.”

Teachers’ Unions Pressure States to Clamp Down on Virtual Charter Schools During Pandemic https://t.co/1nu2F3p8WG

— Breitbart News (@BreitbartNews) April 3, 2020

A research paper released by United Teachers Los Angeles (UTLA) suggests government schools could free up funds needed to reopen amid the coronavirus pandemic if police are defunded. https://t.co/ZVgMBrqMJv

— Breitbart News (@BreitbartNews) July 14, 2020

As Breitbart News reported, this week a local of the Chicago Teachers Union posted a tweet, which was later deleted, that said, “The push to reopen schools is rooted in sexism, racism and misogyny.”

In addition to Trump and DeVos, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Dr. Robert Redfield has called for schools to remain open:

It is critically important for our public health to open schools this fall. CDC resources will help parents, teachers and administrators make practical, safety-focused decisions as this school year begins. https://t.co/QSCGa85yT2 pic.twitter.com/hyajzvIgET

— Dr. Robert R. Redfield (@CDCDirector) July 24, 2020

“Kids are suffering across the country, falling farther and farther behind, and the ones who are most hurt are the ones who are most vulnerable: children with disabilities, children from low-income families,” DeVos explained further:

Those are the ones who we profess to want to be able to help and ensure that they have equal opportunities and yet they are the ones that are suffering most because their families don’t have alternatives. It’s a crime and it has to change. We have got to empower parents to make those decisions for their children because the schools and the systems they are a part of simply aren’t cutting it.

Many countries have reopened schools safely following closures during the coronavirus pandemic, said Dr. William Schaffner, M.D. https://t.co/uVrxaAYqSb

— Breitbart News (@BreitbartNews) July 14, 2020

As the coronavirus has spread further, many states and school districts have chosen to end in-person learning and switch to remote classes, which many children, who lack sufficient supervision or equipment resources, do not attend.

DeVos said at least three million students are not attending virtual classes, according to data.

The secretary said the problems revealed by the pandemic point to the necessity for school choice.

“This is an issue that the pandemic has laid bare,” she said. “Our K-12 education system has been dysfunctional and broken for many students, for many years. Now is the time to change and empower those families to make the decisions for their children.”