Feds Can’t Force Schools to Open

On July 30, 2020, at a press conference devoted to the coronavirus pandemic, President Trump and Education Secretary Betsy DeVos renewed the Administration’s insistence that the nation’s public schools reopen for in-person classes this fall.  Trump and DeVos backed their stance by claiming that children are not a significant vector for the transmission of the COVID-19 virus.  Although those claims were quickly debunked by public health experts, the pressure on schools to reopen is enormous and growing.  Michael Addonizio is a Professor of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies at Wayne State University and a member of Wayne State’s Kaplan Collaborative for Urban Education. He previously served as Assistant Michigan State Superintendent for Research and Policy.