Trump says he will push governors to reopen schools even as coronavirus cases rise

Hospitals in the US are about to reach the top by the covid-19 2:08

(CNN) - United States President Donald Trump said Tuesday that he is pressuring governors to reopen schools this fall, as part of his effort to reopen the country despite an increase in coronavirus cases. .

"We hope that most of the schools are open," Trump said at a White House event, claiming that some places will want to remain closed "for political reasons."

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"They think it will be good for them politically, so they keep the schools closed," said the president, without evidence. "No way," he sentenced.

"We are going to put a lot of pressure on governors and everyone else to open schools," said Trump, who has been eager to reopen the United States to boost the economy and emerge from the pandemic, despite its resurgence.

The president also stated that the United States "is not closing" and "will never close," even when the most recent coronavirus data from Johns Hopkins University shows that at least 32 states report higher rates of new cases this week compared to the last week.

Despite the increase, the Trump administration used various events at the White House on Tuesday to promote a plan that aims to strongly urge a return from schools. The events were attended by a variety of stakeholders, including elementary, middle and high school administrators, teachers, students, parents, and state-level health and education leaders.

The reopening of schools has become one of the most difficult and sensitive issues at a time when the country seeks to establish a sense of normality in the context of the pandemic. Some schools have made multiple plans to stay flexible just a few weeks before the start of the 2020-2021 academic year.

The President acknowledged that the responsibility for complying with the Government's suggestions to reopen academic institutions rests primarily with the Governors.

"That will depend largely on the governors," he said. "But they are also in very strong consultation with us," he added.

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Trump specifically focused on Harvard University at the event, saying that the institution's leaders should "be ashamed of themselves" for his plan to bring up to 40% of undergraduate students to campus again for the fall semester, but teach the courses online.

In a call with the governors Tuesday morning, Vice President Mike Pence and Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos also pushed for the reopening of schools, linking the return of Americans to the classroom with the health of the American economy.

Pence stressed that reopening schools would play an important role in a recovering economy and stressed that it will be up to the governors to make that happen. But he also acknowledged that "there are many southern states that have seen an increase in cases as of this morning."

"We just want you to know the priority we are giving to this, that the president gives you, you know, how eager we are to work with you on that," said Pence.

In the call, DeVos dismissed what he called a "distance learning attempt" by a school district.

“A couple of hours a week of online school is not good. And the option of two days a week in the classroom is not an option at all. So this can't happen again this fall, it would really fail all of America's students and it would fail taxpayers who are paying high taxes for education. Ultimately, it's not about whether schools need to open, it's about how, ”she said.

• MIRA: Are the same achievements achieved in distance education as in face-to-face?

DeVos, who has been largely out of focus of public opinion in the pandemic, also urged local leaders to look at the data and "weigh the risk" of openness.

The school year is fast approaching: in some places it starts as early as August. Being able to reopen schools safely would not only help resume a normal educational environment, but would relieve parents of the obligations of having children at home and free more adults to return to pre-pandemic jobs. But experts continue to struggle with ways to do it safely, especially at a time when the virus is reaching record levels in some parts of the country.

The Trump administration's push to reopen schools is particularly notable as the federal government has largely left reopening decisions in the hands of state and local governments.

On Tuesday morning, government officials launched the push as an effort to protect the "most vulnerable" students in the country due to the crucial services the schools provide. Officials echoed the president's justification for reopening the country, claiming that the closure of schools has had a "significant negative impact."

"It is important to consider schools as a high priority environment within the community given the unique and crucial role they play in our society," said a senior government official.

A senior official with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) told CNN's Nick Valencia on Monday that "schools should be the first to open and the last to close," adding : "Children must be physically at school."

CDC plans to release a new guide on how elementary and secondary students can best return to classrooms this year, the CDC official who is aware of the discussions said, although the timeline for the proposed new guide does not. is clear.

The recommendation was presented internally to CDC leaders earlier last week and is "a priority this week," according to the official. Over the weekend, senior agency officials presented CDC director Dr. Robert Redfield with details about the science behind why schools should reopen, the source said. Orientation details were not available.

• READ: Tracking contacts is no longer possible in the southern US due to rapid increases in coronavirus numbers, says health expert

CNN has contacted CDC and the White House Coronavirus Task Force for comment on the new guide.

Trump has repeatedly called for schools to be reopened. On Monday he tweeted: "SCHOOLS MUST OPEN IN AUTUMN!" He then suggested that Democrats "don't want to open schools in the fall for political reasons, not health reasons" before the November election. His campaign has also used the issue to criticize Democratic candidate Joe Biden, asking Tuesday morning if he "will align himself with union bosses who want to keep schools closed or parents who want their children to continue learning."

CNN's Nick Valencia, Ryan Nobles, Nikki Carvajal and Caroline Kelly contributed to this report.

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