BOSTON (WHDH) - Gov. Charlie Baker pushed back Wednesday against a federal push to reopen schools nationwide this fall, saying he thinks it’s “inappropriate” to take a “one size fits all” approach to returning students to the classroom.
Baker’s comments came after he was asked during a news conference at the State House whether he was concerned by threats from President Donald Trump to withhold federal aid from school systems that don’t agree to reopen in the fall.
“I don’t think a one size fits all policy on any of these issues makes a lot of sense. What we’ve done here in Massachusetts is work closely with our colleagues in the health care community, the pediatric community and the education community to put together a program based on this idea that we’d like to see kids to school,” he said. “But as part of that … schools are also developing programs that would work on either a hybrid basis or a remote basis depending on what happens.”
Baker added that it was still early to make a final decision as to what to do come September.
“It’s July, we’re talking about September and beyond. I think it’s inappropriate for the feds to think of this as a one size fits all. I think what they ought to be doing is working with folks like us and others to come up with strategies that ensure that they and we can work together to ensure that schools have the resources they need to be able to open.”
Baker was posed the question as Vice President Mike Pence led a coronavirus task force briefing during which he asserted that American students should be back in school in the fall.
Earlier in the day, Trump tweeted, “May cut off funding if not open!”
He also slammed the CDC’s reopening guidelines, calling them “very tough and expensive.”
“They are asking schools to do very impractical things,” Trump wrote in a tweet.
CDC Director Robert Redfield responded by saying, “I want to make it very clear that what is not the intent of CDC’s guidelines is to be used as a rationale to keep schools closed. Remember it’s guidance, it’s not requirements.”
The CDC is preparing to release new guidelines next week.
(Copyright (c) 2024 Sunbeam Television. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)