[House Hearing, 116 Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
UNDERFUNDED & UNPREPARED: EXAMINING
HOW TO OVERCOME OBSTACLES TO SAFELY
REOPEN PUBLIC SCHOOLS
=======================================================================
HEARING
BEFORE THE
SUBCOMMITTEE EARLY CHILDHOOD, ELEMENTARY,
AND SECONDARY EDUCATION
COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION
AND LABOR
U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
ONE HUNDRED SIXTEENTH CONGRESS
SECOND SESSION
__________
HEARING HELD IN WASHINGTON, DC, JULY 23, 2020
__________
Serial No. 116-61
__________
Printed for the use of the Committee on Education and Labor
[GRAPHIC NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
Available via the: https://edlabor.house.gov or www.govinfo.gov
__________
U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE
41-116 PDF WASHINGTON : 2022
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION AND LABOR
ROBERT C. ``BOBBY'' SCOTT, Virginia, Chairman
Susan A. Davis, California Virginia Foxx, North Carolina,
Raul M. Grijalva, Arizona Ranking Member
Joe Courtney, Connecticut David P. Roe, Tennessee
Marcia L. Fudge, Ohio Glenn Thompson, Pennsylvania
Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan, Tim Walberg, Michigan
Northern Mariana Islands Brett Guthrie, Kentucky
Frederica S. Wilson, Florida Bradley Byrne, Alabama
Suzanne Bonamici, Oregon Glenn Grothman, Wisconsin
Mark Takano, California Elise M. Stefanik, New York
Alma S. Adams, North Carolina Rick W. Allen, Georgia
Mark DeSaulnier, California Lloyd Smucker, Pennsylvania
Donald Norcross, New Jersey Jim Banks, Indiana
Pramila Jayapal, Washington Mark Walker, North Carolina
Joseph D. Morelle, New York James Comer, Kentucky
Susan Wild, Pennsylvania Ben Cline, Virginia
Josh Harder, California Russ Fulcher, Idaho
Lucy McBath, Georgia Ron Wright, Texas
Kim Schrier, Washington Daniel Meuser, Pennsylvania
Lauren Underwood, Illinois Dusty Johnson, South Dakota
Jahana Hayes, Connecticut Fred Keller, Pennsylvania
Donna E. Shalala, Florida Gregory F. Murphy, North Carolina
Andy Levin, Michigan* Jefferson Van Drew, New Jersey
Ilhan Omar, Minnesota
David J. Trone, Maryland
Haley M. Stevens, Michigan
Susie Lee, Nevada
Lori Trahan, Massachusetts
Joaquin Castro, Texas
* Vice-Chair
Veronique Pluviose, Staff Director
Brandon Renz, Minority Staff Director
------
SUBCOMMITTEE EARLY CHILDHOOD, ELEMENTARY, AND SECONDARY EDUCATION
GREGORIO KILILI CAMACHO SABLAN, Northern Mariana Islands, Chairman
Kim Schrier, Washington Rick W. Allen, Georgia,
Jahana Hayes, Connecticut Ranking Member
Donna E. Shalala, Florida Glenn ``GT'' Thompson,
Susan A. Davis, California Pennsylvania
Frederica S. Wilson, Florida Glenn Grothman, Wisconsin
Mark DeSaulnier, California Fred Keller, Pennsylvania
Joseph D. Morelle, New York
C O N T E N T S
----------
Page
Hearing held on July 23, 2020.................................... 1
Statement of Members:
Allen, Hon. Rick W., Ranking Member, Subcommittee Early
Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education............. 6
Prepared statement of.................................... 7
Sablan, Hon. Gregorio Kilili Camacho, Chairman, Subcommittee
Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education....... 1
Prepared statement of.................................... 4
Statement of Witnesses:
Boggs, Ms. Leslie, President, National Parent Teacher
Association................................................ 17
Prepared statement of.................................... 20
Hinojosa, Mr. Michael, Ed.D., Superintendent, Dallas
Independent School District................................ 10
Prepared statement of.................................... 12
O'Leary, Dr. Sean, MD, MPH, FAAP, Vice Chair, Committee on
Infectious Diseases, American Academy of Pediatrics........
34
Prepared statement of.................................... 37
Schwinn, Ms. Penny, Commissioner of Education, Tennessee
Department of Education.................................... 23
Prepared statement of.................................... 26
Additional Submissions:
Courtney, Hon. Joe, a Representative in Congress from the
State of Connecticut:
Article: DeVos's Claim That Children Are Stoppers of
COVID-19............................................... 85
Foxx, Hon. Virginia, a Representative in Congress from the
State of North Carolina:...................................
Article: Considerations for Schools Operating Schools.... 231
Article: Preparing K-12 School Administrators for a Safe
Return to School in Fall 2020.......................... 237
COVID-19 Planning Considerations Guidance for School Re-
entry.................................................. 247
Chairman Sablan:.............................................
Remote Learning Synopsis................................. 103
A Plan To Safely Reopen America's Schools and Communities 104
All Hands On Deck: Guidance Regarding Reopening School
Buildings.............................................. 126
AASA COVID-19 Recovery Task Force Guidelines for
Reopening Schools: An Opportunity to Transform Public
Education.............................................. 164
COVID-19 Planning Considerations Guidance for School Re-
entry.................................................. 214
Underwood, Hon. Lauren, a Representative in Congress from the
State of Illinois:.........................................
Statement from the National Association of School Nurses
(NASN)................................................. 91
Questions submitted for the record by:
Walberg, Hon. Tim, a Representative in Congress from the
State of Michigan...................................... 265
Ms. Schwinn responses to questions submitted for the record.. 266
UNDERFUNDED & UNPREPARED: EXAMINING
HOW TO OVERCOME OBSTACLES TO SAFELY
REOPEN PUBLIC SCHOOLS
----------
Thursday, July 23, 2020
House of Representatives,
Subcommittee on Early Childhood,
Elementary, and Secondary Education,
Committee on Education and Labor,
Washington, D.C.
----------
The subcommittee met, pursuant to call, at 10:25 a.m., in
Room 2175, Rayburn House Office Building, Hon. Gregorio Kilili
Camacho Sablan (Chairman of the subcommittee) presiding.
Present: Representatives Sablan, Schrier, Hayes, Shalala,
Davis, DeSaulnier, Morelle, Scott (ex officio), Allen,
Thompson, Grothman, Keller, and Foxx.
Also Present: Representatives Lee, Bonamici, Courtney,
Levin, Stevens, Wild, McBath, Underwood, Walberg, Stefanik,
Johnson, and Murphy.
Staff Present: Tylease Alli, Chief Clerk; Ilana Brunner,
General Counsel; Ramon Carranza, Education Policy Fellow;
Christian Haines, General Counsel; Sheila Havenner, Director of
Information Technology; Stephanie Lalle, Deputy Communications
Director; Andre Lindsay, Staff Assistant; Jaria Martin, Clerk/
Special Assistant to the Staff Director; Katelyn Mooney,
Associate General Counsel; Max Moore, Staff Assistant; Mariah
Mowbray, Staff Assistant; Jacque Mosely, Director of Education
Policy; Veronique Pluviose, Staff Director; Loredana Valtierra,
Education Policy Counsel; Banyon Vassar, Deputy Director of
Information Technology; Cyrus Artz, Minority Staff Director;
Kelsey Avino, Minority Fellow; Amy Raaf Jones, Minority
Director of Education and Human Resources Policy; Hannah
Matesic, Minority Director of Operations; Carlton Norwood,
Minority Press Secretary; Mandy Schaumburg, Minority Chief
Counsel and Deputy Director of Education Policy; and Georgie
Littlefair, Minority Staff Assistant.
Chairman Sablan. Welcome. I note that a quorum is present.
And I note for the subcommittee that Mr. Courtney of
Connecticut, Ms. Bonamici of Oregon, Mr. Norcross of New
Jersey, Ms. Wild of Pennsylvania, Mrs. McBath of Georgia, Ms.
Underwood of Illinois, Mr. Levin of Michigan, Ms. Stevens of
Michigan, Mrs. Lee of Nevada, Mrs. Trahan of Massachusetts, Mr.
Walberg of Michigan, Ms. Stefanik of New York, Mr. Banks of
Indiana, Mr. Johnson of South Dakota, and Dr. Murphy of North
Carolina are permitted to participate in today's hearing with
the understanding that their questions will come only after all
members of the Early Childhood Elementary and Secondary
Education Subcommittee on both sides of the aisle who are
present have had an opportunity to question the witnesses.
The committee is meeting today for the hearing. We are
hearing to get testimony on Underfunded and Unprepared:
Examining How to Overcome Obstacles to Safely Reopen Public
Schools. As this is a hybrid meeting, hybrid hearing with
members participating, both here in the hearing room and
remotely, I would ask that all microphones of members and
witnesses participating remotely be kept muted as a general
rule to avoid unnecessary background noise.
Members and witnesses will be responsible for unmuting
themselves from they are recognized to speak, or when they wish
to seek recognition. Further, for House Resolution 965 and its
accompanying regulations, members participating remotely are
required to leave their cameras on the entire time they are in
an official proceeding, even if they step away from the camera.
While roll call is not necessary to establish a quorum in
official proceedings, whenever there is an official proceeding
with remote participation, the clerk will call the roll to help
make clear who is present at the start of the proceeding. So at
this time, I ask the clerk to call the roll.
The Clerk. Chairman Sablan?
Chairman Sablan. Here.
The Clerk. Ms. Schrier.
[No response.]
The Clerk. Mrs. Hayes?
Mrs. Hayes. Yes.
The Clerk. Ms. Shalala?
Ms. Shalala. Here.
The Clerk. Mrs. Davis?
Mrs. Davis. Here.
The Clerk. Ms. Wilson?
[No response.]
The Clerk. Mr. DeSaulnier?
[No response.]
The Clerk. Mr. Morelle?
[No response.]
The Clerk. Chairman Scott?
Mr. Scott. Present.
The Clerk. Mr. Allen?
Mr. Allen. Present.
The Clerk. Mr. Thompson?
Mr. Thompson. Present.
The Clerk. Mr. Grothman?
[No response.]
The Clerk. Mr. Keller?
[No response.]
The Clerk. Mr. Van Drew?
[No response.]
The Clerk. Mrs. Foxx?
[No response.]
The Clerk. Chairman Sablan, that concludes the roll call.
Chairman Sablan. Thank you, thank you very much. Pursuant
to Committee Rule 7(c), opening statements are limited to the
Chair and the Ranking Member. This allows us to hear from our
witnesses sooner and provides all Members with adequate time to
ask questions. I recognize myself now for the purposes of
making an opening statement.
We are here to ask what Congress must do to help American
students get back to school during this pandemic. All of us
wants our schools to reopen for full-time, in-person
instruction as soon as possible. That fact is not out for
debate. The question is, what must Congress do to help our
schools get students back, get students and faculty back into
the classroom safely?
We are all coming to a new understanding of just how
essential schools are to life in America, where working parents
can be confident that their children are cared for, where
economically challenged families know their children can be
fed, where communities can find common ground cheering at
sporting events, and where America's future is being formed by
the knowledge and values we impart to the next generation.
Schools are currently struggling to safely reopen because
of this President's failed response to the pandemic. There is
still no testing and contact tracing strategy, or science-based
plan that we know other countries are using successfully to
combat COVID-19.
Now, the daily number of new cases in the United States is
exceeding 60,000, . . . 60,000, much higher than when the
pandemic first caused to school to close nationwide in March.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has made clear
that fully reopening schools carries the highest risk of
creating new spikes in COVID-19 infections. We had hoped to
have CDC here today to discuss what best practices could help
safely reopen America's schools, butButthe White House refused
to let its officials testify at today's hearing.
While initial studies suggest that students are less likely
to contract COVID-19 and suffer serious illness, across the
country, outbreaks at summer camps and even among infants make
clear that we do not know enough about the risk for children.
And a Kaiser Family Foundation analysis estimates that 1.5
million teachers, nearly one in four have health conditions
that put them at higher risk of serious illness if they
contract COVID-19.
This risk can be mitigated and tragedies can be prevented,
but it requires both a nationwide strategy to contain the
spread of the virus and a significant federal investment to
help schools to take necessary safety precautions.
House Democrats have not been idle waiting for a miraculous
disappearance of COVID-19. The CARES Act in March provided over
$13 billion directly to schools to help deal with the cost of
closure and transition to an online learning environment.
In May, the House passed HEROES Act with another $60
billion in emergency school funding to help schools buy
personal protective equipment, sanitize classrooms, and make
special arrangements for students and teachers in high risk
categories, soschools can safely reopen.
And this month, this committee's Reopen and Review America
Schools Act was included when the House passed the Moving
Forward Act, another investment of $130 billion that can be
used to reconfigure and modernize schools to protect the health
of students and staff.
Unfortunately, our Republican friends in the Senate have
chosen, like the President, to hide from the problem and taking
it to action, and taking no action on the House proposals to
help America's schools safely reopen.
We are hearing this week the Senate may finally be waking
up to the enormity of the problem. I hope they shake themselves
awake because time is not on our side.
For many, the school year should begin next month, but you
can't modernize the HVAC system in a 40-year-old school in a
moment's notice. According to the Superintendents Association,
the average district will need $1.8 million of work before
schools can safely reopen. The House voted to give them the
money to get started months ago. The Senate slept.
Meanwhile, instead of joining Democrats to deliver more
funding to help schools reopen safely, Secretary DeVos and
President Trump are threatening, are threatening, to strip
funding from public schools that determine they cannot safely
bring all students back into the classroom full-time.
They have it backwards. As a national survey published on
Monday found,86 percent of the America's school principals said
it is extremely important, that is in quotes, ``extremely
important'' to get additional funding so their schools can
safely reopen. And that is just the opposite of the
administration's threat to defund schools. And to be clear, the
President has no legal authority to withhold school funds that
Congress appropriated.
But I should also note that my Republican colleagues, who
have consistently railed against federal government's role in
education, now believe that the Trump administration should act
as a national school board that coerces the schools into
opening for full-time instruction regardless of local health
conditions.
Meanwhile, the Education Department has no plan, no plan at
all for transitioning students back to in-person instruction
safely. Instead it is blaming teachers and administrators for
not doing enough. So we will be listening today to national
leaders and experts who want to make sure Congress provides
meaningful assistance to America's schools. I thank our
witnesses in advance for their advice.
[The statement of Chairman Sablan follows:]
Prepared Statement of Hon. Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan, Chairman,
Subcommittee Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education
We are here to ask what Congress must do to help America's students
get back to school during this pandemic.
All of us want our schools to reopen for full time, in-person
instruction as soon as possible. That fact is not up for debate. The
question is: What must Congress do to help our schools get students and
faculty back into classrooms safely?
We are all coming to a new understanding of just how essential
schools are to life in America; where working parents can be confident
their children are cared for, where economically challenged families
know their children can be fed, where our communities can find common
ground cheering at sporting events, and where America's future is being
formed by the knowledge and values we impart to the next generation.
Schools are currently struggling to safely reopen because of this
President's failed response to the pandemic. There is still no testing
and contact tracing strategy or science-based plan that we know other
countries are using successfully to combat COVID-19.
Now, the daily number of new cases in the U.S. is exceeding
60,000--much higher than when the pandemic first caused schools to
close nationwide in March.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has made clear that
fully reopening schools carries the highest risk of creating new spikes
in COVID-19 infections. We had hoped to have CDC here today to discuss
what best practices could help safely reopen America's schools, but the
White House refused to let its officials testify at today's hearing.
While initial studies suggest that students are less likely to
contract COVID-19 and suffer serious illness, across the country,
outbreaks at summer camps and even among infants make clear that we do
not know enough about the risks for children.
And a Kaiser Family Foundation analysis estimates that 1.5 million
teachers--nearly 1 in 4--have health conditions that put them at higher
risk of serious illness if they contract COVID-19.
These risks can be mitigated, and tragedies can be prevented. But
it requires both a nationwide strategy to contain the spread of the
virus and a significant federal investment to help schools take
necessary safety precautions.
House Democrats have not been idle, waiting for a miraculous
disappearance of COVID-19.
The CARES Act in March provided over $13 billion directly to
schools to help deal with the costs of closure and transition to an
online learning environment.
In May, the House passed the Heroes Act with another $60 billion in
emergency school funding to help schools buy Personal Protective
Equipment, sanitize classrooms, and make special arrangements for
students and teachers in high-risk categories, so schools can safely
reopen.
And, this month, this Committee's Reopen and Rebuild America's
Schools Act was included when the House passed the Moving Forward Act--
another investment of $130 billion that can be used to reconfigure and
modernize schools to protect the health of students and staff.
Unfortunately, our Republican friends in the Senate have chosen--
like the President--to hide from the problem and taken no action on the
House proposals to help America's schools safely reopen.
We are hearing this week the Senate may finally be waking up to the
enormity of the problem.
I hope they shake themselves awake, because time is not on our
side. For many, the school year should begin next month, but you cannot
modernize the HVAC system in a 40-year-old school on a moment's notice.
According to the Superintendents Association, the average district
will need $1.8 million of work before schools can safely reopen. The
House voted to give them the money to get started months ago.
The Senate slept.
Meanwhile, instead of joining Democrats to deliver more funding to
help schools reopen safely, Secretary DeVos and President Trump are
threatening to strip funding from public schools that determine they
cannot safely bring all students back into the classroom full-time.
They have it backwards. As a national survey published on Monday
found, 86 percent of America's school principals said it is ``extremely
important'' to get additional funding, so their schools can safely
reopen-- just the opposite of the Administration's threat to defund
schools.
To be clear, the President has no legal authority to withhold
school funds that Congress appropriated.
But I should also note that my Republican colleagues-- who have
consistently railed against the federal government's role in
education-- now believe that the Trump Administration should act as a
national school board that coerces schools into opening for full-time
instruction, regardless of local health conditions. Meanwhile, the
Education Department has no plan for transitioning students back to in-
person instruction safely. Instead, it is blaming teachers and
administrators for not doing enough.
So, we will be listening today to national leaders and experts, who
want to make sure Congress provides meaningful assistance to America's
schools. I thank our witnesses in advance for their advice.
I yield to Mr. Allen for the purpose of an opening statement.
______
Chairman Sablan. And I now yield back to Mr. Allen for the
purpose of an opening statement.
Mr. Allen. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Reopening American
schools has dominated family conversations around the country
the last few weeks. The good news is science is on our side and
federal agencies like the Centers For Disease Control and
Prevention in State agencies, like the Georgia Department of
Public Health, have provided detail reports on how we can
reopen schools safely. I hope during today's hearing we can put
political finger-pointing aside and put our children's
interests first while we discuss, not if, but how we can safely
reopen schools this fall.
I know both my Democratic and Republican colleagues agree
that students are being harmed by the physical closure of
schools, and that we need to provide the option of in-person
instruction.
As we gear up for a new school year this fall, this
question of how to reopen our Nation's schools safely needs to
be a top priority for this committee. This past spring, more
than 55 million students were affected by COVID-19-related
school closures. That number accounts for approximately 97
percent of students nationwide. The result, well, the numbers
speak for themselves.
The collaborative for student growth projected that some
students could experience as much as a 50 percent reduction in
typical learning gains as a result of school closures. Another
analysis conducted by McKinsey and Company, a consulting group,
found that when all the impacts of COVID-19 are taken into
account, the average student could fall 7 months behind
academically.
As Leader McCarthy argued, we cannot afford to let a
generation miss out on being taught. President Trump also
recognizes the vital importance of safely reopening America's
schools.
Sadly, learning loss isn't the only challenge students face
due to school closures. This pandemic and subsequent school
closures have dramatically reduced interactions between
vulnerable children and trusted adults, while exacerbating
conditions that contribute to child abuse and neglect, such as
financial strain and social isolation. School closures diminish
educator's ability to serve these vulnerable students.
Additionally, for some children, school is the only place
where they receive nutritious meals in a, [on a] consistent
basis. According to the Department of Agriculture, more than 30
million children in the U.S. count on schools for free or low-
cost meals. So when schools and childcare centers close,
children miss out on essential food services.
Let's not forget the economic downside of keeping schools
closed. If children can't attend school, parents can't return
to work. In fact, the Brookings Institution argues, the world
could lose, the world could lose, as much as $10 trillion over
the coming generation as a result of school closures today.
[CR2]
School closures also disproportionately impact the economic
well-being of lower-income and single-parent households. While
families with multiple workers may be able to have one working
adult scale back in their hours or quit their job to take on
caregiving duties full-time, this is unlikely to be feasible
for all families, especially those already struggling
financially during this economic downturn.
In May, the CDC released guidance on reopening schools that
include ways in which schools can help protect students,
teachers, administrators, and staff. These guidelines recognize
that each school is unique, and there will be no one-size-fits-
all solution to reopening.
Given that schools vary in their location, size, structure,
the CDC recommends that school officials should determine in
collaboration with State and local health officials whether and
how to implement CDC guidance. Moreover, the American Academy
of Pediatrics also released guidance for schools. They strongly
advocated that all policies considerations for the coming
school year should start with a goal of having students
physically present in school.
What do educators think? The American Federation of
Teachers found that 76 percent of educators surveyed will be
comfortable returning if certain health and safety conditions
were met at their school. This includes daily cleaning and
sanitizing of school facilities, additional protections for at-
risk students and staff, and availability of protective
equipment. These are steps we can and should take to safely
reopen our schools.
That is why this morning, I introduced the Educational
Flexibility for Families Act, legislation that requires K-12
schools to provide an option for students to safely attend in-
person classes for the upcoming school year in order to be
eligible for any federal assistance.
My bill would ensure that the option for in-person learning
is on the table and available for families around the country
who want their children to safely return to the classroom this
fall.
I am proud of the educational leaders in my district who
are committed to providing families the flexibility they need
this school year, whether it is in the classroom, distance
learning, home schooling, or a hybrid model. The bottom line
is, schools must be prepared to provide every student effective
instruction this fall and customized to that student.
The health and future of our Nation's students depend on
it. I thank our witnesses for testifying on this important
topic today, and I look forward to hearing from them about the
measures we can take to safely reopen America's classrooms this
fall, and I yield back.
[The statement of Mr. Allen follows:]
Prepared Statement of Hon. Rick W. Allen, Ranking Member, Subcommittee
Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education
Reopening America's schools has dominated family conversations
around the country the last few weeks. The good news is, science is on
our side and federal agencies, like the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC), and state agencies, like the Georgia Department of
Public Health, have provided detailed reports on how we can reopen
schools safely. I hope during today's hearing, we can put political
finger pointing aside, and put our children's interests first while we
discuss, not if, but how we can safely reopen schools this fall.
I know both my Democrat and Republican colleagues agree that
students are being harmed by the physical closure of schools, and that
we need to provide the option of in-person instruction. As we gear up
for a new school year this fall, this question of how to reopen our
nation's schools safely needs to be a top priority for this Committee.
This past spring more than 55 million students were affected by
COVID-19-related school closures. That number accounts for
approximately 97 percent of students nationwide. The result? Well, the
numbers speak for themselves.
The Collaborative for Student Growth projected that some students
could experience as much as a 50 percent reduction in typical learning
gains as a result of school closures. Another analysis conducted by
McKinsey and Company, a consulting group, found that when all the
impacts of COVID-19 are taken into account, the average student could
fall seven months behind academically.
As Leader McCarthy argued, we cannot afford to let a generation
miss out on being taught. President Trump also recognizes the vital
importance of safety and reopening America's schools.
Sadly, learning loss isn't the only challenge students face due to
school closures. This pandemic and subsequent school closures have
drastically reduced interactions between vulnerable children and
trusted adults while exacerbating conditions that contribute to child
abuse and neglect such as financial strain and social isolation. School
closures diminish educators' abilities to serve these vulnerable
students.
Additionally, for some children, school is the only place where
they receive nutritious meals on a consistent basis. According to the
Department of Agriculture, more than 30 million children in the U.S.
count on schools for free or low-cost meals, so when schools and child
care centers close, children miss out on essential food services.
Let's not forget the economic downside of keeping schools closed.
If children can't attend school, parents can't return to work. In fact,
the Brookings Institution argues 'the world could lose as much as $10
trillion over the coming generation as a result of school closures
today.' School closures also disproportionately impact the economic
well-being of lower-income and single parent households. While families
with multiple workers may be able to have one working adult scale back
their hours or quit their job to take on caregiving duties full time,
this is unlikely to be feasible for all families, especially those
already struggling financially during the economic downturn.
In May, the CDC released guidance on reopening schools that
includes ways in which schools can help protect students, teachers,
administrators, and staff.
These guidelines recognize that each school is unique and there
will be no one- size-fits-all solution to reopening. Given that schools
vary in their location, size, and structure, the CDC recommends that
school officials should determine, in collaboration with state and
local health officials, whether and how to implement CDC guidance.
Moreover, the American Academy of Pediatrics also released guidance
for schools. They strongly advocated 'that all policy considerations
for the coming school year should start with a goal of having students
physically present in school.'
What do educators think? The American Federation of Teachers found
that 76 percent of educators surveyed would be comfortable returning if
certain health and safety conditions were met at their school. This
includes daily cleaning and sanitizing of school facilities, additional
protections for at-risk students and staff, and availability of
protective equipment. These are steps we can and should take to safely
reopen our schools.
That is why this morning I introduced the Educational Flexibility
for Families Act, legislation that requires K-12 schools to provide an
option for students to safely attend in-person classes for the upcoming
school year in order to be eligible for any federal assistance. My bill
would ensure that the option for in-person learning is on the table and
available for families around the country who want their children to
safely return to the classroom this fall. I am proud of the education
leaders in my district who are committed to providing families the
flexibility they need this school year-- whether it's in the classroom,
distance learning, homeschooling or a hybrid model.
The bottom line is, schools must be prepared to provide every
student effective instruction this fall. The health and future of our
nation's students depends on it. I thank our witnesses for testifying
on this important topic today, and I look forward to hearing from them
about the measures we can take to safely reopen America's classrooms
this fall.
______
Chairman Sablan. Thank you, Ranking Member Allen, for that
opening statement.
All the Members who wish to insert written statements into
the record may do so by submitting them to the Committee Clerk
electronically in Microsoft Word format by 5 p.m. on Thursday,
August 6th, 2020.
I will now introduce our witnesses. First is Dr. Michael
Hinojosa, superintendent of Dallas Independent School District.
Mr. Hinojosa has served as the Dallas ISD superintendent since
2015. He served 20 years as a superintendent CEO of six public
education systems, including two of the 25 largest school
systems in America. He is past president of the Texas
Association of School Administrators. He is a proud graduate of
Dallas Independent School District, and also a doctorate in
education from the University of Texas in Austin.
Next is Ms. Leslie Boggs, President of the National PTA.
Ms. Boggs is the 56th president of [the] National PTA. The
Nation's oldest and largest volunteer child advocacy
association. A leadership development expert from Odessa,
Texas, Boggs has over 20 years of leadership experience at all
levels of PTA. At the State level, Ms. Boggs serves as
president of the Texas PTA and New Mexico PTA. A mother of
three and a grandmother of four, Boggs is a dedicated and
passionate advocate for children and their right to receiving a
quality public education no matter their demographics,
ethnicity, or household income.
Next is Dr. Penny Schwinn joining us here in the committee
room, Commissioner of Education for the State of Tennessee. Dr.
Schwinn comes from a family of educators and is committed to
increasing access to excellent education for all children. She
began her work as a high school history and economics teacher
in Baltimore. Dr. Schwinn was sworn in as Tennessee Education
Commissioner on February 1, 2019. And prior to joining the
Tennessee Department of Education, Commissioner Schwinn served
as a Chief Deputy Commissioner of Academics for the Texas
Education Agency. Commissioner Schwinn earned her Bachelor of
Arts from the University of California Berkeley, her Master's
of Arts in teaching from Johns Hopkins University, and her
Ph.D. in education policy from Claremont Graduate University in
California.
Last is Dr. Sean O'Leary, M.D., professor of pediatrics
infectious diseases at University of Colorado. Dr. O'Leary is a
professor of pediatrics at the University of Colorado School of
Medicine and Children's Hospital, Colorado, a pediatric
infectious disease specialist, and a director of the Colorado
Children's Outcomes Network. He is an accomplished researcher
with over 120 peer review publications. His research focuses on
vaccine-preventable diseases. Dr. O'Leary is a member of the
American Academy of Pediatrics Council on School Health and
serves as the vice chairman on the Committee on Infectious
Diseases for the AAP. He also served as a liaison to the CDC
Advisory Committee On Immunization Practices for the Pediatric
Infectious Disease Society. Dr. O'Leary co-authored the AAP's
guidance for school re-entry.
We appreciate the witnesses for participating today and
look forward to your testimony. Let me remind the witnesses
that we have read your written statements, and they will appear
in full in the hearing record. Pursuant to committee Rules 7(d)
and committee practice, each of you is asked to limit your oral
presentation to a five-minute summary of your written
statement. Let me remind the witnesses that pursuant to Title
18 of the U.S. Code Section 1001, it is illegal to knowingly
and willfully falsify any statement, representation, writing
document or material fact presented to Congress or otherwise
construe or cover up a material fact.
During your testimony, staff will be keeping track of time,
and will use a chime to signal when one minute is left and when
time is up entirely. It will sound a short chime when there is
one minute left and a longer chime when time is up. Please be
attentive to the time and wrap up when your time is over and
remute your system.
With the witnesses participating remotely, if any of you
experience technical difficulties during your testimony or
later in the hearing, you should stay connected on the
platform, make sure you are muted with the mute button
highlighted in red, and use your phone to immediately call the
committee's IT director, Sheila Havenner, whose number has been
provided.
We will let all the witnesses make their presentations
before we move to members' questions. When answering a
question, please remember to unmute your system.
And I will first recognize Dr. Hinojosa. Sir, you have five
minutes.
STATEMENT OF MICHAEL HINOJOSA, Ed.D., SUPERINTENDENT, DALLAS
INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT
Mr. Hinojosa. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and Members of the
committee, I do appreciate this opportunity to testify in front
of you this morning. My name is Michael Hinojosa, and I am the
superintendent of the Dallas Independent School District. I am
also here representing AASA, the Superintendents Association.
As I am a member of the COVID-19 Recovery Task Force, and it is
an honor, as I said, to be in front of you today.
The Dallas ISD has 153,000 students, and right now, we are
preparing to launch the school year, and we face many
challenges. When we shut down right before spring break, we had
to offer, we decided to offer some opportunities for learning
at home. We have a master plan to deploy devices to all of our
students, but we had to accelerate that plan, and then we ran
into some other issues about connectivity once the devices got
into the hands of our students and families.
So we figured out that we try to train teachers and get
everyone prepared almost on a moment's notice, but learned that
we would have some significant long-term issues on how we
respond to those matters.
When we started this journey back in March, Dallas County
only had a total of 1,300 cases, of confirmed cases in the
county. In the month of July, we have had 14 consecutive days
where we have had over 1,000 cases per day.
So the context has been changing significantly as we have
move forward. We are now learning that our best option may be
to do distance learning. We certainly want to see our students,
we haven't seen our students since March, and we know that we
need to see our students but things are evolving. And, in fact,
tonight, I am meeting with my school board to present our
latest option about adjusting our calendar so that we can offer
both remote and on-campus instruction, but how we actually do
that, we need to buy some time with our school board.
Recently, also, the State of Texas has pivoted a little
bit. An issue they said we would have to have in-person
instruction before we would qualify for any funding. Now, they
have given us more leeway, they have now given us a full-week
window where we could have virtual instruction before we have
to do in-person instruction, and still be able to qualify for
State funding for our public education.
The COVID cases have been 1,000 a day for this month.
However, we have some recent good news, because we have been
asked to really wear mask and social distance. The last 2 days
have been a lot better in Dallas County. We went to over 1,700
to 400. The bad news is that the deaths have increased
significantly in the county. So there is this lag effect, and
that is precisely why we are asking for more time for our
families.
In addition, it is also very important for you to know that
91 percent of our families are ethnic minority, Black and
Latino families. And so, these are the two largest groups that
are negatively affected by the crisis.
When we started this journey, we surveyed our parents.
Early on, 30 percent of our parents said they wanted an at-home
learning option, and 70 percent said they wanted to come in
person. As the crisis got worse, we are now at a 50/50 split.
And, now, we feel that if we did a survey today, it would be
more than 50 percent of our parents that would ask for an
opportunity for virtual instruction.
And then, the next matter that is also changing, early on
when we asked our teachers how many were ready to come back,
ready, willing, and able, 91 percent of our teachers said they
were ready, willing, and able to come back. As we talked to our
teacher organizations that were doing a new survey, that has
completely changed. We are probably at 50/50, maybe even less
than that as we try to communicate with our teachers. We have a
lot of employees that signed up to speak to our school board
this evening as a result of the changing CARES Act.
I know that my time is running short, but I also want to
say that we--broadband connectivity is a huge issue for us. If
we actually have to shut down, it is going to be very
imperative for us to have an opportunity to continue learning
at home. We had--there are several bills in front of Congress
that would make this a reality for us to knock down the front
door to be able to have high-quality broadband connectivity for
all of our families, not only for education, but also to have
telemedicine, and also the ability to apply for a job.
But, we are fortunate right now we have some funds in
reserve, but that is not true for most school districts. And
the number of bills that are in front of Congress, we know that
Congress had to help large business, small business, and even
individual families. But now State and local governments need
that support as well, including firefighters and our teachers
to make sure that we have an opportunity to be successful in
the future years.
Now, thank you very much, and I will yield my time. Thank
you.
[The statement of Mr. Hinojosa follows:]
[GRAPHICS NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
Chairman Sablan. Thank you, Dr. Hinojosa. You know, you see
how five minutes goes by so fast. But thank you.
I now recognize Ms. Boggs. Ms. Boggs, you have five
minutes, please, thank you.
STATEMENT OF LESLIE BOGGS, PRESIDENT, NATIONAL PARENT TEACHER
ASSOCIATION
Ms. Boggs. Chairman Sablan, Ranking Member Allen, and
Members of this subcommittee, thank you so much for this
opportunity to testify today on what is needed to support the
safe reopening of our Nation's public schools in the midst of
this pandemic. I am here today on behalf of National PTA, the
nation's oldest and largest child advocacy association with
congresses in all 50 states, the Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico,
and DC. Since 1897, National PTA has been a strong advocate,
and the resource for millions of parents, teachers,
grandparents, families, and community members, who share a
commitment to improving the education and health and safety for
all children. We speak with one voice for every child.
As the President of [the] National PTA, I have seen
firsthand how the partnership between parents and school
leaders is now more important than ever. Unfortunately, this
pandemic is far from over, and we cannot downplay the critical
nature of this virus. We are seeing a substantial increase in
cases across the country, including in my own home State of
Texas.
Children are the future of our Nation, and we must keep
them safe. Claims that all children are asymptomatic and can't
spread virus are simply not true. Our utmost priority during
this time continues to be the health and safety of all
students, their families, educators, and school personnel.
States and school districts, or the federal government,
should not simply push plans for reopening schools on parents.
State and school district leaders must meaningfully engage with
parents and stakeholders on developing plans to reopen schools,
and subsequently throughout the year, as changes occur in plans
and strategies to ensure both learning and safety.
Parents know the value of in-person instruction, and want
their children to be back in school this year. However, this
must be done safely and effectively and with engagement of all
stakeholders, especially parents and students. Our association
understands that the reopening of our Nation's schools during
this crisis is vital to ensure the continuity of education.
However, it should not outweigh the safety and the mental and
physical health of our students, educators, staff, and
families.
Our Nation's parents and educators have significant
concerns. In fact, we recently surveyed parents and other
stakeholders during an online forum last week, and 72 percent
were not confident that schools could physically reopen in a
safe manner.
Regardless of each approach to beginning the school year,
safely and effectively reopening schools is going to take
resources. Whether schools begin the year in person, remotely,
or a hybrid combination, funding our Nation's public schools
should not be political. It is an investment in our Nation's
future success. Schools must be prepared to address the
transition back to school. The trauma of a pandemic and the
many instructional issues, including the effects of learning
loss and the digital divide. The added strain of recovery from
a worldwide pandemic will wreak havoc on all localities, and
will require significant, immediate, and continuing support and
resources from federal and State governments.
National PTA is encouraged by and thankful for the adoption
of previous COVID-19 packages. However, despite these actions,
there are and will be continued needs Congress must address.
National PTA has been advocating for many weeks for additional
aid for our public schools in response to this virus.
Before I reiterate our previous recommendations, I want to
reinforce our opposition to any private school voucher programs
or other mechanisms to funnel public dollars to private
schools. Our public schools must be fully funded. Our larger
recommendations called for action in five areas. Building off
the education stabilization fund, the fourth emergency COVID
response bill must be provided at least $175 billion in
emergency funding directly to States to support K-12 education.
Next, we are recognizing the devastation of facing State
and local economy. It is clear that when schools open their
doors, their student population will be significantly needier.
We have urged Congress to provide $13 billion for the IDEA, and
$12 billion for Title I in addition to funding provided
throughout the fiscal year 2021.
Next, outside of, and in addition to the fiscal
stabilization fund, Congress must include $4 billion in funding
for remote learning through the E-Rate Program.
Next is a provision for a one-time infusion of $245 million
for the statewide family engagement centers to enable them to
support the needs of families, children, and educators, during
this crisis.
And, last but not least, is the increased funding for food
at USDA to prevent prepared food insecurities. To help schools
[inaudible] and meet protocols as students physically go back.
National PTA does urge the Congress to act swiftly. Thank
you.
[The statement of Ms. Boggs follows:]
[GRAPHICS NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
Chairman Sablan. All right. Ms. Boggs, thank you very much
for your statement.
And I now would like to recognize Dr. Schwinn who did not
take a flight from Baltimore to join us here in the this
morning. Dr. Schwinn, you have five minutes, please.
STATEMENT OF PENNY SCHWINN, Ph.D., COMMISSIONER OF EDUCATION,
TENNESSEE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Ms. Schwinn. Good morning, Chairman Sablan, Ranking Member
Allen, and Members of the subcommittee, thank you for inviting
me today.
I very much appreciate the opportunity to share Tennessee's
story, and the incredible work that continues to be done by our
districts, educators, and Department of Education on behalf of
students. I also want to thank Governor Bill Lee and the
Tennessee General Assembly, for their unwavering support in
prioritizing education.
I am proud that Tennessee has committed to maintaining the
same level of State funding to our districts as in previous
years, demonstrating the State's clear and continued commitment
to schools. However, we also know that this is not like other
years. We know that this school year will look and feel
different. Districts are trying to make decisions with
constantly updated information, and the lives and livelihoods
of children and staff to consider. This is a serious discussion
that is worthy of a greater understanding of the complexities
that exist for schools, staff, and families.
At the core, our systems have the monumental task of
keeping people safe and healthy, so that we can provide
children with a strong education. In Tennessee, most districts
are choosing to include both an in-person and a remote option,
and are focusing on how to do that safely. These are
unimaginably hard, taxing, and critical decisions. And as we
prepare for school reopening, there are three primary areas
that must be addressed: the health and safety in schools,
technology, and child well-being.
First, to safely reopen schools, we must put the health of
our students and staff in front of mind. Under Governor Lee's
leadership, the Department of Education has partnered closely
with other agencies to address the needs of the pandemic. The
cross-agency partnership has led to a number of significant
resources for our schools, including PPE for every staff
member, disinfecting kits for classrooms, and resources co-
developed with the Department of Health. To reopen, we must
provide these types of assurances and deliver.
Second, we must address the opportunity in access gaps in
technology and broadband that exist for our students and their
teachers. Governor Lee recently announced $50 million in
technology grants for our districts, which will support
purchasing one computer for one-third of all students in
Tennessee in grades 3 through 12. This investment in devices
allows for continuity instruction when remote learning is
required. However, it is also a critical investment in our
education system that is necessary now, and will continue to
pay dividends in the future.
Finally, school reopening must consider child well-being
regardless of the format of instruction being provided so that
every child has his or her needs met and services provided.
When schools are closed, those services become more challenging
to deliver, and can impact a child's ongoing development. The
department created a robust child well-being task force to
focus on the needs of students as they return to school. This
has been done alongside significant academic resources, free
professional development for teachers and principals, and
grants to expand opportunities for both children and school
staff, to address the learning loss and child well-being needs
that resulted from school closures.
In closing, we must continue to ask ourselves, what is in
the best interest of students and staff as we balance the needs
of community health, access to strong educational
opportunities, financial stability for families, and critical
services to students?
Education is personal to everyone. We aren't just talking
about an abstract idea. We are talking about children. My
girls, the students I serve in Tennessee, our children, it is
nothing if it is not personal, which is why we must treat it as
such, and not as an either/or conversation.
Families must make their own choices, and districts must
ensure that they are considering the feasibility of providing
those choices. If schools are going to be open, it must be done
safely and with sufficient health protocols and supplies in
place. It must also allow the flexibilities necessary to
protect vulnerable staff and students. If schools are going to
be closed, then we will need to have clear plans on how we will
support working families who may not have an option to work
from home, how to provide food to students just as they would
receive at school, how to provide the required special
education, language, counseling, and health services necessary
for students to continue to learn and grow, how to remotely
teach children to read, how to address the increasing and
unreported cases of abuse and suicide that have been noted, and
how to do all of this while still ensuring children continue to
be educated.
Any option we choose has consequences, which is why options
are so important. It is also why federal funding will continue
to help our schools to create those options with the resources
necessary to do so safely and responsibly for all. But there is
a clock. Schools are starting. This is one of those moments for
our field and our country. Our kids deserve our best right now
and nothing less is acceptable. Thank you.
[The statement of Ms. Schwinn follows:]
[GRAPHICS NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
Chairman Sablan. Thank you, Dr. Schwinn. Thank you for
ignoring the clock at this morning's hearing.
I will now like to recognize Dr. O'Leary for five minutes,
please.
STATEMENT OF SEAN O'LEARY, MD, MPH, FAAP, VICE CHAIR, COMMITTEE
ON INFECTIOUS DISEASES, AMERICAN ACADEMY OF PEDIATRICS
Dr. O'Leary. Chairman Sablan and Ranking Member Allen,
thank you for the opportunity to testify before you today. My
name is Sean O'Leary, and I am a practicing infectious disease
pediatrician from Denver, Colorado. As a parent of two children
in public schools, this issue is both professional and personal
for me. I work at Children's Hospital, Colorado, and I am
testifying today on behalf of the American Academy of
Pediatrics. As the Vice Chair of the Committee on Infectious
Diseases, I am part of the team that authored AAP's guidance on
school re-entry.
The purpose of the Academy's guidance is to inform school
re-entry policies that foster the overall health of children
and adolescents, while also protecting teachers, staff, and
communities. Our guidance is based on the best, currently
available evidence and is updated as new evidence comes to
light and we learn more about COVID-19.
We start from the knowledge that children get much more
than an education at school. In addition to math, reading, and
science, schools help students develop important social and
emotional skills, offer healthy meals, and provide physical
activity, among many other benefits. Lengthy time away from
school deprives students of these benefits, and makes it
difficult for schools to identify and address learning
deficits, child abuse, substance use, depression, and suicidal
ideation.
Any parent of school-aged children can tell you the
difficulties we faced when schools shut down in the spring. My
own children miss their friends, and they also missed out on
learning and physical activity. As working parents, we struggle
to find ways to meet their needs and perform our jobs at the
same time.
The importance of in-person learning is well-documented,
and there is already evidence of the negative impacts on
children because of school closures. The impact has been
particularly hard on minority children as well as children who
are medically fragile and developmental or physical
disabilities, and those living at or near poverty. AAP
carefully weighed the available evidence and determined that
our overall goal should be to have students physically present
in school this fall. However, this can only happen with careful
measures to keep students, teachers, and staff safe, and with
flexibility to adapt as needed to the community's prevalence of
COVID-19.
This does not mean that we recommend that all schools open
5 days a week from the start of the school year. Many parts of
the country are currently experiencing uncontrolled spread of
COVID-19. While the AAP urges those areas to maintain in-person
learning as the goal, we recognize that many jurisdictions will
need to utilize distance-learning strategies until cases
decline.
Although many questions remain, our guidance is based on
evidence that children and adolescents are less likely to be
symptomatic, particularly, younger children, and less likely to
have severe disease resulting from SARS-CoV-2 infection.
A study that was just published from South Korea showed
that children under age 10 were roughly half as likely,
compared to other age groups, to spread COVID-19 to others. The
same study also suggested that adolescents and teens, age 10 to
19, may spread the virus at rates similar to adults. With these
data in mind, school systems may consider prioritizing return
of younger children and taking additional measures to ensure
physical distancing and the wearing of face coverings for older
children.
It also needs to be acknowledged that COVID-19 policies are
intended to mitigate, not eliminate risks. While no single
action will completely eliminate the risk of transmission,
implementation of several coordinated interventions can greatly
reduce that risk. Schools will need to follow guidance from
public health officials, adhere to health monitoring and
cleaning protocols, utilize face coverings as much as possible,
and urge frequent hand washing.
Schools will also need to have sufficient PPE for teachers
and staff, implement new procedures for busing, and put
protocols in place for how to respond when a student or teacher
tests positive.
It is also important that children are up to date on all
vaccines, including the influenza vaccine and have their annual
checkups. Schools must also be prepared to address a wide-range
of mental health needs of children and staff when schools
reopen. The emotional impact of the pandemic, including a loss
of family members, financial concerns, and social isolation
demands careful attention and planning.
In order for schools to be able to safely reopen with
students in the classroom, Congress must provide sufficient
funding to help schools adapt and make necessary changes and
accommodations. Specifically, the AAP urges Congress to provide
at least $200 billion in funding to help schools reopen. Money
must be available to all schools, regardless of their timeline
for reopening.
Schools and areas with high rates of COVID-19 spread may
need to consider delaying the return to full-time in-person
instruction. These schools will need the same or greater
federal investments, not less.
In closing, reopening schools in a way that maximizes
safety, learning, and the well-being of children in the
communities will clearly require substantial new investments in
our schools.
Thank you for the opportunity to testify today, Chairman
Sablan and Ranking Member Allen. .
[The statement of Dr. O'Leary follows:]
[GRAPHICS NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
Chairman Sablan. Well, thank you, Dr. O'Leary. Thank you,
and thank you to all the witnesses for their statements. Under
Committee Rule 8(a), we will now question witnesses under the
five-minute rule.
I will be recognizing subcommittee members in seniority
order. And, again, in order to ensure that the members' five-
minute rule is adhered to, staff will be keeping track of time,
and will use the chime signal when 1 minute is left and when
time is up entirely. It will sound a short chime when there is
1 minute left, and a longer chime when time is up. You can miss
the chime, the longer time. So please be attentive to the time
and wrap up when your time is over.
Again, if any member experiences technical difficulties
during the hearing, you should stay connected on the platform,
make sure you are muted with the mute button highlighted in
red, and use your phone to immediately call the Committee's IT
Director, Ms. Sheila Havenner, whose number has been provided.
And as chairman, I recognize myself for five minutes. I
have my first question for the president of PTA, Ms. Boggs.
Ms. Boggs, how many schools plan to implement rotating
schedules where students who rotate daily, weekly, monthly, or
on a quarterly basis? Public schools in my district also plan a
staggered schedule under a partial reopening scenario. So how
have families reacted to the idea of rotating school schedules,
what is the status of parents from rotating schedules when they
have children across different grade levels, what challenges
can rotating schedules present for parents who are essential or
onsite workers, or families who have multiple children in
schools across different grade levels?
Ms. Boggs. Thank you. As I visited with all of the State
presidents across our Nation, it was evident that every school
is implementing a different plan, and it should be locally
based [inaudible] within the community. There is no one way for
everyone to do it the same. I think it is important that the
school districts have conversations with their parents and
their students and their educators to find the best plan,
whether that should be in person, remotely, or hybrid. I think
it is going to change, even if you heard Dr. Hinojosa from
Texas [inaudible] in our State. [Inaudible] see for all others.
How do parents feel about that? Well, they are concerned. You
know, we had an online forum with infectious disease doctors,
72 percent of the parents were not sure about the safety of
schools. So it is important when we talk about funding that
everyone understand we need to really fund our schools
appropriately to help them address the virus.
It is a lot of, I get it, of money being asked for. But we
are at war with a disease that is infecting this entire
country. And the future is at risk because our students are the
foundation for our Nation. They need to be protected as well as
the educators that are giving them the tools to be successful.
So when you talk about challenges, what we have seen and
what we have heard from everyone on your panel, is that
distance learning is not the best way. All parents, not one,
wants their, schools to be reopened and their children to be at
school. So it is really important that everyone understands
parents are not against going back in-person. They are just
worried about the safety of their students and of their
children, and of the educators as well, this is an essential
business for our Nation. We need to carefully fund it and enact
the right resources for everyone to be successful.
And that is why you saw PTA with the [inaudible] ask that
we are asking for. It is important no matter what you do,
remotely or hybrid, you are going to need to. We ask that you
do that as Congress.
Chairman Sablan. All right. Thank you. And before I forget,
I will seek unanimous consent to enter into the record, a short
presentation submitted by Dr. Bobby Cruz, of the Director of
Instructional Technology of the North Marianas American Public
School System.
Chairman Sablan. Dr.--Ms. Boggs, again, for among parents,
was there a preferred rotating schedule where there is half
day, 2 days a week, A, B, C schedule, or a day a week?
Ms. Boggs. We know--we didn't see a clear path for--every
parent is different as every community is different. So I
think, really, the best option for you and Congress is to think
about giving local control, giving them the resources to be
successful. If you ask them their first choice, it is for their
children to be in school, but then again, safety is of utmost
importance.
Chairman Sablan. All right. So the National School Board of
Education would not work. I mean, one size does not fit all, I
think.
My time is up, and I will submit, I have questions for the
record.
So at this time, I recognize the ranking member, Mr. Allen,
for his five minutes of questioning. Thank you.
Mr. Allen. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Dr. Schwinn, I want to thank you for being here today to
talk about this critical topic. You know, I believe that every
family has a right to educational options. And, particularly,
this fall, I think that the one thing that we might benefit
from in this terrible pandemic we have been through is, I am
seeing remarkable parental engagement in children's education
now. And I am seeing that the parents are seeing our education
system a lot different. And I think they are going to be
demanding options in the future. But obviously, every child is
different. I have surveyed my grandchildren. And I have
surveyed their parents. And, you know, one says, well, you
know, I--you know, like she can learn how to distance learn,
but she has got to be in school. And so every child is
different.
And I think that, again, you know, the problem with
Congress is there has been this one-size-fits-all, this is what
you got to do. What I hear from educators across the country is
they don't have any flexibility when they get the funding,
because every school district is different.
In your testimony, you discussed the choices you have had
to make in Tennessee around physically reopening the schools.
Have you looked at what is at stake if you don't set a goal of
in-person learning to give parents that option this fall?
Ms. Schwinn. Yes, sir. And thank you so much for the
question. I think Tennessee is a great example of a State that
has urban, suburban, rural communities. All have different
needs and challenges, and that is why we think that parent
choices are so important about what is best for their own
child. We are thinking about the risks and consequences of not
reopening schools, and that having that choice available, we
looked at our data and projected out the significant learning
loss for students.
I think many of you remember we had tornados before the
pandemic, so some of our students had been out of school for 6
months or longer. We know we are going to have learning loss.
That affects our most vulnerable population more than anyone
else, and especially when we think about our early learners. We
have looked at our child development statistics. We have worked
closely across State agencies around that and have noted that
more of our vulnerable populations are at risk, and they rely
on schools for services.
It is logistically very difficult to provide those services
of children that are not in school. And so some of the things
that we are thinking about are how do we get rules schools to
open in safe way, and provide resources so that families have
those options that are so critically important for their
children.
Mr. Allen. Thank you. Well, I know you and I both care
about students, and--and we care about their health and
welfare. But we also have to look at the economy, and I don't
think those these two things are mutually exclusive.
In fact, this Congress is spending an enormous amount of
money to try to deal with this pandemic. I don't think that is
going to be good for our children. I think it is going to
affect generations and generations and generations of our
children because of this huge debt that we are building in this
government, and it does not seem like there is going to be an
end. And I don't think it is--I know it is not sustainable.
But American families are struggling, because of COVID-19,
and they are concerned about their children's future. It seems
clear to me that the primary way we can help struggling
families now is by working to reopen schools. In other words,
in our rural communities, we have got to reopen schools. I
don't think we have a choice. W are already reopening
businesses, and businesses are doing incredible, innovative
work to make sure that we keep--one is our food supply, if you
can believe it. I mean, we had some challenges with that.
But I recognize that reopening schools presents a lot of
challenges, and there is so much we still don't know about this
virus. Can you discuss the unique challenges to--that you have
tackled in reopening the schools in Tennessee, and how can what
you have been able to do help those schools across this
country? I think we need idea sharing, although every community
is different. But what are some things you have implemented you
would like to share with us?
Ms. Schwinn. Absolutely. So, briefly, we have done a lot
with academics. We will have an online academic system with
video lessons. We have offered free PD for teachers and
principals over 18,000 teachers and over half the principals in
the State have PDs ready to go back. Governor Lee has
appropriated funds for face masks, gloves, disinfecting wipes,
et cetera, for every single classroom in the State. So we have
done a lot to make sure schools are safe and people are ready
and will continue to do that.
Mr. Allen. Thank you very much, and I yield back. Thank
you, Mr. Chairman. That alarm is obnoxious, if I can say that.
Mrs. Foxx. Mr. Chairman, could they ring it five or six
times and then stop because it makes difficult to hear the
witness. I mean--
Mr. Allen. Maybe one time.
Chairman Sablan. Well, I think the clock is when it rings
it stops. I mean, witnesses try their best to stay, they are
actually stay within the five minutes. I just--I don't control
the clock. I have got a cheap Casio, you know, I can't depend
on it. It is actually brand new, too, because I broke my--
Anyway, next up is Mrs. Hayes, our national teacher of the
year, you have five minutes.
Mrs. Hayes. Thank you to everyone for being here today. I
think we all want schools to reopen and to go back to normal,
but I think reality is that no one can say with absolute
certainty that we can do that safely, not governors, not
commissioners, not the Secretary of Education, not the
President, not this committee. So I think we have to explore
every available option and every precaution to keep students
and faculty safe.
My question is for Dr. O'Leary. I have talked to many in my
district about plans that they have for reopening, and I am
concerned because none of those plans involve testing. Do you
believe that States and districts should be responsible for
ensuring that individuals in schools have access to testing if
they request it or if that is needed?
Dr. O'Leary. Thank you for that question. It is an
incredibly complicated issue right now. You know, I wish we had
more testing capacity in the U.S., that would greatly help
matters right now. But, you know, like many of you are
discussing, as I am sure you are well aware, they are very
contextual down to the district and even down to the school
level. And so I know that schools across the country are asking
that same question, how are we going to get testing done?
So just to point out, I don't believe all students before
attending school, that doesn't appear to be a good approach,
because if you are positive--or if negative one day, then you
are going to be negative the next day. So testing asymptomatic
students and the staff, I think, is really not in the cards at
this point, given the testing capacity.
In terms of testing symptomatic students, yes, we
absolutely have to have plans in place for how to do that
safely. You know, as we approach the school year, and
inevitably some other respiratory viruses [that] mimic COVID-19
are going to circulate, we need to have plans in place on how
we handle that. And to get those tested with a turnaround time
that is reasonable, turnaround times really don't help you
right now.
So if you have seven--waiting seven days for a test, that
doesn't help, and that is going to exclude students for longer
than is necessary. Most of them are actually not going to have
COVID-19.
So I absolutely 100 percent agree with you that we need to
come up with a good plan for testing, but it is going to be
contextual at this point, even down to the school district.
Mrs. Hayes. Thank you, because what I have heard--I guess
my granular question on that regard is, if you have a faculty
member, a student or someone who says I feel symptomatic, can I
be tested? So I understand that we can't do a universal testing
plan, but no one has been able to answer to me if a staff
member comes in and they say, I am feeling symptomatic, most of
the responses that I have gotten is that they would have to
seek some type of community-based testing or figure it out on
their own.
There is a national poll of school principals that found
that many principals are concerned over the safety of their
staff, especially those who are older or immuno-compromised.
Dr. Hinojosa, do you have a plan to address the concerns of
our most vulnerable staff members?
Mr. Hinojosa. Yes, absolutely. Thank you for--
Mrs. Hayes. I mean, not just teachers, everyone in the
building. Cafeteria workers, vendors, everyone who is in and
out of our educational spaces.
Mr. Hinojosa. No, absolutely, we have a form we distribute
to all of our employees to give us specific information on
their health conditions, and we will handle those on a case-by-
case basis. What you described is an issue we faced this
summer, as we were trying to distribute food, half a million
meals a week to our employees [students]--we had difficulty
finding enough employees to come and distribute the meals. That
is why we went to one day a week to distribute meals and
technology to all of our students.
So we do have a plan, we ask them to identify, and then we
will work with them individually on how we execute this. But I
concur with the [inaudible] on that because communicated that
very same feeling to us locally here in this district.
Mrs. Hayes. Thank you.
I have also heard from leaders that they are afraid that
this situation may lead to a shortage of full-time teachers and
substitute teachers. I think there is a population that we
haven't really talked about. How would this potential shortage
in the teacher workforce affect students with disabilities?
Dr. Hinojosa?
Mr. Hinojosa. Yeah. Students with disabilities is probably
our biggest concern right now, because, actually, many of them,
especially medically fragile students, the teachers need to get
very close to them. And if they already have a medical
condition, this is going to exacerbate the shortage area.
We have a shortage of bilingual and special ed teachers. So
this situation is not going to help, and it will make it more
difficult to hire qualified employees in these positions.
Mrs. Hayes. Thank you.
My time is about to expire, but, Dr. Schwinn, I have just
one question. Can anything that you have talked about or any of
the interventions that you have discussed happen without
government or federal resources and support, yes or no?
Ms. Schwinn. We will appreciate any resources that will
help us open schools safely.
Mrs. Hayes. Can you do it without it?
Ms. Schwinn. We will--
Mrs. Hayes. Yes or no?
Ms. Schwinn. Those resources will be incredibly helpful to
schools.
Mrs. Hayes. Yes or no?
Ms. Schwinn. That is the answer. Tennessee is doing great
work to make sure we can reopen our schools safely.
Mrs. Hayes. Thank you.
Chairman Sablan. Thank you very much, Mrs. Hayes.
I would now like to recognize the full committee ranking
member, Dr. Foxx, for five minutes, please.
Mrs. Foxx. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
And I want to thank all of our witnesses for participating
in the hearing today, and particularly to Dr. Schwinn for being
here in the committee room.
Thank you for the work you and your schools have done in
Tennessee to serve the students since the outbreak and for
coming here today to discuss the ways we can help students get
the education they need in the upcoming year.
In many ways, the best way to do so is in person. Despite
commendable efforts by educators, students, and families during
the unexpected months of remote learning, it is clear that for
many students the greatest chance for success is that in-person
instruction in the classroom.
Can you describe the advantages of having students in
person this fall?
Ms. Schwinn. Absolutely, and thank you for that question.
I think that it is critical that we have opportunities for
students to be in person. I have two young daughters myself.
Both are in third grade, and one is in kindergarten. And so
thinking about, for our very young learners, the need to learn
to read, that is very difficult to do remotely.
We also know that many of our students rely on services
like special education. To go to a previous question, Tennessee
is looking at innovative options like having 200 teachers get
endorsements for special education at the cost to the State so
we can provide those resources in schools.
But when we think about what schools provide--healthcare,
counseling services, et cetera--that can be done in schools,
and schools being reopened is incredibly important for those.
Mrs. Foxx. Well, it sounds to me like you are focusing on
students, and that is something that needs to be done. I have
said for years, schools are basically focused on administrators
and teachers and their convenience, not for focusing on
students. So thank you for that.
Again, the focus is often on the obstacles, but I believe
we can find ways to overcome these challenges just in the two
examples you gave. Prior to March 2020, one might have said
that transitioning all classes online was inconceivable, but
many schools accomplished this feat swiftly.
So, Dr. Schwinn, what makes you so confident that it is, in
fact, possible to reopen schools safely in person this fall?
What evidence do you have to support your decision?
Ms. Schwinn. I appreciate that question, and I think it is
a great opportunity to talk about how adults can support
children.
So, in the State of Tennessee, our State legislature, our
Governor--and we have a history of Governors who have committed
to education in the State. We have not reduced State funding to
public schools in the State of Tennessee. Governor Lee has
allocated millions of dollars for technology, safety equipment,
resources, health and sanitation equipment for schools.
All of that is so that our schools can reopen, because we
understand how important it is for our families and for our
children. We also know how important it is for our staff,
teachers as well as support staff and district staff. We are
getting them what they need so that they can do the really hard
work about educating our students. And we know that has got to
be the priority.
Mrs. Foxx. Thank you again.
Dr. Schwinn, much has been learned over the past several
months about the coronavirus and its consequences for
education. In addition to the research that provides new
insights into the risk of COVID-19, particularly to young
people, there is also more information available about the
effectiveness of education in a remote environment. How does
this information and research inform your plans for safely
reopening schools this fall?
Ms. Schwinn. Sure. And as a mom of two children who is
doing the same balance as many families, understanding how
difficult it is to both do your job and then certainly to
support learning at home, and I think we have heard that from
parents across the country.
Look, our teachers have been working incredibly hard, our
principals and our superintendents have been working incredibly
hard to do what they could in a remote environment, but nothing
replaces the relationship and quality of instruction that
happens between a teacher and his or her children in the
classroom. We know that is where this really wonderful learning
takes place.
And so our efforts and supports have been certainly to
provide remote options for those staff and students who need
them, but knowing that the most high-quality education happens
in the classroom for students at all levels but particularly
those who are most vulnerable and in our youngest grades.
Mrs. Foxx. Well, again, thank you. Thank you for what
Tennessee is doing. Thank you for your leadership.
I am so incredibly impressed to hear your emphasis on the
students. I believe that, in many cases, that is being lost in
this discussion about not reopening schools, and that is, what
are the needs of the individual students? My colleagues on the
other side of the aisle continually talk about the need for the
personal approach to all students. We need to keep that in mind
in all the decisions we make.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I yield back.
Chairman Sablan. Thank you very much, Ms. Foxx.
I now recognize Ms. Schrier for five minutes, please.
Ms. Schrier. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
And thank you to all of our witnesses. I very much
appreciate this testimony.
And I want to tell you that I am speaking from the
standpoint of being a pediatrician, so there is no question
that I have the students' best interests in mind. I am also
speaking to you as a parent with type 1 diabetes, and so I have
the interests of other parents with preexisting conditions or
grandparents at home in mind. And I am speaking to you as the
daughter of a teacher. So I am looking at all of these things.
And I would just remind my colleagues on the other side of
the aisle that you can't open schools without adults and also
that kids don't live in a vacuum. We do know that kids are
better served in school. I experienced remote education with my
son, and, frankly, it was pretty lousy. And so we all want our
children back in school. We know it is better for them
academically, socially--we know kids who need nutrition and
childcare through schools need to be there.
But we also know that other countries wisely have not
opened while rates are surging, because that essentially dooms
this process to failure. We also know now that kids 10 and up
seem to spread this just as readily as adults, putting families
in danger. And so, while we know that children are less
affected and tend to remain either asymptomatic or mildly
symptomatic, they don't live in a vacuum.
And what this seems to come down to for me is really the
level of community spread. Because if there are high levels in
the community, there will be high levels in the school, and you
will end up closing and quarantining an awful lot.
And so my first question is for Dr. O'Leary, which is just:
Is there a number, either developed by States or, gosh, it
would be really nice to have a national number, that just says,
hey, if levels are below some number, 1 in 100,000, 1 in
10,000, then it is considered a safe incidence or safe
prevalence to open our schools? Or is that based on the R0?
And, as you are answering that question, would it be
helpful to have that information from the CDC, since different
communities have different levels of disease and different R0s?
Dr. O'Leary. Thank you for that question, Representative
Schrier. Can you hear me okay?
Ms. Schrier. Yes.
Dr. O'Leary. So the R0, the reproductive number, is one
measure that a lot of folks are using to help make these
determinations. It is an incredibly complicated calculus.
Each--it is done at the local level, the State level, and
States are tracking their numbers differently, in different
ways. They have different benchmarks for how they are making
these decisions, and they are complicated.
So, again, R0 is one number, but other numbers include, as
you point out, the incidence of disease, the rate of rise of
the disease, the percentage of positive tests, the number of
hospitalizations in a community. There are quite a few metrics
that people are using.
I know CDC is also working on, you know, what are the best
ways to make these decisions, but it is really a complicated
discussion between CDC, local, and State public health, as well
as the schools and the educators, because, again, it is very
contextual.
Ms. Schrier. Thank you. It seems to me it would be helpful
to have that number. And it is nice to hear that the CDC is
working on it, to have that. Because I think it would inform
the administration, as well, that we know that different
communities, different school districts are in different
situations, and just to blanketly say all schools should open
is just irresponsible. And so that kind of data would be very
helpful.
My next question is for Dr. Hinojosa, which is about remote
learning. And, like I said, our experience with that was very
substandard. Are there other methods, perhaps through TV,
anything else that could bridge the digital divide? Because we
just can't get broadband to every child, and they can't do
their homework in a car.
Mr. Hinojosa. Yeah, I do want to acknowledge public
broadcasting systems in many cities, including L.A. and Dallas
and other places, where they have a contract, a contract
agreement with us where we actually provide some television
opportunities for teachers, for students and families.
But we also need to do better on learning at home 2.O.
Number 1.0, we just put things together. Right now, we are
training our teachers on the tools and the content, and both of
those are very important. That is why buying a little bit more
time will help us do a better job to have quality instruction.
So thank you for the question, Representative.
Ms. Schrier. And are there some super-smart teachers out
there who are really good with online instruction who could
basically spoonfeed this to all the school districts out there
so each teacher isn't inventing the wheel on their own?
Mr. Hinojosa. Yeah, we are actually studying that right
now. We have a differentiation of our most effective teachers,
and now we want to know which ones are most effective in this
context. And so we are trying to do that assessment ourselves.
Chairman Sablan. Thank you, Ms. Schrier.
Ms. Schrier. Thank you.
Chairman Sablan. Thank you very much.
Mr. Thompson, you have five minutes.
Mr. Thompson. Mr. Chairman, thank you. Appreciate it.
Thank you to all members of the panel on this very timely
and incredibly important discussion.
Dr. Schwinn, you know, I--first of all, I just want to say
thank you publicly to all the life-essential employees that are
out there. That is kind of a term that has taken on a new
meaning in this pandemic. But thank you to the folks who show
up to work each and every day, of different ages and diversity,
in grocery stores, convenience stores, manufacturing, making
the personal protective equipment, the other things that we
deem as being needed, our first responders, our healthcare
providers.
And so--I want to see, do you think that teachers fall into
that category as life-essential? And, I guess, why or why not?
Ms. Schwinn. Thank you for that question.
And I come proudly from a family of teachers, many of whom
are starting school this year. And so, when I think about what
is critically important to the foundation of our country,
public schools are part of that. It is the fabric of who we are
and how we educate our children.
And so, certainly, when we think about the impacts of
children going to school and being able to live whatever lives
they choose, when we think about how families rely on schools,
and certainly when we think about opening up our economy so
that families can get back to work, we need to be able to
provide those options to all of our parents, whether they
choose to educate their children remotely or choose to send
their kids to school, that option is available. And so I think
it is critically important we provide those.
Mr. Thompson. Yeah, no, I would agree. I am a big fan of
teachers. I think they are life-essential. It is the immediate,
intermediate, and long-term educational benefits, the mandatory
reporter role. A lot of these kids are sheltering at home with
distance learning with their abusers, unfortunately. It is
being able to get access to the nutrition that they need.
So I would encourage--I think our school districts need
flexibility. And the CDC guidelines specify that and talk about
cohorting, talk about different suggestions, just guidance. As
a recovering school board member, I found that very helpful and
meaningful, as I read and digested that. And I think they need
the flexibility to be able to perform their function as life-
essential employees.
I am really appreciative of the things I have heard about
students with disabilities. I think that those students in
particular are very vulnerable, and it is very, very difficult,
and we need to figure out a better hybrid. Distance learning
just I don't think is working for those students, and they are
really at risk.
You know, a student that I haven't heard talked about but I
am--obviously, the chairman knows I am pretty passionate about
career and technical education. Career and technical education
is actually preparing our future life-essential employees. The
people that I named off here are kind of career and technical
education fields.
And, really, our school districts need to take a look at
keeping that in mind, because those are hands-on. And when
these kids graduate, they are going to be life-essential
employees during the next pandemic. Unfortunately, these things
travel at the speed of jet airplanes, in hours and days, not
months and years anymore. And so to cheat, really to short them
in their education so that they are not prepared with the
skills to be able to go into the workforce to be there to
provide for us in the future.
So any thoughts in terms of how we could do a better job
for those students that are in career and technical education
tracks?
Ms. Schwinn. I appreciate the question, especially in this
room. And we have our CTE Week this week, actually. And so I
think about Gibson County; I think about Kingsport city; I
think about Clarksville, Montgomery. These are districts in
Tennessee who are tackling those problems.
And one of the things that has come from our superintendent
is, how can the State fund curriculum that can be used whether
the student is in school or in a remote environment and going
back and forth? Because we know classrooms may need to close
throughout the year. So the State is looking to invest in those
types of remote-to-classroom opportunities for students.
And we are partnering--and, again, cross-agency support is
critical--partnering with other State agencies, working closely
together, under Governor Lee's administration, so that our
workforce development group can support our schools to still
provide those opportunities.
Mr. Thompson. Yeah. And within months, hopefully, or
hopefully maybe weeks after these students graduate from these
career and technical education programs, some of them will be
going to work still in the middle of this pandemic. So we need
to figure out how we do in classroom, whether it is--whatever
the skills are, whatever that area, so they can do that safely
as a future life-essential employee.
So I would argue that, you know, distance learning and
modules that are--you know, they need to be in those settings,
because they are going to be working in those settings. And
education is a lot more than probably just a diploma; it is
about, really, preparation to work and survive and succeed in
the world that we live in.
Chairman Sablan. Thank you.
Mr. Thompson. Chairman, thank you.
Chairman Sablan. Thank you, Mr. Thompson.
Without losing her place on the question list, I will pass
on Ms. Shalala at this time and recognize Mrs. Davis for five
minutes.
Mrs. Davis. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
And thank you to all of you who are present with us but
also very active in this discussion. We appreciate that
greatly.
I wanted to turn to Dr. O'Leary, because, Dr. O'Leary, I
know that your testimony suggests that schools that are forced
to delay in-person openings need more resources, not less. And
yet the proposals that we are hearing seem to suggest that, if
schools are not able to be do that because there is a fire
raging in their community, the virus, that they should be not
given any resources in order to fund them.
So, Dr. O'Leary, what do you think about that proposal?
Dr. O'Leary. Yeah. Thank you for that question.
I think, just to put it in context, you know, imagine a
community where there is a lot of virus circulating and you
have, you know, lots of different people getting infected. It
is inevitable that the virus--oh.
Sorry. I think I might have a bandwidth issue.
But it is inevitable that the virus is going to get into
the schools, and the schools are going to have to shut down. It
doesn't make sense where there is widespread community
circulation to open schools, no matter how many mitigation
measures are in place, to withhold funding from those districts
because they can't open. They really can't open in that
circumstance, and those decisions need to be made with local
and State public health.
Mrs. Davis. Uh-huh. Thank you.
One of the issues that has been raised--and I know, Dr.
Schwinn, you probably relate to this as well--is you need to
have the connectivity for students to be able to even have a
fighting chance to be able to not keep continuing to fall back.
And we know for all children that they did.
You were not willing to really answer my colleague's
question about whether schools need more resources. But, I
mean, if you were asked, along with other education
commissioners throughout the country, if you wanted more
resources, if you felt it would help the children in your
State, what would you say? Would you say, ``No, don't worry, I
am okay, I don't need anything''?
Ms. Schwinn. I would say, absolutely, we want more
resources to open schools. What I don't want to say is that we
will make decisions for 147 very unique districts and counties
simply by waiting for the federal government.
Tennessee will protect our own, and we will certainly allow
our superintendents to make decisions that are right for their
own communities. But, certainly, we welcome and need additional
resources to do so with complete safety in mind.
Mrs. Davis. Yeah.
Dr. Hinojosa, could you respond as well, as the Dallas
superintendent? Because I know that you certainly are in a
position, as the superintendent, to see that the city of Dallas
itself has lost, what, nearly $33 million in tax revenue in
2020. And that impacts the schools; am I correct?
Mr. Hinojosa. Yes, absolutely. Well, it impacts us
significantly. Sales taxes are down in the State of Texas. All
revenues are down in the State of Texas. So we are going to hit
this big wall, and if we don't have the resources--but, more
importantly, back to your original question about Operation
Connectivity, we have even asked the FCC to relax some of their
requirements so that we could use some of the resources at the
FCC so we could actually use them to knock down the front door
and have families access connectivity.
So, yes, we definitely need additional resources. And if
you think about high-poverty States with Title I and special ed
dollars, IDEA dollars, those are well within the federal
government's purview, and those would be extremely welcome
during this time. And we know that--
Mrs. Davis. Would you like to see--I guess Dr. Hinojosa,
would like to see Congress then address that issue?
Mr. Hinojosa. Yes, I would love to see Congress address
that issue. You have already done it in the House. We would
like for the Senate to consider it. Thank you for the CARES
Act, but we also think that the HEROES Act has the potential to
significantly help districts throughout the country.
Mrs. Davis. Uh-huh.
And I want to go back to Dr. O'Leary for a second. Because
one of issues that has been raised is that school districts
have to develop protocols in order to deal with the ``if''s.
You know, what if, one day, you know, right after school is
open, you have several teachers that come down with COVID? What
if you find that, in a classroom, children have symptoms?
Are there protocols out there that the pediatric
association is dealing with, is trying to suggest to schools?
Do you think that what the CDC has done has helped people with
those specific kind of protocols? Because that could be really
a very dangerous situation.
Dr. O'Leary. Yeah. Those protocols are being actively
worked on, including from members of the Academy, the CDC is
working on this, State and local health departments.
Absolutely.
Chairman Sablan. Thank you.
Mrs. Davis. Thank you.
Chairman Sablan. Thank you, Mrs. Davis.
I would now recognize the gentleman from Wisconsin, Mr.
Grothman, for five minutes.
Mr. Grothman. Thank you. I am glad to be here and will give
Dr. Schwinn some questions.
It seems to be little doubt that children spread COVID-19
less rapidly than adults. Is that so?
Ms. Schwinn. According to our department of health in
Tennessee, yes.
Mr. Grothman. Can you expand on some of that claims and
explain why those aspects need to be looked at when determining
whether or not we send kids back to school, the effect of that?
Ms. Schwinn. Sure. I think, you know, again, pointing to
the exceptional leaders that we have in Tennessee who are
responsible for our school districts, there are a lot of
conversations about prioritizing our younger students. Our
superintendents are being incredibly creative about that,
because we know that the spread of the virus is less in our
younger students, and so trying to think about different
options that allow for us to bring especially that age group
back into school and spread out, social distancing, et cetera.
So that is a priority in Tennessee, and we have seen that
reflected in our schools.
Mr. Grothman. Sometimes I think that our whole bureaucracy,
in dealing with this thing, doesn't look outside the United
States enough. And at least the papers in front of me claim
that countries like Switzerland and the Netherlands are saying
that children play even a minor role in spreading the virus.
Have you heard that? Do you think Switzerland and the
Netherlands are right in that or not?
Ms. Schwinn. You know, I don't think I would be able to
speak specifically on any kind of health conditions or studies
that have been done there.
But I do know that, when we are looking at the best
practices from other countries, what we are seeing is that
there are solutions we can put into place in our schools that
protect students and staff and allows children to continue to
be educated in person, as long as we provide them with the
resources necessary to do so safely. And that is what we have
been focusing on.
Mr. Grothman. One suggestion in Wisconsin, apparently,
since you proposed guidelines, we have a 4-day week and a fifth
day for cleaning, put kids on a 2-day rotation. Have you heard
about that, and could you kind of comment on that?
Ms. Schwinn. Sure, we have a similar--so we have a district
who is looking at similar options around bringing students in
on A days, B days, and allowing for alternative classrooms or
alternate classrooms to be cleaned on those on and off days.
Frankly, we will be doing the same thing at the Department of
Education with our desks in our own office space.
So we are looking at that. We are also seeing districts who
are bringing in younger students, K through 8, across all of
their schools and having high schoolers do more remote A day/B
day. So we are seeing that same alternate scheduling to allow
for disinfecting procedures to take place.
Mr. Grothman. Okay.
You are kind of following what is going on nationwide.
Ms. Schwinn. Uh-huh.
Mr. Grothman. In Wisconsin so far, at least whenever
whoever put this together put it together, nobody under age 20
has died of the COVID. Is that true nationwide, or is it
restricted to people dying with serious health problems? But
could you kind of elaborate on the level of sickness for people
under 20?
Ms. Schwinn. You know, I can certainly speak in
generalities. I would probably defer to a health professional
related to that data.
I do know, when we are thinking about risk factors, we are
making sure that, depending on the age range and certainly--and
that goes from students all the way to staff--that they have
what they need, including personal protective equipment, to
keep themselves safe.
And, certainly, I have relatives in Wisconsin, and so it is
special and near and dear to my heart to make sure that they
are safe in schools in that State as well.
Mr. Grothman. We will get their name later, and I will look
out for them. But we will do that after the hearing.
Some of my colleagues and national pundits have said that
putting kids to school, it is--if you let the kids in school,
you are putting their health at risk. Nobody I know talks about
reopening schools without making sure the kids are not at risk.
But do you think the conversation should really be about
reopening schools safely and how it will benefit children?
Ms. Schwinn. I do, especially because--you know, I was
talking with the superintendent yesterday morning in Pickett
County. She has very few cases in her county. Her district
wants to open up in person. That is certainly very different
than metro Nashville or Shelby County, where Memphis is, that
has a different population and skyrocketing cases. Local
communities need to make local choices, but the conversation
needs to be how we do so safely.
Mr. Grothman. I will give you another question. I am not
sure this exactly applies to schools, but last week, when I was
home, I looked at one of what used to be the called the
sheltered workshop--in other words, people who are used to be
called handicapped working there. And I have a special interest
in people like that.
We had a shutdown in Wisconsin, like a lot of States, so
these folks couldn't come in and work for, like, 3 months. And
when they came back, the staff could really tell
psychologically it was damaging to them, not having the school
to go to, because I think particularly for folks in that
situation the workplace is their social setting as well.
Could you comment on any special concerns we would have or
special damage that would happen if you have people with
special needs who are not able to go to school and see their
peer group? Is it especially damaging to people like that?
Ms. Schwinn. I have a strong concern especially when we
think about our vulnerable populations, inclusive of our
children with disabilities. The Department of Education put
forward a $5 million compensatory services grant and a $1
million assistive technology grant. It is not enough to serve
children in a remote setting. That is why we know that we need
to bring certain students in to provide that in-person
instruction. It is incredibly important to them and their
health.
Chairman Sablan. Thank you, Dr. Schwinn. Thank you very
much.
At this time, I would like to recognize Ms. Shalala for
five minutes, please.
Ms. Shalala, are you on remotely?
All right. We will move on.
Ms. Wilson of Florida? Ms. Wilson?
All right.
Mr. DeSaulnier of California? Sir?
I will move on.
Mr. Morelle of New York?
Okay. He is on the floor. So let's try--
Mr. Morelle. No, I am here. Mr. Morelle. I am sorry. I was
searching for my ``mute'' button.
Chairman Sablan. Oh, Mr. Morelle. Hi. Good morning. You
have five minutes, sir. Thank you.
Mr. Morelle. Great. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. And thank you
for holding, I think, one of most important, one of the most
important hearings that you could hold.
Obviously, as we look towards the fall, this is the time of
year when students and teachers and parents are happily
preparing for the return to school--teachers refreshing
curriculum, setting up classrooms, getting ready to welcome
their students; parents and children gathering school supplies,
reviewing schedules and getting excited about the first day of
a new school year.
But, obviously, nothing, to put it--suggesting that is a
major understatement--nothing is normal about this year.
Principals and teachers are stressed about providing a safe
environment for their students with limited resources. Parents
worry whether their child will be exposed to the virus in the
classroom, as well as how to balance work and daycare if you
are in a district where schools are going to provide education
remotely through distance learning.
So I think we can all agree we want students back in the
classroom, but only under safe conditions, and that rushing to
do this is terribly inappropriate. So we need to safely open
schools and follow clear public health guidelines. I think that
is what Dr. Fauci has said repeatedly about that.
And I think if the administration was serious about getting
students back in the classrooms, we need fewer tweets and more
meaningful action and resources devoted towards schools to help
them get to the point where they can reopen. And rather than
blocking the CDC from testifying before the House for fear of
what they will say, let's see a commitment to sharing data and
providing clear guidance for industries that repeatedly are
calling for assistance. And let's put the political agenda
aside and utilize the Defense Production Act to ramp up testing
immediately and demonstrate leadership the American people so
greatly deserved.
I am proud of this body, that we have showed this country
we are serious about providing support. I know colleagues have
said it is not sustainable, but there is nothing that we want
to sustain about this situation. We need to act. This is, as I
often say, people talk about, ``Well, you should only do that
in case of a really rainy day.'' Well, this isn't a rainy day;
this a torrential downpour, and we need to do everything we
can.
That is why I think the HEROES Act was so important. It
provided $200 billion in funding for K through 12 schools. And
waiting for action by our colleagues has been incredibly
frustrating, especially when so much is at stake. I think we
are on the right side of history, and we are gathered here
today to continue the important conversations.
I think the President and Secretary DeVos have publicly
come out and demanded schools reopen full-time in person. I
think that is wrongheaded. CDC guidance, which categorizes
full-size, in-person classes and activities to be the highest
risk of transformation and transmission of the disease.
So, with that, I wanted to ask Dr. O'Leary--and I partly
wanted to ask as a follow follow-up to the conversation my
colleague Mrs. Hayes asked about testing.
But, first of all, someone said that transmission of the
virus among children, obviously even those who are
asymptomatic, could put teachers and adults in the building at
risk, and I want you to talk about that.
And, also, could you just comment--I thought I heard
someone say that the transmission was less among children.
Could you talk about the science of that and whether or not
that is actually true?
Dr. O'Leary. Yeah. Thank you for that question.
So we are learning more every day about this issue. At this
point, it appears that younger children appear to be less
likely to get infected and less likely to spread it. But that
by no means, means that they can't get it and they can't spread
it and that some don't get sick.
So, yes, they are at lower risk; yes, they can get it and
can spread it.
Mr. Morelle. So, just for clarification, the reason it is
harder for them to spread is because they are less likely to
get it in the first place? Or is there something, even for
those children who have the virus, who contracted it, it is
harder for them to transmit? So those are kind of two pieces,
right?
Dr. O'Leary. Yeah. So it appears to be both. And we can
talk another time about why that is. But, yeah, younger kids
appear to be less likely to get it and less likely to spread
it.
Mr. Morelle. So I also wanted to go to the question of
testing, because you seemed to suggest that testing students
was not a viable option. But is that simply because you don't
think we have the capacity or we haven't demonstrated the
capacity at the federal government to ramp up testing and make
it available? Or are there other issues with testing students?
Because, clearly, if one tests positive, you would want to
get them out of the classroom and quarantine them at home, even
if they are asymptomatic but have contracted the virus.
Could you just comment on that?
Dr. O'Leary. Let me be clear. I am talking about not
testing asymptomatic students. (inaudible) We don't have that
capacity in the U.S. We do want to try and test the students
who are symptomatic to the extent that is possible, but it
really varies a lot across the country.
Mr. Morelle. But just to be clear--
Chairman Sablan. Thank--
Mr. Morelle. Oh, I am sorry. Has my time expired? Boy, that
was quick. I apologize. I yield back.
Chairman Sablan. Thank you, Mr. Morelle.
At this time, I recognize Mr. Keller for five minutes,
please.
Mr. Keller. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. And I would like to
thank the chairman and the ranking member for holding this
critically important hearing today on how our Nation can move
forward with safely reopening our schools.
Additionally, I would like to thank the witnesses for
participating today and for offering their valued perspective
and expertise.
As a father of two and a proud grandfather, I am extremely
concerned about the long-term impacts that COVID-19 has had on
students as a result of being out of the classroom for months
at a time.
One example is, McKinsey & Company has projected that, when
all the impacts of COVID-19 are considered, students should
fall an average of 7 months behind academically. This is simply
unacceptable. We owe every generation of students a well-
rounded education that encompasses the educational, social,
mental, and physical benefits that come with students attending
school.
Additionally, I commend Congress for working together to
provide schools with billions in dollars for relief. The
Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund
authorized under the CARES Act provided $13.2 billion in
formula funding directly to States and school districts to help
schools respond to COVID-19. My home State, Pennsylvania,
received almost $524 million for local educational agencies to
address the impact of COVID-19.
However, it is my understanding that not one State has
spent the entirety of their funding under the CARES Act.
Mr. Keller. While the Pennsylvania General Assembly has
appropriated much of the money, there is still about $1.3
billion unspent in the Pennsylvania treasury.
Across Pennsylvania's 12th Congressional District,
districts are approving reopening plans for the fall, working
in conjunction with local school boards, administrators,
parents, and State officials. One central Pennsylvania school
district surveyed parents and found that 60 percent of the
respondents favored a return to in-person schooling this fall.
I was thrilled to read this morning that the Williamsport
Area School District, located in Pennsylvania's 12th
Congressional District[CR4], has outlined a thorough three-
educational-phases plan to reopen schools in the fall that
include[s] a hybrid of in-person learning and remote learning
based on the level of transmission risk.
Today I am eager to hear about how reminding CARES funding
can be utilized to safely open schools and learn more about the
specific actions schools are taking to make sure students,
teachers, staff, and families can attend schools safely and in
person this fall.
Dr. Schwinn, I look at schools, and when schools across the
country closed in March, scientists and policymakers alike had
limited information as to the implications of the coronavirus
and what they were for children. Although there are still
lingering questions regarding the novel coronavirus, one thing
most scientists agree on is that the risks to adolescents are
extremely low. Thus, it appears that you can open schools
safely for students.
While you still need to look at how to protect the staff,
doesn't this knowledge help make the decision to open schools a
little bit easier?
Ms. Schwinn. Thank you for the question.
And I think that, bringing both of your, I think, really
important points together, when we look at our ESSER funds or
our CARES funds and how our districts are choosing to spend
that on technology and certainly on safety and disinfecting
equipment so that we can open, we also know that there has to
be a priority on providing every child with that opportunity.
I have spent my career supporting those students in the
most vulnerable populations, because education is such a
critical vehicle for them being able to support themselves for
the rest of their lives. And that is our focus in Tennessee.
So, certainly, we know that protecting our adults allows us
to open schools in a way that is safe and supportive of local
communities, and that will continue to be our priority.
Mr. Keller. Okay. Thank you.
And just to follow up, how is your agency working to make
sure school leaders and personnel as well as parents have the
facts and not invoking fear and rhetoric to help make decisions
about school?
Ms. Schwinn. Yeah. And that communication is always so
challenging, I think, as you are well-noting.
So one of the things that we are doing is, we had an
educator survey. Twenty-five-thousand teachers in the State of
Tennessee took a survey through our partnership with Vanderbilt
to be able to know what it is that they were challenged by.
We are working closely with the Department of Health, and
on Friday we will release a number of parent-facing supports
and resources to communicate. One of those will be a family
website, in partnership with Trevecca, to be able to
communicate directly to parents about what the information is
and what their choices are that they can make for their own
children.
Mr. Keller. Okay. Thank you.
I just have a question for Dr. O'Leary.
There was a question about how kids transmit the
coronavirus, and you just got done talking to one of my
colleagues about that. So we know that it transmits differently
with adolescents, and kids aren't as at risk to transmit it. Is
that true?
Dr. O'Leary. There does appear to be a difference between
younger children and older children. But, again--
Mr. Keller. How does it transmit differently than the flu?
Or is it similar to that?
Dr. O'Leary. Well, it is different. Children are clearly
drivers of influenza epidemics. That seems to be less the case
with this.
Chairman Sablan. All right. Thank you. Thank you, Mr.
Keller.
Mr. Keller. Thank you.
Chairman Sablan. And now I would like to recognize Ms.
Shalala for five minutes.
Ms. Shalala, are you on remotely?
Okay. She is on the floor.
The Chairman of the full committee, Mr. Scott, you are on,
sir. You have five minutes.
Mr. Scott. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
You know, we have heard comments about the desirability of
opening schools. Of course that is how you get better academic
achievement, socializing skills, access to nutrition, prevent
child abuse, and you are not going to reopen the economy
without reopening the schools. So of course we want to reopen
the schools if it can be done safely.
And so, Dr. O'Leary, let me ask you about a question about
ventilation. Four in 10 school districts, it has been found,
need to update or replace HVAC systems--heating, ventilation,
and air conditioning systems--in at least half of their
schools. Why is ventilation so important?
Dr. O'Leary. Yeah. I don't want to pretend to be an
environmental engineer, but it does appear that ventilation
matters with the spread of this particular virus. You know, for
example, we know that, the virus transmits much less in outdoor
environments than indoor environments. And so having
circulation within classrooms is important.
But that is another one of the reasons that schools need
resources, to address ventilation. You know, that is one
example of many of the reasons schools need resources in trying
to reopen.
Mr. Scott. Thank you. In the Moving Forward Act, the
school, the infrastructure bill, we have significant funding
for school construction that could take care of that.
And, Dr. O'Leary, if we are not going to test all the
students on day one to know who is infected and who isn't, you
have to assume that, students coming from the community all
into one place, somebody is going to be infected.
What is the plan to deal with a student who is beginning to
show symptoms? What should be the protocol at that point?
Dr. O'Leary. Yeah. I think that speaks to the issue of why
we need to act across the U.S. right now to drive infections
down as much as possible with wearing face coverings, physical
distancing, et cetera. Because if we can drive infections down
as a country, then that issue is going to become much, much
less of a problem.
But in terms of the actual--
Mr. Scott. Well, statistically, there will be children who
will be present in school and show symptoms that they are
infected. After they show symptoms, that means they have been
in school for all those days asymptomatic or pre-symptomatic,
spreading the disease around. What should be the protocol when
you find someone who is symptomatic?
Dr. O'Leary. Yeah. So those protocols are being developed
right now at the, you know, federal, State, district, and even
school levels. I mean, we could talk for an hour about the
details of those protocols, but basically what they are trying
to do is screen students to identify who might be ill, and
strong encouragement for parents to keep their kids home when
they have any symptoms, including fever or runny nose, et
cetera.
There are screening protocols that are being put in place,
such as having an app or some kind of a system that parents can
screen prior to sending their child to school. There are
difficulties in trying to do that at school. For example,
having children line up to get their temperature taken, that
could present more problems than it solves.
So these issues are being worked out right now. And, again,
it comes down to the level of the individual school for how
that may be done.
Mr. Scott. Well, if you wait for the symptoms to occur, it
is too late. If someone has been found to be positive, do you
shut the school down?
Dr. O'Leary. Well, the various plans that are coming into
shape usually involve cohorting students so that, if there is a
student identified as having been infected by COVID-19, it is
only the people that they are in close contact with. And then
it also depends on the number of students that are infected, et
cetera.
So it is not as simple as saying, if you get one case in a
school, you shut the school down.
Mr. Scott. Okay. Should we have nurses in the school?
Dr. O'Leary. I am sorry, could you repeat the question?
Mr. Scott. Should we have nurses in every school?
Dr. O'Leary. I would love to have a full-time school nurse
in every school. School nurses have been shown to improve
health outcomes across the board. Being in schools,
unfortunately, is not currently the reality in the U.S.
Mr. Scott. Thank you.
I think by the time I get my next question in, my time will
expire. I yield back.
Chairman Sablan. All right. Thank you, Chairman Scott.
Mr. Van Drew?
All right.
Mr. Walberg?
I will go to Dr. Murphy. Dr. Murphy, you have five minutes.
Your mic.
Mr. Murphy. There we go. Technology is wonderful. Thank
you.
My first question is for Dr. O'Leary, actually.
You know, I was reading a couple journal articles last
evening. We talked about immunity, antibody immunity and
cellular immunity. It was interesting to point out that a lot
of studies now are talking about antibody immunity waning after
several months and that T-cell immunity is going to be really
what is going to get hold of this.
And I was wondering if you could speak to--and this looks
why that children are by all means relatively spared from this,
compared to adults, just because of their thymus gland and
everything as we burn out as we get older. I was wondering if
you could speak to that a little bit.
You know, our kids are obviously our biggest concern, and
putting them behind in their education is why we are all here,
to try to prevent that. But I think--I would really like to
know what you truly believe is the relative risk of our
children. In the State of North Carolina, we have had 3
fatalities in kids under 24, all with comorbid diseases.
And let's give a real, true picture for what the true risk
is for our kids under age 18 as we move forward. Give me the
R0. Give me the things that you truly believe, are our kids at
risk. And, you know, not just a hypothetical. I would really,
truly like to look at what we have learned so far from, you
know, Korea, the GermanGerman studies, and all these things.
What are we truly looking at for the risk of our kids as we go
back to school?
Dr. O'Leary. Yeah. So you have asked several complicated
questions there. I will do my best--
Mr. Murphy. Yeah, just--I will tell you what, forget the T-
cell immunity one. That is pretty heady there. Let's just talk
about the true relative risk for our kids.
Dr. O'Leary. Yeah. So, again, learning every day, but what
we have seen so far in the U.S. is that kids are less--well,
sorry, around the world, kids do appear to be less impacted
from COVID-19 than adults. That is fairly clear.
In terms of the actual numbers, I think we are still trying
to get a handle on that, because we don't have a good sense of
the denominator of children that are infected. We also--you
know, the understanding of the biology of the virus is still
really rapidly evolving.
There have been some studies suggesting that the overall
risk for mortality is less than--for children, I should say--is
less than several other things that we commonly accept on a
daily basis in society, such as trauma, influenza, things that
sort of happen all the time. But, again, that is not to say--
Mr. Murphy. Yeah. So I am sorry to interrupt. I just want
to get one other question in.
Just from what I was reading last night, the relative risk,
as it is calculated--to the best to my calculations, is 0.011
percent. That is 1 in 10,000. So, if you look at the number of
kids who die every year from flu--from flu--in the United
States, it is going to seemingly be a fairly comparable number,
and we don't shut down our schools every year.
And so, I mean, I just want to take the fear factor out of
this. I just want us to deal with the nonpolitics, with the
true part of this, that we can put our kids back to school
safely. And we need to stop the fear mongering. We need to get
our kids back on track.
So, anyway, thank you.
And in that same line, this question is for Dr. Schwinn.
You know, I had a great telephone townhall across the school
administrators from our district this morning. They are all
concerned about all the details, which we all are. I was
wondering if you could speak to liability.
I have actually put forth an Open Schools Responsibly Act
that basically holds our school institutions free from
frivolous lawsuits because of this, because it is just one less
thing that they have to worry about.
And I wonder if you could speak to that, Dr. Schwinn,
briefly.
Ms. Schwinn. Sure, I am happy to. And that is an ongoing
conversation in Tennessee as well, and I know our legislature
is looking to pick that back up in August.
I think, when I talk with superintendents, one of the
things among the many concerns that they have is around how to
ensure they can make the best decisions possible for children
and for their staff, and I think liability is one of those
concerns that is getting into the conversation outside of the
outcomes that we are driving toward. So I think it is a
worthwhile conversation and one that we are incredibly grateful
is happening at both the federal and the State level.
Mr. Murphy. Great. Thank you so much.
It looks like my time is just about out. I will yield back.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Chairman Sablan. Well, thank you, Dr. Murphy.
So I would now would like--Mr. Courtney?
Mr. Courtney. Yes, Mr. Chairman. Thank you.
Chairman Sablan. All right. Five minutes, please.
Mr. Courtney. Yes. Thank you. So I appreciate you holding
this hearing, which is the question of the day, I think, for
our country in many different respects.
This morning, the Department of Labor reported 1.4 million
new unemployment filings, which actually is the first time in 3
months that number has gone up, and just really, unfortunately,
validates what the Chairman of the Federal Reserve has been
saying since last May, which is that the CARES Act stimulus was
inadequate in terms of addressing a whole host of issues and
that the country needs more fiscal stimulus.
The most efficient way to do that, to accomplish that, is
to provide more funding for State and local assistance, because
that, again, will circulate into the economy the quickest and
will enable us to solve the problem which we are trying to
figure out here this morning, which is how to safely reopen
schools.
Again, I think it is clear, both sides can stipulate to the
fact that opening up schools is highly beneficial, and it is a
goal we all share. The question is, how do we do it safely?
A couple days ago, the Secretary of Education, in an
interview, actually made a comment, that we should open schools
because children are actually stoppers--and that was the term
that she used--of COVID-19, which, when asked by the press
afterwards what she meant by that, the Department of Education
cited a study in Saxony, Germany, which, again, echoed some of
the comments that we have had here this morning about the fact
that young kids, particularly smaller kids, are not--they don't
transmit as much as older children or adults.
But the researchers, when they were interviewed after the
Secretary made her comment, you know, were careful to point out
that their results depict a situation with low infection rates
after the initial transmission peak is under control. ``If you
do have rising infection rates, as in the U.S.''--and this is a
quote from the researchers in Germany--``putting people in
close contact will obviously lead to transmission of
respiratory viruses.''
So the question I wanted to ask Dr. O'Leary is just--I
mean, that is sort of the issue we have to grapple with here.
If there are parts of the country where infection rates are
going up in the population at large, you know, the decision to
reopen schools is a different one than in other parts of the
country where infection rates are low or below the 1 percent
positivity rate.
I mean, is that, you know, what the association of
pediatricians--is that sort of your take in terms of
evaluating, you know, this decision?
Dr. O'Leary. That is absolutely correct. It varies
depending on what is going on.
And I think, you know, there is a lot of discussion of
other countries, but what is rarely mentioned is that the
situation in all of these other countries where they have
attempted to reopen schools is vastly different than what we
are seeing in most parts of the U.S.
And so, yes, it is important to draw lessons from what they
are doing in other countries, but we can't simply say, ``Oh,
look. They did it, and so we can too.'' You really have to base
it on the local epidemiology.
Mr. Courtney. And, again, the researchers which the
Department was relying on, you know, made that precise point,
which is that, you know, you have to deal with the overall
population of a country or a region before you can, you know,
sort of extrapolate from that it is, you know, all clear in
terms of reopening schools.
And, again, in Israel, they, again, had a very bad
experience in terms of school reopenings and the number of
students who became infected as well as almost 700 staff
members. And they had to again really hunker down in terms of
trying to respond to that.
So, again, The Washington Post did an analysis of the
Secretary's statement. They again interviewed the researchers,
as well as other resources, and did their Pinocchio test, which
gave the Secretary four Pinocchio's for her comments.
And, Mr. Chairman, I would like to enter that story into
the record.
Chairman Sablan. Without objection, so ordered.
[The information follows:]
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Mr. Courtney. And, again, the notion that we all want
schools to reopen, but let's really get a shared baseline of
science and not cherry-pick in terms of studies that, again, I
think, just create more confusion and misunderstanding then
really a shared baseline in terms of how we solve this problem
as a country.
And, with that, I yield back.
Chairman Sablan. Thank you, Mr. Courtney.
Ms. Bonamici?
Ms. Bonamici. Thank--
Chairman Sablan. Ms. Bonamici?
Ms. Bonamici. Yes, I am here. Can you hear me?
Chairman Sablan. Yes.
Ms. Bonamici. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and to all our
witnesses today.
This is an important conversation. I have had so many
discussions with parents, students, teachers, school
counselors, psychologists about their struggles over the last
several months with distance learning. And we know how
important it is to reopen schools. We know that. We also know
that the decision to reopen has to be based on science, and it
has to make the health and safety of our students and our
teachers and our staff and families the top priority.
I just want to follow up on a question that one of my
colleagues made, the suggestion that the flu kills more
students than COVID. I did just read, 2 days ago there was a 9-
month-old in Minnesota who died of COVID.
But, Dr. O'Leary, can you respond to that, that the flu
kills more students than COVID in schools? Why is it different?
Dr. O'Leary. Yeah. I think--sorry, there is some background
noise. But I think that, yeah, influenza is potentially a
severe illness in children, and we do see roughly 100 deaths
every year in the U.S. among children from influenza.
But I also want to point out, we are still learning every
day about COVID-19 and its impacts on children. And, you know,
any of us working in children's hospitals have taken care of
very sick children. Unfortunately, many of us have worked with
children with COVID-19 who have died.
So to minimize the risk of COVID-19 I think is a mistake.
We need to put it in context.
Ms. Bonamici. Absolutely.
Dr. O'Leary. It is not that kids don't get sick.
Ms. Bonamici. Thank you. I appreciate that.
And I have been very concerned. We haven't had a national
strategy to curb the virus. We have had rhetoric about forcing
schools to open, you know, their funding threatened, which is
completely inappropriate. No school should be threatened into
reopening before it is safe for them to do so. And it does vary
by district, and by--across the country.
So, when schools can safely reopen, they need our help. Our
public schools and districts, they need funding to make sure
they can equitably serve students and keep everybody in the
school building safe. And I know the HEROES Act does make a
robust investment of $58 billion in K-12 schools. I hope the
Senate will pass that. We need to make sure that our schools
can open safely.
And, Dr. O'Leary, another question. The reopening guidance
from the American Academy of Pediatrics makes clear that
schools must anticipate and address a wide range of mental
health needs for both students and staff as they prepare to
open.
So what mental health supports will students and staff need
as they return to school? And what does the Academy recommend
to prepare teachers to address the mental health needs of their
students?
Dr. O'Leary. Yeah. That is a very important question.
So, you know, we already are vastly underfunded for mental
health support across the country. You know, there is a
shortage of mental health providers. Access is a real problem.
And I think schools should be planning right now--I know a
lot of them already are--for how to handle that. They are
working within their own communities to work with behavioral
health specialists, child psychologists, child psychiatrists,
to meet the needs of those students.
But it is a real problem. It is an ongoing problem that
absolutely did not start with the COVID-19 pandemic and, I
think, absolutely needs to be addressed.
Ms. Bonamici. It has been exacerbated, of course.
Dr. Hinojosa, how have schools and districts meaningfully
engaged with families to learn about what went right and what
went wrong with distance learning? And how are school systems
involving families in planning for the next school year to make
sure that reopening plans will incorporate their feedback?
Dr. Hinojosa?
Mr. Hinojosa. Yes, ma'am. Well, we have definitely surveyed
our parents. We communicate with them. We ask them to contact
our teachers directly to give us--and they have been pretty
honest with us about what worked and what didn't work.
But I also want to elaborate that we have 57 mental health
specialists that we are bringing back to our schools. Because
when the students do come back, they will need support, and our
teachers and counselors may not be ready to do that support. So
that is a big fiscal notenote on our local district, but we
know it is important, so we have hired 57 new mental health
specialists in Dallas ISD.
Ms. Bonamici. Well, thank you so much.
And before I yield back, I just want to follow up on the
concerns raised by both Chairman Scott and Mr. Morelle about
testing of students. And with apologies to anyone who is eating
lunch, I know there has been very promising work done on
wastewater testing as an early warning system.
And I don't know if, Dr. O'Leary, you are familiar with
that, that testing. But I think we need to look at all ways to
make sure that we are making sure that our school buildings are
safe for our students and--the adults who work in them, and for
families. That is just something to keep in mind.
Dr. O'Leary, are you aware of the work that is being done
on wastewater testing as early detection?
Dr. O'Leary. Yes. That is one of many strategies to help
the global pandemic.
Ms. Bonamici. Thank you. My time has expired. I yield back,
Mr. Chairman.
Chairman Sablan. Mr. Norcross, once?
All right. Ms. McBath?
Ms. Underwood, I can see you.
Ms. Underwood. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I appreciate the
time today and your indulgence in allowing me to participate in
this committee's proceeding.
Local school administrators in my district and across the
country are weighing incredibly difficult decisions. The
educational needs of students, the concerns of parents, and
above all, the risk to the health, and ultimately, the lives of
students and staff. In my outreach to schools in my district,
the number one concern I hear is funding. And I will continue
to fight until the necessary funding we need and that was
passed by the House in the HEROES Act 2 months ago, reaches our
schools that are so desperate, desperately needing those
resources.
I am so disappointed that we are not able to hear today
from the administration officials who are leading the public
health response to reopening schools. But I am very grateful to
the witnesses who are here, and, of course, to our educators
across the country who are working so hard to keep our kids
safe and learning.
The decisions about what school will look like in the fall
should be guided by public health experts, and those experts
must be allowed to make recommendations based on the best data
and science, and not pressure from this administration.
Dr. O'Leary, as a pediatrician with health and development
in mind, what should CDC be relying on when developing guidance
for schools? And why is it important that schools have clear
guidance from public health experts?
Dr. O'Leary. Yeah, thank you. I agree with everything you
just said. It does need to be in conjunction with local and
State public health. You know, CDC, you know, I work in various
aspects with a lot of folks at CDC, and they are working very
hard right now to help--working on this guidance and they are
working with health departments, local health departments, as
well as physicians, et cetera, trying to develop guidance.
And I think they also recognize, though, that it is--these
decisions are best made at the local level.
Ms. Underwood. Mr. Chairman, at this time, I would like to
ask for unanimous consent to enter written testimony from Lori
Combs, she is the president of the National Association for
School Nurses into the record.
Chairman Sablan. Without objection, so ordered.
[The information follows:]
[GRAPHICS NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
Ms. Underwood. According to this testimony, less than 40
percent of schools have a full-time nurse on staff, and a
quarter of schools have no nurse at all.
Dr. O'Leary, school nurses are critical in ensuring the
health of our kids in normal times, can you tell us more about
why it is so important to have a healthcare professional like a
nurse on staff for schools during a pandemic?
Dr. O'Leary. Yeah, school nurses do an amazing job of
improving [the] health of students within the schools. Across
the board, there have been a number of studies showing the
positive outcomes of having a school nurse within the schools.
And so, the--in the schools where there is a full-time school
nurse, in general, children have different health outcomes than
where there is none. So I absolutely support fully funding
school nurses within our schools.
Ms. Underwood. And the school nurses connected in with that
local public health infrastructure, right? So if there is
something going in that school building, that school nurse can
help flag and bring the attention into that school building,
help the students, help the teachers, help the staff, help the
families. I heard from teachers in my district who are at
higher risk for complications of COVID-19 due to their age or
health status. They want to be back with their students but are
deeply worried that this will put their health at risk. One in
three teachers in this country is over the age of 50.
Dr. O'Leary, what precautions do we need to be considering
to protect the health of older or medically vulnerable teachers
and staff?
Dr. O'Leary. I mean, first, let me say, I think--I as a
physician, you know, we choose to devote our careers to the
lives of children. Teachers are no different. They are devoting
their careers. And so I think we need to support our teachers.
And right now, we need to do everything we can to make sure
that they are safe, to safely return to school. And so I think
funding to be able to help them do that is going to be crucial
to successfully reopen schools safely.
Ms. Underwood. Yes, funding is particular for PPE, despite
repeated calls from Congress to do so, this administration has
not invoked the full power of the Defense Production Act to
meet the shortages of PPE. Shortages that will get worse if
schools open.
In a Homeland Security Committee hearing that I
participated in yesterday, FEMA Administrator Pete Gaynor said
the administration has no plans to invoke it to provide schools
with face masks. And so, we know that school districts are
often very worried about how they are going to pay for their
PPE and other necessary supplies for the entirety of the school
year. We need to help relieve them of that burden. The
administration has all the authorities at their disposal to do
so. And, you know, we are going to continue to call for the
full implementation of that. Thank you again to our witnesses
for being here. And I yield back.
Chairman Sablan. Thank you.
Mr. Levin was here earlier.
All right. Ms. Stevens, you have five minutes.
Ms. Stevens. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, for having me at this
hearing. And thank you to our witnesses. It has certainly been
an honor to hear the exchange back and forth, particularly as
we move closer to the start of the school year. And we are all
looking for certainty.
And if we recall when this pandemic was declared by the
World Health Organization, they projected a year to a year and
a half. And so, here we are in sort of the middle of it and it
is uncertain, it is trying, and it is safe to say we all want
it to be over. We all want to get back. We want to get back to
school safely.
I have been on the phone with my school administrators, our
superintendents, our educators, our parents around the clock
since the first timeschool was cancelled. It was supposed to be
2 weeks. And it was the rest of the school year. We honored and
we recognize the class of 2020, these incredible seniors. And
we look, to the classes that are coming up, and we look to
those who are juniors and sophomores and--had to interrupt
their sports season wondering if they are going to get that
letter, or students of all abilities who need that IEP.
The White House, just the other day, said we are going to
have to learn to live with this. And I know we have been
getting asked some scientific questions here that are being
asked of you that really shouldn't be being asked of you to our
incredible witnesses who do have Ph.D.'s and great backgrounds.
And we know you, like me, like to listen to the scientists.
Alright. We want the answers. We are in the race for the
information. But yet, the White House we have got to learn to
live with this.
It dawned on me, Mr. Chair, as we have been hearing today
the questions and answers about what has been asked of our
educators across this country, our public schools for so long.
Can you accept the unacceptable? Can you accept unfunded
mandates? Can you accept the threat of gun violence in your
schools?
I think it is fair to say that the American public is tired
of accepting the unacceptable. And we are here today as a
legislative body, to legislate, to partner, to join forces with
you.
I heard Mr. Keller talk about that the CARES Act funding in
Pennsylvania hasn't all been utilized. In Michigan, we have
utilized our CARES Act funding, we struck a deal with our State
capital for school funding for this year. But we are moving
into fiscal year 2021, and I just this morning before 9 a.m.
was on with the head of the Tri-County Alliance for Oakland
County, Wayne County, and Macomb. And I said, okay, so we
struck the deal. How are you feeling? And I check in with him
all the time. I call him before I know he is really beginning
his workday. And he said, yeah, we have struck the deal, but we
still have the $750-per-pupil budget shortfall in Michigan.
We want to reopen safely. We want to get you to your goals.
And I want to hear what you need. Five minutes is not enough.
Dr. Hinojosa, I would love to hear from you for a minute
about what the primary concerns of our principals are and how
we can best serve you and meet your needs? Thank you, sir.
Mr. Hinojosa. Yes, well, our principals' primary concern is
how do we manage the inevitable of having, making sure the
teachers have all of the tools that they need to deliver the
best quality instruction for the students in a safe
environment. And that is their biggest concern. And they want
to, we have missed our kids since March, but unless we have a
way to deliver that instruction safely, that is probably their
biggest concern, and it is going to take resources to make that
happen.
Ms. Stevens. Resources. I applaud you for saying that. We
recognize that. And we do also agree that we need flexibility.
We need to empower support and understand your needs. And we
want to continue this dialogue going forward. You are all
heroes for coming in today and participating in this hearing,
answering our questions, and we look forward to supporting you
going forward.
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Chairman Sablan. Thank you, Ms. Stevens.
Mrs. Lee? Mrs. Lee?
Mrs. Lee. Hi, there. Sorry, I had to unmute.
Chairman Sablan. You have five minutes.
Mrs. Lee. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. And I want to thank all
of our witnesses today. You know, I sat here and I listened
today about the back and forth that if you want to open up
schools safely, clearly, you don't value in-person learning.
Let's be clear, we totally agree and honor and respect a need
to have students in the classroom learning one-on-one or with a
teacher. That is the ultimate goal. But we also need to do it
in a way where we do not needlessly risk lives.
You know, and Dr. Schwinn, I applaud your commitment to
opening schools. I find it a little odd that you are not
acknowledging the necessity of federal support to be able to do
so. You know, I represent the State of Nevada. We have seen a
$1.2 billion shortfall likely cutting over $156 million in K-12
funding. And so we know that whatever option that we are
looking at, and a lot of them aren't great options, that we
need--that we will require additional resources. And, honestly,
to me, it requires extensive testing.
And I want to point out that in Tennessee, you are one of
nine States that has doubled, more than doubled the testing
needed that has been estimated by three public health
organizations that would be needed to control your outbreak.
And the fact that Tennessee basically fronted the cost of this
test so that anyone who wanted it could get it within--
Tennessee officials now acknowledge that they are hoping and
they are banking on the federal government paying for those
tests.
So to me, the lack of testing in this country is, number
one, why we have rampant unemployment, but number two, why we
are faced with this awful decision on how we reopen schools,
whether we treat our students and our teachers like guinea
pigs, by rushing to open our schools without proper resources,
or we keep trying to do remote learning, which we know does not
do our families and our students the justice that we deserve.
Dr. Hinojosa, I wanted to ask you, you know, you are in a
predicament quite like the one we are in Nevada where Dallas is
facing an issue of nearly $33 million in lost revenue, which is
certainly going to impact your schools. Can you tell Congress
and tell us how we can best address these revenue shortfalls,
and how we can best help you in your ability to reopen in the
fall?
Mr. Hinojosa. Yes, for us to be open for our biggest ask
right now is to make sure that we have broadband connectivity
and devices that so we can connect with our families. And also,
we do have the PPE, so we are good on that kind of information,
but we need a lot more support going forward with how our
special needs students get supporting. And Title I is so
critical to us, 92 percent of our students are economically
disadvantaged. And also, the big funding that comes from the
Department of Agriculture for feeding our students. We feed all
of our students two meals a day, and it is just extremely
important that those opportunities continue for the long term.
But also, the State took a lot our money through the CARES Act
to supplant the revenue we get. We understand why they did it
because they have significant shortfalls.
So they did that to shore up this year. But that is only
this year. Going forward, there is going to be huge deficits in
State budgets.
And so, it is a domino effect that will put down every
community in the State of Texas if nothing is done about it.
Mrs. Lee. Have you estimated what you plan to receive from
the HEROES Act, and what is the delta, between what you would
estimate that you would be needing and what you actually think
you will need to open safely?
Mr. Hinojosa. No, there is a lot of nuances because in the
CARES Act, we thought we were going to get $61 million, we
actually got $31 million. But from the HEROES Act, we haven't
fully analyzed that. And there are several other bills in front
of Congress that can help with us with connectivity. No
evidence with that analysis yet, but it would be significantly
helpful for everybody in Texas.
Mrs. Lee. Then, finally, I think we are running out of time
here. Can you just walk us through what you have gone through
with your local public health officials to talk about the
public safety with respect to your reopening plans?
Mr. Hinojosa. Absolutely. We are in constant contact with
our local health officials about what they expect from us what
we need if we have everybody safe [inaudible] masks, buses,
entryways, everything, everything we discussed has been
considered with our local health.
Chairman Sablan. Thank you.
Mrs. Lee. Thank you very much. I yield back.
Chairman Sablan. I now recognize Ms. Shalala, five minutes,
please.
Ms. Shalala. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I apologize. I had to
preside on the floor, so I just got back.
I would like to ask Dr. O'Leary a question. Dr. O'Leary,
the Florida education commissioner Richard Corcoran recently
issued an emergency order that aligns with the Trump
administration, requiring all schools to reopen full-time for
all 5 days of the week, they are going to be mandated to meet a
minimum number of instructional hours to students. This past
Monday, Florida's largest teacher's union filed a lawsuit
seeking to block the return to in-person classes because we
have community spread in Florida. The virus is, in fact, out of
control. And we know without a safe environment to learn and
grow, children risk developmental delays.
In your view, what are the risks for students from
increased exposure with their peers, especially in a State like
Florida which remains a hotspot of the virus? Is it the right
approach to have students come to school every day of the week,
and what alternatives would you recommend?
Dr. O'Leary. We are all on the same page. Thank you for
that question. We all in the same page to keep our kids in
school, but we have to do it safely. And where the virus is
surging as it is currently in Florida, we have to be really
cognizant of those issues. And, you know, one, it is not safe.
Students are going to get sick, teachers are going to get sick,
staff is going to get sick. So that is number one.
Number two, it is not practical. If you open schools when
the virus circulating within the community, it is inevitable
that it is going to get into those schools, and you will just
have to shut them down immediately. And that is--we are all
dealing with sort of whiplash from this whole thing. Imagine
going--students going into school and having to come back home
the following week. And that is what is going to happen if you
open schools in a place where the virus is widely circulating,
it is inevitable.
Ms. Shalala. Thank you. And if I might ask the
superintendent a question, just a quick question. About
minority and low-income students who clearly--and also disabled
students, is there another strategy, perhaps tutors, that we
should focus on to make sure that students who in underserved
areas actually are able to keep up with their work if we have
to go online for the fall? If you have the resources, what
would you do in terms of helping those students to catch up in
addition to their classroom work?
Mr. Hinojosa. Yes, we had to have some assessment that tell
us which students are the furthest behind and have the least
contact. What I worry about is a lot of these nonprofits that
help us, like reading partners and tutors, they are also not
getting donations from other people that help foundations that
help support them because they are short on dollars.
So it is a double whammy on our partners that need to help
us with the wraparound services that our students need to have
tutoring and reinforcement. So I think an influx of resources
would help, not only us, but them to be able to provide the
quality nonprofit services that they help us to support and
tutor our students. It would be vitally important.
Ms. Shalala. Thank you. I yield back.
Chairman Sablan. Thank you, Ms. Shalala.
At this time, Ms. McBath has agreed to let Ms. Wild--Ms.
Wild, you have five minutes.
Ms. Wild. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and thank you to my
colleague, Ms. McBath, for her accommodation.
My question is for Ms. Leslie Boggs. Ms. Boggs, when my
children, who are now in their 20s, were in school, their dad
and I panicked whenever we had to accommodate a single snow or
sick day into our work schedule. So I have great sympathy for
parents now as they try to figure out how they are going to
manage their schedules, not to mention being worried about
their children's health. And so many of the discussions we have
been hearing around school reopening have focused on the
perspectives of the administrators, the teachers, and political
leaders, quite frankly. I think it is vital that we engage
parents and families in the conversation on how to best and
most safely reopen the schools, because it is going to affect
parents and families just as much as it affects students and
school staff.
And based on the conversations I have had with the parents
in my district, there is a wide range of opinion about how
schools should operate this fall.
So my question to you as president of the National Parent
Teacher Association is: Do you think parents and PTAs have been
included enough in the local and national conversations about
ways to safely reopen the schools? And could you just comment
on the benefits of incorporating the parents' opinions and
insight when creating these school reopening plans?
Ms. Boggs. Thank you for the question. It is interesting to
see across our Nation the effect when our parents and educators
become true partners in our education system. I am hearing from
several States that parents have been meaningfully involved in
the conversations for reopening schools, but I have also heard
that there are some school districts that are not including
parents in the conversation and students.
So I think in order for us to be completely--am I not--can
you hear me?
Ms. Wild. We can hear you.
Ms. Boggs. Okay. Something came up on mine that said I have
been muted. Whenever I see that parents are not included in the
conversation, that is when you were going to see schools
struggle with reopening, because they are not listening--to the
critical issues parents are concerned about. They do want to be
back in school. And we know that for sure. That they are
concerned about the safety and the reopening of those schools,
and the ability for them to do it appropriately.
So I think that is why you have to see that conversation be
there. I have seen districts, even my own district here in
ECISD, this administration does a Facebook live every week,
takes questions from parents, they have had town halls with
parents to see what they can do to help effectively reopening.
The concern is if we don't reopen schools, again, is that
homework gap, or learning gap. Because what you are seeing in
districts that are low-income districts is that they are really
hurting more. And what we have seen is, there is really
populations that bear the burden, right? There are 37 percent
of rural students and 21 percent of urban students lack home
internet access. 35 percent of Native American students, 30
percent of Black students, and 26 percent of Latino students
have inadequate internet access at home compared to only 18
percent of white students.
We got a disparity that we have got to be worried about.
When children come back to school, they are going to be
significantly needier than they have ever been in the past. And
this is probably the biggest hurdle, I think, our education
system will have to overcome is really assessing those needs
for each student. And they are very different depending on
where you are.
Ms. Wild. Well thank you for that very thoughtful answer,
I'm. I am a big believer that we need to be establishing
commissions or committees that consists of teachers, parents,
other educators, physicians, both pediatricians in infectious
disease, [and] we really need to get the political officials
out of the discussion and yield to the sentiments of the people
who are true stakeholders and who really know what they are
talking about when it comes to this. And you are clearly one of
them. So thank you so very much for your responses. I yield
back.
Chairman Sablan. Thank you very much. And now I recognize
Ms. McBath for five minutes, please.
Mrs. McBath. Thank you, Chairman Sablan, for holding this
hearing today, and thank you to all of our witnesses that have
taken the time to really enlighten us as to what is truly
happening with the public school system and our children.
I think we can all agree that the best place for our
children to truly be educated is within the classroom. I don't
think anyone here is denying that at all. But our current
pandemic prevents us from allowing that to happen safely.
And I will say this very briefly. I was a woman who chose
to home school her child [from] 4th through 8th grade. And I
know that is not something each and every family is able to do.
But I understand now that I think parents are feeling that they
are in a sense of home schooling, even with virtual schooling
and that added--that adds a lot of additional stresses because
of the COVID-19.
So after the last few weeks, I have actually had
conversations within my own district with my teachers and my
school board members. And we were trying to decipher, and I
wanted to hear from them what is the best pathway forward,
going forward to reopen our schools? These conversations, they
confirmed my deepest fears. I felt in my gut that there was
trouble, that our teachers and our superintendents were really
troubled by how they were going to best be able to appropriate
funding and resources and tools to make sure that our children
have the global education that they deserve.
And our teachers, what I found out, are basically afraid of
infecting their students with COVID-19, but also they are
afraid that their students might also inadvertently affect
them, too.
They said to me that there was clearly a lack of uniform
guidelines. And this is when I represent the 6th Congressional
District of Georgia, that there was a lack of clear guideline
and guidance from our administration as to how our students and
our teachers would be protected to return to the physical
classroom.
So I know that we are here today because of that lack of
leadership. And if the administration had acted earlier to
prevent the spread of COVID-19, I really believe we would not
be in this predicament at this time. In the House, we have
passed the HEROES Act. We actually passed that 2 months ago.
And yet, we are still waiting today, we are still waiting on
the Senate to take action on the HEROES Act. And the HEROES Act
we know, truly, appropriates the funding and the resources and
the tools to save lives.
In each of my meetings with my local school officials, they
all express the need for more funding from Congress for PPE,
and also, school infrastructure and hiring more mental health
professionals in the school, because that is definitely
lacking, and the mental health of our students is very, very
critical at this time.
The HEROES Act does provide for increased funding for
mental health services, and it also gives the resources
necessary to stop the spread of this very devastating disease.
Ms. Boggs, if you would please answer my question. You
know, you mentioned the results of the Virginia PTA parent
survey in your testimony, which I have read. As we all know,
the pandemic might be taking a toll, more specifically on the
mental health of many, many of our students. Did the responses
align to those concerns, the responses from that survey?
Ms. Boggs. I would say yes, I think they align with the
concerns that you heard and saw within the report that we gave.
Parents are just overall concerned, but they want their
children back in school, but they do understand that likely we
will see parents [inaudible]. The concern that I have as leader
of this association is ensuring that everyone has options, and
that parents are not putting themselves in a no-win situation.
So we know that distance learning is not the best option. If
our schools aren't safe, then we are not giving them great
options, are we? And I think that is where I find your earlier
comment on leadership during this crisis, leaders will be
defined by what happens during this crisis.
We have seen the House do the right thing. I think the
Senate needs to understand that leadership needs to happen, and
our Nation is waiting, and our parents are watching. So I hope
this answers your question.
Mrs. McBath. It does, thank you very much.
And Mr. Hinojosa, can you please discuss how the Dallas
Independent School District plan to reopen addresses the need
of marginalizes students, including students that have
disabilities. I am very concerned about that. And we know that
those students, those demographics of students are
disproportionately impacted by school closures.
Mr. Hinojosa. Yeah, that is one of our biggest concerns. We
have a lot of robust plans for our traditional students. But
our students with special needs, by definition, have an
individual plan that has to be adjusted. And many of the
parents are now carrying the burden of doing that at home, when
our trained professionals are the ones that need to do it. So
we also, though, need to be concerned about their safety. Those
teachers have to get very close in proximity to the students in
certain conditions. And so we are concerned about that and we
think we can make it happen.
Mrs. McBath. Thank you so much for your answer. I yield
back my time.
Chairman Sablan. Thank you very much.
At this time, I would like to remind my colleagues that
pursuant to committee practice materials for submission for the
hearing record must be submitted to the Committee Clerk within
14 days following the last day of the hearing. So by close of
business on August 6, 2020, and preferably in Microsoft Word
format.
The material submitted must address that subject matter of
the hearing. Only a member of the subcommittee or an invited
witness may submit materials for inclusion in the hearing
record, and documents are limited to 50 pages each. Documents
longer than 50 pages will be incorporated into the record via
an internet link that you must provide to Committee Clerk
within the requested, required timeframe. But please recognize
a year from now, the link may no longer work.
Pursuant to House Resolution 965 and the accompanying
regulations, items for the record shall be submitted
electronically by emailing submissions to
[email protected]. Member offices are
encouraged to submit materials to the inbox before the hearing
or during the hearing at the time the member makes the request.
The record will remain open for 14 days for committee practice
for additional submissions after the hearing.
Without objection, I would like to enter the following
statements into the record: a statement from Dr. Bobby Cruz,
Director of Instructional Technology, Commonwealth of the North
Marianas Islands Public School Records System; COVID-19
Planning Considerations Guidance for School Re-Entry by the
Academy of American Pediatricians, a Plan to Safely Reopen
America's Schools and Communities by the American Federation of
Teachers; All Hands on Deck Initial Guidance Regarding
Reopening Schools by the NEA; and Guiding Principles & Action
Steps For Reopening Schools by the AASA.
Chairman Sablan. Witness questions for the hearing record,
I want to thank our witnesses for their participation today.
Members of the subcommittee may have some additional questions
for you, and we ask the witnesses to please respond to those
questions in writing. The hearing record will be held open for
14 days in order to receive those responses. And I remind my
colleagues that pursuant to committee practice, witness
questions for the hearing record must be submitted for the
majority committee staff or committee clerk within 7 days. The
questions submitted must address the subject matter of the
hearing.
I would now like to recognize the distinguished ranking
member for his closing statement.
Mr. Allen. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and I want to thank
everyone for taking time today to provide testimony about this
important topic of safety, safely reopening our schools this
fall. I want to thank our--all of our witnesses for their
input. And it is much appreciated, Dr. Schwinn, a special
thanks to you.
The coronavirus pandemic has tested our Nation's public
schools in a way we have not seen in generations. We know that
Americans can turn this challenge into something positive for
students by further enhancing how we educate our students.
Quite frankly, we cannot fail a generation of school students.
Children learn and thrive in school. Students deserve the
option to go back to school with instruction, supports,
services, and all of this provided in person. And we all need
to work together to focus on how to make it happen safely.
Likewise, teachers and staff deserve thoughtful thorough
planning that protects their health and safety while at school.
We touched on so many reasons that the ability to safely
return to school is so important for our students and their
families. These students rely on schools for meals, the support
of counselors, coaches, school nurses, and many other trusted
adults that make up our school community.
Families' economic security has been negatively impacted by
COVID-19 related to school closures. We must remember that in
the best of cases, this spring, families were adapting to
remote learning in their homes and making due with virtual
connections to classmates and educators. But in many scenarios,
families struggle without critical resources for their
children. Now more than ever, we need to work together to help
all children get the education they need to thrive.
We have guidance from the CDC, the AAP, and other experts
outlining the considerations for returning to schools, and the
steps we need to take to do it safely. States like Tennessee
and Georgia are setting great examples of the resilience and
fortitude it takes to find solutions in the complex conditions
we are facing today, and will continue to do--continue to face
this in the fall and in the future.
No one takes the decision to reopen schools for students
this fall lightly. It is with great consideration, coupled with
the determination to do what is best for our Nation's students.
Every student should be afforded the option for high-quality
instruction this fall.
I want to thank, again, our witnesses for bringing
thoughtful testimony before us today, and I look forward to
working with my colleagues and educators to ensure our students
are provided opportunities to be successful this fall and
beyond.
And, Mr. Chair, I yield back.
Chairman Sablan. Thank you very much, Mr. Allen. I also
want to thank you, again, all the witnesses for joining us and
providing your expertise. I want to thank the Members also for
taking part in today's hearing.
And today's hearing confirmed that what family, school
staff, education leaders, and public health experts across the
country have been telling us for months, schools need immediate
and significant support to confront the unprecedented
challenges of providing students with safe and high-quality
education during this pandemic.
President Trump and Secretary DeVos should heed that
warning and join Democrats in delivering the $200 billion in
relief that we have passed for school safely reopen for in-
person instruction. But, instead, this administration is
leaving school districts to fend for themselves, threatening to
strip away without any legal authority the very resources that
schools need to ensure the safety of students and school staff.
In short, this administration is abandoning the health
needs of our school communities at a time when the U.S. has
surpassed 4 million known COVID-19 infections, and they are
blaming school districts for not doing enough to reopen. I will
read through it again. Each one of us wants to reopen our
school system as soon as possible so that we can get our
children back into classrooms and reopen our economy. But we
also have the responsibility to care for the health and safety
for our students, families, school staff, and communities. And
that, that must always be our first and foremost priority.
I look forward to working with you and all my colleagues to
provide our schools with the resources they need to safely
reopen classrooms, welcome students back to in-person
instruction, and help our economy recover from the pandemic.
Thank you.
If there is no further business, without objection, this
committee stands adjourned.
[Additional submissions for the record by Chairman Sablan
follow:]
[GRAPHICS NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
[Whereupon, at 1:02 p.m., the subcommittee was adjourned.]
[all]