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Trump & DeVos Threaten to Cut Funding If Schools Stay Closed During Pandemic

HeadlineJul 13, 2020

President Trump and Education Secretary Betsy DeVos are continuing to threaten to cut off federal funding to public schools that refuse to fully reopen in the fall due to the pandemic. On Sunday, DeVos appeared on Fox News.

Education Secretary Betsy DeVos: “Look, American investment in education is a promise to students and their families. If schools aren’t going to reopen and not fulfill that promise, they shouldn’t get the funds. Then give it to the families to decide to go to a school that is going to meet that promise.”

DeVos’s threat came as the National Education Association and the American Federation of Teachers called on Congress to fund personal protective equipment for school employees, as well as better ventilation systems and cleaning supplies. A new study from the Kaiser Family Foundation finds that nearly 1.5 million teachers are at risk of serious illness or death from the coronavirus. 

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