McCarthy: Open Up The Classrooms

Republican House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy of Bakersfield, released a statement on the CDC’s recently unveiled guidance for reopening schools.

McCarthy was Tuesday’s KVML “Newsmaker of the Day”. Here are his words:

“The recently released guidance from the CDC affirms what many of us, including students and parents, have known for months: ‘It is critical for schools to open as safely and as soon as possible.’ Despite this ‘science‘ that has been publicly available for weeks, the Biden Administration has watered down their “reopen” school plans to an inadequate goal of ’50 percent of classrooms, one day a week.’

Families and students deserve better. They need iron-clad assurances that their children will be able to get back into the classroom environment that offers the best education model. For the sake of our country’s future, we cannot continue down this path. Our children are America’s most precious and important investment in securing our nation’s continued success and prosperity. Keeping children out of the classroom is greatly threatening that.

Students are failing school at unprecedented levels, and the academic loss will be permanent for some students. They are suffering from depression and isolation – and children as young as 5 years old are at risk of mental health issues. Finally, the stress on working parents cannot be overstated. In the past year alone, one million American working mothers have left the workforce.

The stress on our educators is equally harsh. We value our teachers and the incredible efforts they have undertaken to transition to a new learning environment. They work mornings, evenings, and weekends to give our children the best learning opportunity. We know they want to be in that classroom as much as the children.

Our government must meet the actual goal worthy of America’s families and their children. But the Biden Administration’s current plan is not “bold and ambitious” as they claim, it is an abdication of responsibility. Sixty-four percent of schools in the country have already shown it can be done, yet millions of students haven’t stepped foot in a classroom in nearly a year.

It is time for the federal government to send a message to every public school student in America: you matter and you deserve to be in school. Now let’s get it done, and open their classrooms.”

The “Newsmaker of the Day” is heard every weekday morning at 6:45, 7:45 and 8:45 on AM 1450 and FM 102.7 KVML.