Fact Checking Joe Biden’s Speech on Reopening Schools

Joe Biden, during his muffled speech on education Wednesday afternoon, thought his attacks on President Trump were going to be a slam dunk. Unfortunately, Biden’s speechwriters forgot to check with the facts before painting the president as anti-student and anti-science.

Let’s debunk Joe Biden’s three biggest lies about President Trump’s plan to reopen schools.

LIE: Joe Biden claims, “President Trump still does not have any real plan for how to open [schools] safely.

Fact: President Trump worked with the CDC to develop guidelines for safely reopening schools. These plans were released on July 23rd and are continually reviewed to make sure students, teachers, and parents are equipped with the most up-to-date information that will ensure safety. President Trump’s plan calls for:

• Constant monitoring of COVID-19 cases in the local communities;
• Implementing coronavirus symptom screening; 
• Social distancing in the hallway, classrooms, and other areas around the school;
• Requiring protective face coverings for teachers, students, staff and visitors; and
• Enhanced cleaning of school buildings, supplies, and busses.

Lie: Joe Biden claims President Trump has not been working with Congress to pass emergency aid for schools to closely follow guidelines needed to reopen schools.

Fact: President Trump is working around the clock so local communities receive much-needed support from Congress. From a White House press release on August 12, 2020:

• The President has called for Congress to pass $105 billion – $70 billion of which is for K-12 schools – to provide financial assistance and incentives to help schools implement safety measures in their resumption of in-person classes.
• President Trump is also calling on Congress to pass the School Choice Now Act, which includes his groundbreaking Education Freedom Scholarships proposal, to give students and families the resources and power to select the right education setting for them.
• President Trump delivered $13 billion in funding to states to support K-12 education, which can be used to help schools safely reopen.

Lie: Joe Biden claims President Trump’s push to reopen schools is not based on science.

Fact: Scientists, Doctors, and the President agree it is imperative that we get American children back in the classroom:

• US News: “With social distancing, schools should be safe to reopen this Fall.”
• Boston Herald: “Johns Hopkins experts say reopening schools is possible with low coronavirus transmission rates.”
• The American Academy of Pediatrics: “All policy considerations for the coming school year should start with a goal of having students physically present in school.”
• A New York Times survey of 500 epidemiologists and infectious disease specialists reported that 70% said they would send their children to school “right now, later in the summer or in the fall.”
• Centers for Disease Control’s Dr. Anthony Fauci said it was time to think about opening schools in June 2020 calling the idea of keeping them closed due to COVID-19 “a bit of a reach.”