Florida virus epicenter in schools’ reopening battle
Florida is the new epicenter of the coronavirus epidemic in the United States and is shaping up to be a key battleground in the nation's political struggle over the reopening of schools in the fall.
While cities like Houston, Los Angeles and New York plan to start the school year virtually or on a restricted basis, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis insists that schools reopen entirely in August.
The Republican governor's lawsuit mirrors that of President Donald Trump, who faces a tough re-election battle in November and is pushing for schools to reopen, as a sign of a return to normalcy.
Trump, who is far behind Democrat Joe Biden in the polls, has threatened to cut federal funds to those schools that refuse to open their doors.
A Yahoo News / YouGov poll released Thursday found that 63% of Americans said Trump should not pressure schools to reopen, while 25% agreed with his initiative.
95% of Democrats and 58% of Republicans surveyed said that the reopening of schools should be left behind in relation to public health imperatives.
However, Trump and DeSantis have a lot of influence in a fight that keeps them in conflict with the teachers' unions, medical experts and numerous parents who hesitate to send their children to class for security reasons.
State and local officials have the last word when it comes to their school districts.
The Houston school district, which has more than 200,000 students, plans to start the school year virtually on September 8 and face-to-face classes on October 19, "subject to change under covid-19 conditions."
The Los Angeles school district, with 700,000 students, announced that classes will be online only until further notice.
In New York City, which has the nation's largest public school system, with 1.1 million students, Mayor Bill de Blasio said classroom attendance would be limited to one to three days a week.
Other major cities, such as Chicago and Washington, remain uncertain and have not yet announced plans for the semester.
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Florida virus epicenter in schools’ reopening battle
Florida is the new epicenter of the coronavirus epidemic in the United States and is shaping up to be a key battleground in the nation's political struggle over the reopening of schools in the fall.
While cities like Houston, Los Angeles and New York plan to start the school year virtually or on a restricted basis, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis insists that schools reopen entirely in August.
The Republican governor's lawsuit mirrors that of President Donald Trump , who faces a tough re-election battle in November and is pushing for schools to reopen, as a sign of a return to normalcy.
Trump, who is far behind Democrat Joe Biden in the polls, has threatened to cut federal funds to those schools that refuse to open their doors.
A Yahoo News / YouGov poll released Thursday found that 63% of Americans said Trump should not pressure schools to reopen, while 25% agreed with his initiative.
95% of Democrats and 58% of Republicans surveyed said that the reopening of schools should be left behind in relation to public health imperatives.
However, Trump and DeSantis have a lot of influence in a fight that keeps them in conflict with the teachers' unions, medical experts and numerous parents who hesitate to send their children to class for security reasons.
State and local officials have the last word when it comes to their school districts.
The Houston school district, which has more than 200,000 students, plans to start the school year virtually on September 8 and face-to-face classes on October 19, "subject to change under covid-19 conditions."
The Los Angeles school district, with 700,000 students, announced that classes will be online only until further notice.
In New York City, which has the nation's largest public school system, with 1.1 million students, Mayor Bill de Blasio said classroom attendance would be limited to one to three days a week.
Other major cities, such as Chicago and Washington, remain uncertain and have not yet announced plans for the semester.
DeSantis claims that the risk of children contracting covid-19 is low.
"I am really amazed at the extent to which people under the age of 18 are low risk in this," he said. "Fortunately, our schoolchildren are in little danger."
Only about 5% of the identified cases of covid-19 are children, and 90% of them do not develop symptoms or only mild symptoms.
DeSantis's push to reopen schools comes as Florida emerges as the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak in the United States.
The state reported a record 156 deaths from covid-19 on Thursday and nearly 14,000 new infections.
The total number of virus cases in the "Sun sState" now exceeds 315,000, with 4,782 deaths, according to figures from the local Health Department.
Florida currently reports more daily cases of the new coronavirus than any other state in the US..
California and Texas lag behind, with approximately 10,000 new cases each day.
But DeSantis has not followed the example of California and Texas, by imposing new closures or making the use of face masks mandatory indoors.
Covid-19 cases have increased in the United States, particularly in states that were among the first to reopen and lift restrictions designed to stop the spread of the pandemic.
The number of infections in the United States has exceeded 3.5 million, according to Johns Hopkins University, and there have been 138 , 201 deaths, placing the country in first place in the world on both planes.
In a report released Wednesday, the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine said school districts "should weigh the relative health risks of reopening against the educational risks of not providing face-to-face instruction in the fall of 2020" .
“Given the importance of personal interaction for learning and development, districts should prioritize reopening with an emphasis on providing full-time classroom instruction in grades K-5 and for students with special needs,” they noted.
tis claims that the risk of children contracting covid-19 is low.
"I am really amazed at the extent to which people under the age of 18 are low risk in this," he said. "Fortunately, our schoolchildren are in little danger."
Only about 5% of the identified cases of covid-19 are children, and 90% of them do not develop symptoms or only mild symptoms.
DeSantis's push to reopen schools comes as Florida emerges as the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak in the United States.
The state reported a record 156 deaths from covid-19 on Thursday and nearly 14,000 new infections.
The total number of virus cases in the "Sun sState" now exceeds 315,000, with 4,782 deaths, according to figures from the local Health Department.
Florida currently reports more daily cases of the new coronavirus than any other state in the US..
California and Texas lag behind, with approximately 10,000 new cases each day.
But DeSantis has not followed the example of California and Texas, by imposing new closures or making the use of face masks mandatory indoors.
Covid-19 cases have increased in the United States, particularly in states that were among the first to reopen and lift restrictions designed to stop the spread of the pandemic.
The number of infections in the United States has exceeded 3.5 million, according to Johns Hopkins University, and there have been 138 , 201 deaths, placing the country in first place in the world on both planes.
In a report released Wednesday, the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine said school districts "should weigh the relative health risks of reopening against the educational risks of not providing face-to-face instruction in the fall of 2020" .
“Given the importance of personal interaction for learning and development, districts should prioritize reopening with an emphasis on providing full-time classroom instruction in grades K-5 and for students with special needs,” they noted.
