Sen. Rubio on complicated debate over if Florida schools should reopen in the fall
Republican Sen. Marco Rubio warns working and low-income families will be hurt the most the longer schools stay closed.
America needs to use a "cost-benefit analysis" to determine whether or not schools should reopen come fall amid the coronavirus pandemic, Florida Republican Sen. Marco Rubio stated Tuesday.
In an interview on "America's Newsroom," Rubio told host Sandra Smith that while the "onus is on all of us" to bring COVID-19 infection rates "under control," educators must also carefully weigh their decisions on reopening.
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"Clearly, [the] benefits of closing schools are weighed against the community spread that we’re seeing and the outbreaks. And, I understand. I mean, it’s not inconsequential and it's a real threat. The costs are significant, though," he said.
Rubio pointed out that while shuttered schools certainly have negative short-term economic and learning impacts, the long-term impacts are just as -- if not more -- concerning, pointing to child abuse, which "needs to be part of the equation."
March 13, 2020: Students wait outside of John Marshall High School after being let out early following an announcement of a district-wide closure caused by the coronavirus threat in Los Angeles. California's Department of Education plans to release a detailed how-to guide to safely reopen schools in the age of face masks and physical distancing. State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond says he'll release a new manual Monday, June 8, 2020, titled "Stronger Together: A Guidebook for the Safe Reopening of California's Public Schools." (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
A new report by the child advocacy group Save the Children has found that globally almost 10 million children locked out of school by the pandemic may never return.
Rubio also noted that those with health or other "conditions" -- teachers, students, or "someone at home" -- should have the ability to opt-out of going into work or choose a "non-school option."
"But I do believe we have to work extra hard to be as flexible as we can to figure out a way to get those who do need to be in school into a brick and mortar facility so they can learn," he added. "This is particularly important for working...and low-income families who don't have those options available to them."
Part of what Rubio believes is necessary going forward is a "comprehensive understanding of what the best practices are for opening up the schools."
As states have waited for guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, releasing their own plans, the Trump administration has continually pushed to reopen by September. Confirmed COVID-19 cases in the U.S. have surpassed the 3.3 million mark, with over 135,000 deaths now recorded.
"I think we have to go into it with the assumption, by the way, that you’re never going to be at 100 percent here. As long as this virus is spread from person to person, we have to mitigate risk. But, we cannot eliminate it," said Rubio.
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The senator believes the best approach is likely at the local and county level -- using known precautions and practices based on conditions in their region.
"But, the one thing I'd love to see is some sort of matrix of best practices that don’t make the risk zero but that substantially lower the risk for both the teachers and for the students who can take it back home and infect parents and grandparents," he concluded.