In less than two months, school districts across the country have to make an incredibly difficult decision: “Should kids attend school in-person?” If you listen to the experts, the answer to that question is no for most schools.

But Secretary DeVos isn’t listening to the experts. She’s listening to Trump, who only wants to open schools as part of an overarching campaign to pretend like COVID-19 will go away on its own. It won’t.

When reporters have asked about the Department of Education’s plan to offer guidance for schools that reopen, their answers fall short. There’s no robust framework in place for what to do when a student gets sick, how to structure classrooms with limited space, or operate with limited resources.

Secretary DeVos is supposed to be putting our children’s education first, not her own partisan allegiance. She’s failed in her duties as a leader. That’s why I’m joining a coalition of progressive groups to demand her resignation. Will you join me?

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Just a few days ago, the United States set another record for new COVID-19 cases. And now, contrary to White House talking points, the death rate is also increasing. We had the chance to get this right and have schools back in session months ago, but the federal government failed to pave that path.

For a moment, let’s just think about how this would work. Let’s posit that a student is in 7 classes every day, with 20 other students, takes the bus with 30 classmates, eats in one lunch period with 100, and walks in between classes. How could you possibly quarantine all of those children for 14 days at a time, plus their teachers and support staff, every time there’s a new case.

You can’t. And Secretary DeVois knows you can’t, but she’s pressing forward and pressuring schools to reopen despite those concerns. That’s why we’re calling for her resignation. Sign your name to join our call.

Using our children as a political tool to signal that “everything is okay and going back to normal” ahead of an election is unconscionable. They are not pawns. It is our obligation to fight for their safety, and that’s exactly what we intend on doing.

In solidarity,

Ro Khanna

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