Dear Friends,

As the school year approaches, communities across the Commonwealth must grapple with a new dilemma: whether to reopen schools or proceed with online learning during the COVID-19 crisis.

Let me be clear, this choice is not an easy one for students, parents, or educators, who must work together to evaluate the risks and determine whether it’s safe to return to in-person instruction. However, this difficult choice belongs in the hands of community health officials, parents, and teachers – not in the hands of President Trump or Betsy DeVos.

Unfortunately, this President and his administration have been threatening to cut federal education funding for schools that determine they cannot safely reopen for in-person instruction and must resume online learning in the fall. This isn’t right and this pressure could force cash-strapped schools to make decisions that may put students, teachers, and families at risk.

That’s why I’ve introduced a bill to block the President from slashing education funding in order to force schools to reopen.

My bill would prohibit any federal regulation, guidance, or policy that requires in-person instruction during this public health crisis. It would also clarify that the Secretary of Education cannot force in-person instruction during this public health emergency.

I hope you can take a minute to read more about this bill in the ABC 13 article below.

Frankly, I believe we should be supporting – not threatening schools during this difficult time, and as Congress continues to negotiate the next COVID-19 relief bill, I’ll continue pushing to ensure schools and students have what they need to continue learning during this pandemic.

If you want to share your thoughts about an issue that’s important to you, you can send me an email any time using the form on my Senate website. You can also follow me on Facebook and Twitter. I look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,

WASHINGTON — The Trump administration has threatened to cut funding to schools that don't fully reopen, and U.S. Senator Mark Warner (D-Va.) is trying to stop that from happening.
 
He introduced legislation that prevents funding cuts or redirection. Warner said the administration has no legal authority to cut critical education funding during the COVID-19 pandemic crisis.
 
Federal money makes up about 10 percent of the money going to public schools.
 
"The idea that this president is going to force those schools to reopen against the wishes of local officials, parents, and teachers is just crazy," Warner said on Thursday. "And we want to make absolutely clear -- I think the federal law is clear but we want to add an exclamation point -- that this is inappropriate."
 
After Warner introduced his legislation, the President on Thursday seemed to soften his stance and acknowledged that some schools may need to delay their reopening this fall as the coronavirus continues to surge.

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