John,

Are you a parent or guardian? Are you a teacher or school worker?

Across the country, millions of families are struggling with this question: How do we open our schools safely?

While the U.S. House passed the HEROES Act back in mid-May to reopen our schools and ensure other critical public services can keep being provided, Mitch McConnell and the Senate failed to act―instead opting to go on a 25-day vacation until next week.

Now, with schools re-opening, and state and local budgets crunched due to the pandemic, our schools are forced to reopen with less, not more funding. How are schools supposed to provide students and educators with PPE, retrofit schools with Plexiglas and hand-washing stations, and account for necessary social distancing or provide remote learning options?

Join Americans for Tax Fairness Action Fund in demanding the U.S. Senate get back to work and pass the HEROES Act to keep our schools and communities safe.

Thank you for all that you do for millions of families across the country.

Andrea Haverdink

Digital Director
Americans for Tax Fairness Action Fund

John,

Right now, across the country, students and teachers are returning to school. But the critical question all communities are asking is how do we reopen schools safely in the midst of a pandemic?

States, cities, towns and rural communities are all facing extreme budget shortages due to the economic crisis caused by the pandemic. And while the U.S. House of Representatives passed the HEROES Act in mid-May to provide $1 trillion in aid for state and local public services, including $90 billion for schools to help them safely reopen, Mitch McConnell, Donald Trump and Education Secretary Betsy DeVos have failed to take the pandemic and its threats to our schools seriously.[1]

After dithering for weeks, McConnell finally proposed funding for schools in his so-called HEALS Act, but he tied that support to schools reopening in person after Trump’s tweets demanded that. Then, instead of calling for a vote before schools reopened, McConnell instead adjourned the Senate on a 25-day vacation. They’re not returning until next week.

That’s an outrageous abdication of leadership that puts our entire country at risk―particularly educators, school workers, students and their families.

Today, Americans for Tax Fairness Action Fund is joining in a nationwide #DemandSafeSchools Day of Action. Will you write to your U.S. Senators right now and demand they immediately return to Washington, DC and pass critical funding for our schools―and for a whole lot more?

The patchwork of school reopening plans across the country underscores the lack of leadership at the highest levels. Donald Trump and his administration appear more concerned with the optics of whether schools reopen in person than actually doing the work needed to keep teachers, students and families safe.

Time’s up Mitch. School’s back in session. Pass the House HEROES Act so that schools can reopen safely, our children can learn, and we can keep other critical public services available in our communities.

Join today’s nationwide #DemandSafeSchools Day of Action and write to your U.S. Senators today.

Together, we’re demanding a pandemic response that puts public safety first.

Thank you,

Frank Clemente
Executive Director
Americans for Tax Fairness Action Fund

[1] “The Gulf Between Republicans and Democrats on Coronavirus Aid, in 9 Charts,” New York Times, July 30, 2020