WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) urged President Donald Trump to allow top public health experts from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to testify before Congressional committees to discuss the challenges facing schools across the nation as they weigh options for the fall semester. In his letter, Senator King emphasizes the importance of allowing school leaders to hear directly from experts as they attempt to create a safe and healthy learning environment which maximizes educational opportunities for America’s students and maintains high standards for public health. The letter follows reports that the Administration is blocking CDC officials from testifying before Congress, and after President Trump has repeatedly criticized the CDC’s plans to protect students.

“Over the course of the last few weeks, you have expressed your desire for schools to open in the fall,” wrote Senator King. “I share your goal of in-person instruction, as it is clear that students learn best in a traditional educational setting where they can interact with their peers and engage face-to-face with their teachers. However, it is also clear that in order for in-person learning to resume amidst the coronavirus pandemic, schools must confront numerous challenges to create a safe and healthy environment for students, teachers, and support staff. Virtually no school across the nation is prepared to establish these new protocols without assistance from experts, which is why I was so concerned to read reports that your administration is blocking top public health experts from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) from appearing before Congressional committees…

“There is no amount of money or effort that is too great to expend in order to keep our children safe, ensure the health of American families, or protect the teachers who’ve dedicated their lives to educating the next generation,” concluded Senator King. “For their sake, we must allow schools to hear the unfiltered truth, directly from health experts – not hide the truth…As we work to help schools make decisions in the best interest of students, teachers, and parents, science must lead the way.”

Senator King is a longtime champion of public education and has repeatedly sought to provide additional support to support education during the upcoming school year. Last month, he joined 41 of his Senate colleagues in a letter urging Congressional leaders to provide additional federal funding to help students safely return to the classroom in upcoming coronavirus relief legislation.

Senator King’s full letter can be read below or downloaded HERE.

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Dear President Trump:                 

Over the course of the last few weeks, you have expressed your desire for schools to open in the fall. I share your goal of in-person instruction, as it is clear that students learn best in a traditional educational setting where they can interact with their peers and engage face-to-face with their teachers. However, it is also clear that in order for in-person learning to resume amidst the coronavirus pandemic, schools must confront numerous challenges to create a safe and healthy environment for students, teachers, and support staff.

Virtually no school across the nation is prepared to establish these new protocols without assistance from experts, which is why I was so concerned to read reports that your administration is blocking top public health experts from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) from appearing before Congressional committees. This action, combined with your previous criticism of the CDC’s science-based recommendations to support a safe return to in-person learning in the fall, threaten the ability of schools to identify the best practices required to reopen safely. This is misguided, and I ask you reverse this directive.

There is no amount of money or effort that is too great to expend in order to keep our children safe, ensure the health of American families, or protect the teachers who’ve dedicated their lives to educating the next generation. For their sake, we must allow schools to hear the unfiltered truth, directly from health experts – not hide the truth. Lives are at stake, and we must rise to the occasion.

In April, I sent you a letter asking you to develop a national coronavirus testing and tracing strategy for our country. I believe today, as I did then, that we cannot solve the problems facing our nation by ignoring them. As we work to help schools make decisions in the best interest of students, teachers, and parents, science must lead the way.