OR AT THE WHITE HOUSE THIS
AFTERNOON REITERATING ITS
COMMITMENT TO REOPEN SCHOOLS K
THROUGH 8 FOR IN PERSON
LEARNING WILSON.
>> THE PRESIDENT WANTS SCHOOLS
TO OPEN SAFELY AN ACCORD WITH
SCIENCE AND WE'RE GOING TO
LISTEN TO SCIENCE AND
MEDICAL EXPERTS. THE CDC
GUIDELINES, WE EXPECT THEM TO
COME OUT WE'RE EAGER
TO HEAR MORE ABOUT THE CLEAR
SCIENCE SPACE GUIDELINES FOR
OPENING SCHOOLS AND HOW WE CAN
DO THAT SAFELY AND HOW WE CAN
KEEP
THEM OPEN. THE PRESIDENT WILL
NOT REST UNTIL EVERY SCHOOL IS
OPEN 5 DAYS A WEEK THAT IS OUR
GOAL.
>> SO YOU HEARD THE GOLD WHILE
MANY SCHOOL DISTRICTS HAVE STAY
REMOTE DURING THE PANDEMIC
THE STATE A RHODE ISLAND REOPEN
FOR IN PERSON LEARNING AS EARLY
AS
THE FALL ALL THE CHALLENGES AND
SUCCESSES OF THAT JOURNEY ARE
DOCUMENTED IN AN ARTICLE FOR
NEW YORK TIMES MAGAZINE AND
WE'RE SO EXCITED TO SAY HERE
TO THIS GOT IT THROUGH THEM IN
A STAFF WRITER WITH THE NEW
YORK TIMES MAGAZINE, I'M SUCH A
FAN OF YOUR PUBLICATIONS AND
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING ON
YOU WROTE AN ARTICLE ABOUT
RHODE ISLAND WHICH OPEN FOR IN
PERSON LEARNING IN THE FALL
WHEN MOST STATES WE'RE STILL
REMOTE OR HYBRID.
>> BASICALLY THE GOVERNOR OF
NEW OF RHODE ISLAND JUNIOR
WHO'S NOW OF COURSE BIDEN'S
COMMERCE SECRETARY VERY
EARLY ON MADE THE THAT THEY
WERE GOING OPEN THE SCHOOL SHE
DECIDED AS
EARLY AS AND STARTED MESSAGING
AROUND THAT GATHERING
INFORMATION FROM EXPERTS WHAT
YOU CAN DO TO MAKE IT SAFE.
PULLING IN HER HEALTH
COMMISSIONER PULLING HER
EDUCATION COMMISSIONER SPEAKING
ABOUT IT REGULARLY SHE JUST
MADE IT THERE WAS A PRIORITY
AND THAT THEY WERE GOING TO
OPEN AND SO THEY DID IN FACT IN
OPEN
IT WAS IT WAS A VERY
INTERESTING AND SOMETIMES QUITE
ROCKY THEY BRIEFLY DID
WHEN COVID RATES WERE QUITE
HIGH TOWARDS THE END OF
DECEMBER RIGHT BEFORE THE
HOLIDAYS, BUT THEY'RE BACK OPEN
AGAIN NOW.
>> HE'S A GOVERNOR IN YOUR
ARTICLE SAW OPENING SCHOOLS AS
A MATTER OF EQUITY SUSAN CAN
YOU EXPLAIN THAT A LITTLE BIT.
YEAH I THINK IT'S PRETTY
STRAIGHTFORWARD. YOU KNOW THAT
THERE ARE A
LOT OF.
>> PRIVATE SCHOOLS THAT HAVE
BEEN ABLE TO FUND THE KINDS OF
RESOURCES THAT I A TEACHER
STILL SAFE THEY ARE BIGGER
SPACES, GENERALLY THEY HAVE
MORE ROOM, IT'S EASIER TO
SOCIAL DISTANCE YOU OBVIOUSLY
PROVIDE FOR TESTING IN SOME
INSTANCES, BUT WE ALSO KNOW
THAT AND IN MANY CASES IN
REMOTE LEARNING THAT PEOPLE
WHO'RE THE KIDS YOU ARE DOING
REMOTE LEARNING WHOSE SUFFER
THE MOST ARE THE ONES WHOSE
PARENTS
FOR EXAMPLE MUST GO TO WORK
DON'T HAVE THE TIME TO HELP
THEM WITH THEIR HOMEWORK WITH
THE CLASSROOM SO THERE'S THIS
FEAR THAT.
>> THE AND ALSO BY THE
WAY THAT.
>> MORE OF THE BIG URBAN
SCHOOLS HAVE BEEN CLOSED, I
THINK IN GENERAL AND SO THERE'S
THIS FEAR THAT THE PANDEMIC
WOULD REALLY EXACERBATE
ECONOMIC INEQUALITY IS UNLESS
THE SCHOOLS WERE OPEN.
>> SO YOU CAN GIVE US INSIGHT
ON HOW TEACHERS REACTED TO THE
SAFETY PROCEDURES THAT WERE IN
PLACE.
YOU KNOW THERE WAS A RANGE I
THINK THAT PEOPLE WHEN IN QUITE
NERVOUS IN SEPTEMBER AND
OVER TIME.
>> WHAT I WAS HEARING FROM
TEACHERS THERE WERE SOME
TEACHERS TO REALLY FELT LIKE
THE SCHOOLS STILL WAS NOT SAFE
WHICH IS OF COURSE A RELATIVE
TERM, BUT I THINK I HEARD MORE
FROM TEACHERS TO DID FEEL THAT
OVER TIME THEY WEREN'T SEEING
THAT MANY KIDS IN THE SAME
CLASS GET SICK.
I THINK THEY STARTED TO FEEL
LIKE THE PROCEDURES REALLY DID
WORK AND SOME TEACHERS
I THINK YOU KNOW ADDED THEIR
OWN LAYERS OF OF CAUTIONS ARE
SOME PRINCIPLES DID SO THEY
WOULD ADD ANOTHER
LAYER OF SAFETY QUESTIONNAIRES
ONE THAT WENT ABOVE AND BEYOND
WHAT NECESSARILY THE STATE
ADDRESS
ACQUIRED OR HE JUST STARTED
DOUBLE MASKING EVEN BEFORE THAT
WAS SOMETHING THAT PEOPLE THAT
THE CDC DISTRICT IT'S EASY JUST
RECOMMENDED
THAT TODAY. SO PEOPLE WERE
TAKING THEIR OWN EXTRA SAFETY
PRECAUTIONS. THERE WAS A LOT
OF ABSENTEEISM CURRENTLY THERE
THERE ALWAYS IS PROVIDENCE
WHICH IS WHY FOCUS MY STORY.
BUT THE TEACHERS KEPT COMING
THEY SHOWED UP AND I REALLY
HAVE TO SAY I ADMIRE
THAT BECAUSE THE COVID RATES IN
THAT AREA WERE IN FACT REALLY
HIGH AND
IT WAS REALLY MOVING TO
CONTINUE TO TALK TO THOSE
TEACHERS AND HERE TO TALK ABOUT
HOW THEY WANTED TO BE THERE FOR
THE KIDS.
WE'VE BEEN COVERING THE FIGHT
BETWEEN THE CHICAGO TEACHERS
UNION AND THE CITY TO REOPEN
SCHOOLS, SIMILAR DISAGREEMENT
IN SAN FRANCISCO.
>> HOW DOES A STORY ABOUT
RHODE ISLAND WELL-INFORMED A
LARGER DISCUSSION WHEN IT COMES
TO REOPENING SCHOOLS AND OUR
COUNTRY.
>> IT'S A LITTLE BIT HARD TO TO
GENERALIZE BECAUSE SOME OF THE
SPECIFICS IN PROVIDENCE.
HELPS THE GOVERNOR QUITE A
BIT SO FOR EXAMPLE, THE STATE
TAKING OVER THE SCHOOL OF
BUSINESS IN THE DISTRICT
BECAUSE IT WAS IN SUCH BAD
SHAPE. WHAT THAT MEANT WAS
THAT THIS BOARD HAD LOST A LOT
ITS POWERS AND
OFTEN IN CITIES WHERE THE
SCHOOLS REMAIN CLOSED. IT WAS
BECAUSE THIS WE'LL BOARDS VOTED
TO KEEP THEM CLOSE THEY WERE
KIND OF A NATURAL ALLY. I THINK
IT'S MORE A STORY THAT
LEADERSHIP IN GENERAL, THE 2
STATE WORKED REALLY CLOSELY
UNDER 4 THE BEGINNING OF THE
GOVERNOR SHE BROUGHT THEM IN
VERY EARLY INTO
THE PROCESS AND SHE HAD A VERY
GOOD REPUTATION ON EDUCATION TO
BEGIN SO SHE HAD A GOOD
RELATIONSHIP WITH THAT IT.
IN MANY WAYS YOU HAD A GOOD
RELATIONSHIP WITH THEM AND AS I
SAID SHE BROUGHT THEM IN EARLY
IN WHAT SOME OF THEM SAID TO ME
SON THE PEOPLES OF THOSE UNIONS
AND IN US.
WE ASKED FOR SOME THINGS THAT
WE WANTED AND SHE HEARD US, WE
FELT HURT AND SHE GRANTED THEM
SO SHE WAS
SHE SHEEP ALL RIGHT WE'LL
PRIORITIZE RESOURCES FOR THE
SCHOOL'S PRIORITIZED WORKING ON
VENTILATION AND WORKING ON IT
AGGRESSIVELY AND INVESTING
HEAVILY TAKING YOU KNOW PUTTING
A LOT OF CAPITAL TOWARDS THAT
ISSUE.
WHAT DO YOU BELIEVE IS THE
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT'S ROLE IN
THIS CONVERSATION OF REOPENING
SCHOOLS.
I THINK PEOPLE HAVE BEEN
DESPERATE FOR SOMEONE TO SAY
HERE IS MINIMUM YOU NEED IN
ORDER TO BE SAFE
TO OPEN AND IF YOU HAVE THOSE
THINGS YOU IT'S BEEN REALLY
DIFFICULT TO WATCH THE
THOUSANDS OF DISTRICTS.
YOU KNOW THE TOWN'S RIGHT NEXT
TO EACH OTHER EVERYBODY WAS
REINVENTING THE WHEEL. IT IS
THERE WAS SO I THINK IT'S
REALLY QUITE SAD THAT THERE
WASN'T MORE LEADERSHIP
AND I'M RELIEVED THAT SOME IS
COMING NOW FROM THE GOVERNMENT
WILL BE REALLY CURIOUS TO SEE
WHAT WITH THAT GUIDANCE BECAUSE
OBVIOUSLY REASONABLE PEOPLE
CAN DISAGREE. AND SO I I THINK
IT'S GOING TO GO UP TOMORROW
AND I'M SO INTERESTED
TO HEAR WHAT THESE GUIDELINES
WEATHER COMING WHATEVER THEY