At a press conference on Monday, announcing the ‘Big Tech’ legislation, Governor Ron DeSantis added some comments about the CDC and guidance of closing schools.
“Florida schools are open for in-person instruction. Every single parent in this state has a right to send their kid to in-person instruction. We have done it the right way. We are not going to turn back to what the CDC put out five o’clock on a Friday afternoon. I wonder why they would do it then,” DeSantis said regarding the CDC guidance released Friday evening.
“We had kids doing camps and athletics over the summer and we’ve been in person as much as anybody in the country. Yet we’re 34th out of 50 states and DC for COVID-19 cases on a per capita basis for children. 33 states have more cases per capita than Florida for children per capita and many of those don’t have a lot of in-person instruction in school,” added DeSantis.
“The school reopening plan that makes the most sense, if you want to open schools, is open the door, let them come in and let them learn,” added DeSantis.
The CDC said schools can safely reopen as long as certain precautions are in place, raising hopes that students may soon return to classrooms in school districts that have not had in-person education for over a year because of the pandemic.
In its 35-page guide, the CDC reiterated the need for masking, handwashing, contact tracing, and social distancing to prevent virus spread.
Florida reopened schools in August and has seen tremendous success within the school districts with face to face instruction.
DeSantis said, “If you follow that CDC guidance, they will not go back in this school year and they may not even go back in the Fall. That is a disgrace and that is not science. That is putting politics ahead of what’s right for kids. That is putting politics and special interests ahead of what the evidence and observed experience say. So we’re better off as a result of giving parents and kids that opportunity.”