Dr. Jill Biden criticized U.S Department of Education Secretary Betsy DeVos‘ stance on safely reopening schools as she insisted there appears to be “no strategy” to successfully do so.
On Wednesday, Biden appeared on CNN’s “New Day” where she expressed concern that DeVos and President Donald Trump lack preparation for the reopening of schools amid the coronavirus pandemic.
From the perspective of a teacher and mother, Biden weighed in as she admitted that it does not come as a surprise to her that proper plans were not in place.
“No, it doesn’t surprise me [that she didn’t have a plan],” Biden told CNN host Bianna Golodryga. “I don’t think she ever felt invested in America’s public schools.”
Biden continued, “She didn’t have a strategy, Trump didn’t have a strategy.”
“There’s so many things that Joe already has planned to do and that includes replacing the secretary of education with somebody who has been in the public schools, knows what it’s like to be a public school educator as I was, and listens to the teachers.”
See Biden’s remarks below:
"We are in Donald Trump's America. And there's just so much chaos. … Educators don't know what to do, students don't know what to do."
— CNN This Morning with Audie Cornish (@CNNThisMorning) September 2, 2020
– Jill Biden, Joe Biden’s wife, discusses reopening schools safely.https://t.co/5zPHxdwDHp pic.twitter.com/6hD0mQpwxf
Dr. Jill Biden’s remarks come less than one day after DeVos’s criticism of Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden’s opposition to federal funding for for-profit charter schools.
During an appearance on Fox News, DeVos insisted Biden has “turned his back on the kids” as she recalled his 1997 school choice speech on the Senate floor.
“Well, Martha, Joe Biden probably doesn’t remember it, but in 1997, he gave an impassioned speech on the Senate floor in favor of school choice,” DeVos said told host Martha McCallum on Tuesday evening.
She added, “Today, he’s turned his back on the kids that we are talking about, and he’s turned his face in favor of the teachers’ union and what they have to say and what they have to demand, and it’s really shameful.”
See DeVos’ remarks below:
As schools around the country work to reopen, the United States is still combatting the coronavirus outbreak. More than 6.2 million confirmed coronavirus cases have been reported across the country, as of Wednesday afternoon.
