COLUMBUS, Ohio — School leaders from across Ohio are conferring with members of the Ohio Democratic Party on Monday as the state continues its preparations to open this fall.
Ohio Education Association President Scott DiMauro, Ohio Federation of Teachers President Melissa Cropper, College Democrats of Ohio President Matt Nowling, and Ohio Democratic Party Chairman David Pepper will all be a part of the virtual roundtable.
Monday's meeting comes one day before Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos' planned virtual visit to Ohio.
During appearances on several Sunday morning talk shows, DeVos doubled down on President Donald Trump's insistence that kids can safely return to the classroom.
“There’s nothing in the data that suggests that kids being in school is in any way dangerous,” she told Chris Wallace on "Fox News Sunday."
Still, health experts say there are too many uncertainties and variables for back-to-school to be back-to-normal.
Where is the virus spreading rapidly? Do students live with aged grandparents? Do teachers have high-risk health conditions that would make online teaching safest? Do infected children easily spread COVID-19 to each other and to adults?
DeVos said local school officials are smart enough to know when conditions are not right.
“There’s going to be the exception to the rule, but the rule should be that kids go back to school this fall,” she told CNN's “State of the Union."
“And where there are little flare-ups or hot spots, that can be dealt with on a school by school or a case by case basis.”
Children infected with coronavirus are more likely than adults to have mild illnesses, but their risk for severe disease and death isn’t zero. While a virus-linked inflammatory condition is uncommon, most children who develop it require intensive care, and a few have died. Doctors don’t know which children are at risk.
