Politics

Trump Releases 8 ‘Recommendations’ For Schools Looking To Reopen

US President Donald Trump speaks to the press in the Brady Briefing Room of the White House in Washington, DC, on August 10, 2020. - Secret Service guards shot a person, who was apparently armed, outside the White House on Monday, President Donald Trump said just after being briefly evacuated in the middle of a press conference. The president was abruptly ushered out of the press event and black-clad secret service agents with automatic rifles rushed across the lawn north of the White House. Minutes later, Trump reappeared at the press conference, where journalists had been locked in, and announced that someone had been shot outside the White House grounds. Trump said he knew nothing about the identity or motives of the person shot, but when asked if the person had been armed, answered:

(Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images)

Anders Hagstrom White House Correspondent
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President Donald Trump unveiled eight recommendations Wednesday his administration wants schools to look to as they reopen classrooms.

Trump has been a firm advocate of reopening schools as quickly as possible, arguing the calls for delay are “political nonsense.”Governors across the country ordered schools to close for the final months of the 2019-2020 school year, but states and districts disagree on when classrooms should reopen.

The White House recommendations are as follows:

  • Educate teachers and students about the symptoms of COVID-19
  • Require students and teachers to “self-assess” their health each morning
  • Encourage frequent hand washing
  • Minimize large, indoor gatherings
  • Maintain high levels of ventilation in classrooms
  • Require students and teachers to socially distance from “high-risk individuals”
  • Encourage the use of masks
  • Post instructions for hygiene and social distancing around the school

Trump argued it is imperative for students to return to classrooms and that virtual learning is not an adequate replacement. (RELATED: ‘They Have To Stay Open’: McEnany Defends Trump’s Call To Reopen Schools)

“When you sit at home in a basement looking at a computer, your brain starts to wither away,” Trump said. “We have a lot of good experience at that just by taking a look at whats happening in politics.”

Trump’s comments echoed those of the American Academy of Pediatrics, which came forward last month to urge state governments to reopen schools in the fall, saying risk of COVID-19 spread among students is low. The group also said dangers of keeping students home and away from learning outweighs the potential risk of spread. (RELATED: Kayleigh McEnany: Pelosi ‘Won’t Lay Off The Ice Cream,” But She’s ‘Just Fine’ With Laying Off American Workers)

“Lengthy time away from school and associated interruption of supportive services often results in social isolation, making it difficult for schools to identify and address important learning deficits as well as child and adolescent physical or sexual abuse, substance use, depression, and suicidal ideation,” the group said according to U.S. News.