The plan introduced by Republican state lawmakers could still become law if a handful of few Democrats who supported the bill decide to help overturn the governor’s veto.
“Students learn best in the classroom and I have strongly urged all schools to open themselves safely to face-to-face instruction and the vast majority of local school systems have done this,” Cooper said. “However, Senate Bill 37 falls short in two critical areas. First, it allows high school and high school students to return to the classroom in violation of the Department of Health and Human Services’ health guidelines. NC and the CDC health guidelines. Second, it hinders state officials from protecting students and teachers during an emergency. “
READ THE BILL OF THE SENATE 37 (.pdf)
The Democratic governor said he told the legislature he would sign the bill if these “two issues” are resolved. He has asked school boards that they have not yet made the transition to face-to-face instruction, but has opposed the statewide mandate that would have forced them to reopen about two weeks in advance. In some places, students have been kept out of physical classrooms for 11 months, prompting a outcry among parents concerned about the loss of learning.
Cooper said the bill threatens public health just as North Carolina is struggling to get out of the pandemic.
“The bill they just passed fails on these two fronts,” Cooper said. “I will continue to discuss possible new legislation with General Assembly leaders before taking action on the bill I now have on my desk. It is critical for our teachers and students that we do well.”
Republicans said the North Carolina Educators Association opposed the bill, saying teachers’ unions across the country “flex the political muscle” to retain or minimize face-to-face education.
“At the same time, the governor boasts of vaccinating teachers after giving them a higher priority than cancer patients, vetoing this school reopening bill because it offers school districts the flexibility to operate according to plan that best suits their needs on the ground, ”said Sen. Deanna Ballard, R-Watauga, who co-chairs the Senate Education Committee and sponsored Senate Bill 37.
“With teacher vaccines in full swing, there is no legitimate excuse for Governor Cooper and the far-left NCAE to oppose the broad reopening flexibility this bill grants school districts, “Ballard added.” The far-left NCAE owns the governor’s mansion. Fortunately, Senate Bill 37 was passed with enough bipartisan support to overturn Governor Cooper’s veto, and we hope to raise it for a general vote. “
State House Speaker Tim Moore, R-Cleveland, also responded to Cooper’s veto on Friday.
“With this veto, the governor ignored desperate parents, policy experts, and students who suffer from his refusal to let them return to the classroom,” Moore said. “The legislature has worked hard to find common ground with the governor, but we have a constitutional duty to provide educational access to our students and we will pursue a veto replacement on behalf of North Carolina families.”
The NCAE had pushed for the highest priority on the COVID-19 vaccine distribution list, although the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention does not believe school reopening of teacher vaccination should be anticipated. The reopening of the Cooper administration’s guidance loosens restrictions for elementary students by allowing children not to wear masks sitting in classrooms. There are stricter guidelines for middle and high schools.
The NCAE issued a statement supporting Cooper’s decision.
“North Carolina public school educators are eager to return to their classrooms as soon as it is safe, but SB 37 is the opposite of a safe return to face-to-face instruction,” said NCAE President Tamika Walker Kelly. “In trying to circumvent the decision-making authority of local school boards and ignore the latest scientific guidelines, this bill would have unnecessarily endangered the health and safety of educators and students. The best action all legislators can do is to do right now is to encourage their communities to comply with safety protocols and encourage vaccination of all school employees.We thank Governor Cooper for vetoing this bill and look forward to working with him and the legislature to work out a safe return to instruction in person “.
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Republicans have accused Cooper of playing more with politics than science in the fight to reopen schools, citing studies done here in the Triangle where a team of Duke and UNC researchers found a very low school transmission rate.
“Governor Cooper vetoed SB 37 so that as many children as possible were locked up in virtual schools that failed at the same time as he is actively establishing himself with left-wing activists to release thousands of convicted criminals from prison,” he said. say Tim Wigginton, communications director at NCGOP. “Cooper is letting criminals out of jail and locking up our kids in virtual schools that don’t work.”
Cooper noted that 95% of districts plan to offer face-to-face instruction in mid-March, representing approximately 96% of the state’s approximately 1.5 million K-12 public school students.
According to NC NAACP and ACLU, at least 3,500 people in jail will be granted early release from North Carolina state prisons after an agreement was reached at NC NAACP v. Cooper, a lawsuit filed by civil rights organizations, three jailed persons and a spouse of a jailed person, challenging confinement conditions in North Carolina state prisons during the COVID-19 pandemic. Under the terms of the settlement agreement, the state has 180 days to release 3,500 people who are currently in custody.
Associated Press contributed.
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