Donald Trump has advised teachers over the age of 60 to not teach in school “for awhile” when the education system reopens in select states.
The statement regarding teachers was made on Wednesday when the president signed a proclamation in honour of National Nurses Day at the White House.
While Mr Trump and his administration wanted schools to open up wherever possible amid the coronavirus pandemic, he admitted the option would not be safe for all teachers.
This suggestion was initially brought up when the president sat down with Fox News on Sunday for a virtual town hall in front of the Lincoln Memorial. A student asked the president how she could feel safe returning to school amid the fears of a second wave of Covid-19.
Mr Trump said students, like the one who asked the question, were probably in “great shape” to return given their age and health but would potentially have to wear masks for a period of time while at school.
“So when you go back – and you have one problem that is a bigger problem, and that’s teachers over 60 or 65 years old – the teachers,” he said.
The coronavirus tends to affect more people over the age of 60 and ones who have previous medical conditions.
Schools across the country closed down starting in March over fears of not only students contracting the virus, but of them spreading it to other people, like their parents, who are more at risk to become gravely ill.
In response to the shuttering of schools, teachers relied on virtual learning practices so they could still educate their students through the end of the academic year.
So far, 46 states and Washington DC have announced school will remain closed through the end of the academic school year, with some officials even battling on the likelihood of in-person classes returning in the fall.
But the president expressed hope that a majority of schools would reopen come September, potentially, though, with older teachers remaining at home.
The American Academy of Pediatrics issued new guidance during Covid-19, stating schools should prepare for intermittent closures in the future depending on how the novel virus continues to infiltrate communities.
“Until the broad availability of a vaccine and/or treatment for Covid-19 exists, there is a risk for future waves of disease impacting communities across the country; it is important that schools plan for the possibility of additional periods of school closures and prepare strategically for distance learning or other educational options,” it said.
State governors have asked school officials to come up with plans for how social distancing and other safety measures can remain in effect during school hours if in-person classes were to resume later in 2020.
