WH says public health guidelines should be followed in disputes between parents, school boards
At a White House briefing on Monday, press secretary Jen Psaki said public health recommendations should be adhered to when schools develop COVID-19 guidelines.
Video Transcript
- On schools in Virginia, seven districts representing 350,000 students are suing the state. They're hoping to get a strict mask mandate for students that has been rolled back by the new governor reinstated. So who does the president think knows best for students, school board members or parents?
JANE PSAKI: Well, the president believes that public health officials have the best guidance on what we can all do to protect ourselves including teachers, administrators, and students. It's always been up to local school districts to determine how they're going to approach what implementation measures they're going to put in place.
But here's what we know from public health officials who are the experts on a pandemic. Studies show that masks reduce transmissions in school. They are a proven tool that helps keep students and teachers safe from COVID, and they can thus help keep schools open and safe. In short, we know it works and we need every leader to focus on using the tactics we work to keep our students safe and our schools open.
I know you mentioned Virginia. But in Texas, the state is fighting a critical public health measure to protect our children and keep our schools safely open for Head Start communities, one's that a provision that is requiring masks to keep students and keep a communities safe. They're fighting against that. Why is that? I think that has more to do with politics than it does with public health.
- Well, right now in Virginia, the law is now that there's a new governor. But students should not have to wear masks if their parents say that they don't think they need to wear masks. So if a parent wants to send their kid to school with no mask, should that child be allowed to go to school and be in class?
JANE PSAKI: Again, what we're advising school districts on is to abide by public health guidelines and follow public health guidelines. And it's about keeping an entire community safe. And those are the decisions that people should focus on making.
- Just so it's crystal clear for anybody watching, you guys think that ultimately in this conflict between school board members and parents, the school board members should have more of a say in what a child--
JANE PSAKI: It's actually not what I said. I think everybody should abide by public health guidelines, not just to keep their own kids safe, but keep their school community safe, whether it's teachers, classmates, administrators, others in schools.
