Letter to the Hon. Donald Trump, President of the United States - With Schools Seeking Guidance on Potential Reopening, King Urges President to Let CDC Officials Testify Before Congress

Letter

Dear President Trump:

Over the course of the last few weeks, you have expressed your desire for schools to open in the fall. I share your goal of in-person instruction, as it is clear that students learn best in a traditional educational setting where they can interact with their peers and engage face-to-face with their teachers. However, it is also clear that in order for in-person learning to resume amidst the coronavirus pandemic, schools must confront numerous challenges to create a safe and healthy environment for students, teachers, and support staff.

Virtually no school across the nation is prepared to establish these new protocols without assistance from experts, which is why I was so concerned to read reports that your administration is blocking top public health experts from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) from appearing before Congressional committees. This action, combined with your previous criticism of the CDC's science-based recommendations to support a safe return to in-person learning in the fall, threaten the ability of schools to identify the best practices required to reopen safely. This is misguided, and I ask you reverse this directive.

There is no amount of money or effort that is too great to expend in order to keep our children safe, ensure the health of American families, or protect the teachers who've dedicated their lives to educating the next generation. For their sake, we must allow schools to hear the unfiltered truth, directly from health experts -- not hide the truth. Lives are at stake, and we must rise to the occasion.

In April, I sent you a letter asking you to develop a national coronavirus testing and tracing strategy for our country. I believe today, as I did then, that we cannot solve the problems facing our nation by ignoring them. As we work to help schools make decisions in the best interest of students, teachers, and parents, science must lead the way.

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