[House Hearing, 116 Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]


                  UNDERFUNDED & UNPREPARED: EXAMINING
                  HOW TO OVERCOME OBSTACLES TO SAFELY
                         REOPEN PUBLIC SCHOOLS

=======================================================================

                                HEARING

                               BEFORE THE

               SUBCOMMITTEE EARLY CHILDHOOD, ELEMENTARY,
                        AND SECONDARY EDUCATION


                         COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION
                               AND LABOR
                     U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                     ONE HUNDRED SIXTEENTH CONGRESS

                             SECOND SESSION

                               __________

             HEARING HELD IN WASHINGTON, DC, JULY 23, 2020

                               __________

                           Serial No. 116-61

                               __________

      Printed for the use of the Committee on Education and Labor
      
[GRAPHIC NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]      


    Available via the: https://edlabor.house.gov or www.govinfo.gov
    
                               __________

                    U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE                    
41-116 PDF                 WASHINGTON : 2022                     
          
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------   
   
                    COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION AND LABOR

             ROBERT C. ``BOBBY'' SCOTT, Virginia, Chairman

Susan A. Davis, California           Virginia Foxx, North Carolina,
Raul M. Grijalva, Arizona            Ranking Member
Joe Courtney, Connecticut            David P. Roe, Tennessee
Marcia L. Fudge, Ohio                Glenn Thompson, Pennsylvania
Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan,      Tim Walberg, Michigan
  Northern Mariana Islands           Brett Guthrie, Kentucky
Frederica S. Wilson, Florida         Bradley Byrne, Alabama
Suzanne Bonamici, Oregon             Glenn Grothman, Wisconsin
Mark Takano, California              Elise M. Stefanik, New York
Alma S. Adams, North Carolina        Rick W. Allen, Georgia
Mark DeSaulnier, California          Lloyd Smucker, Pennsylvania
Donald Norcross, New Jersey          Jim Banks, Indiana
Pramila Jayapal, Washington          Mark Walker, North Carolina
Joseph D. Morelle, New York          James Comer, Kentucky
Susan Wild, Pennsylvania             Ben Cline, Virginia
Josh Harder, California              Russ Fulcher, Idaho
Lucy McBath, Georgia                 Ron Wright, Texas
Kim Schrier, Washington              Daniel Meuser, Pennsylvania
Lauren Underwood, Illinois           Dusty Johnson, South Dakota
Jahana Hayes, Connecticut            Fred Keller, Pennsylvania
Donna E. Shalala, Florida            Gregory F. Murphy, North Carolina
Andy Levin, Michigan*                Jefferson Van Drew, New Jersey
Ilhan Omar, Minnesota
David J. Trone, Maryland
Haley M. Stevens, Michigan
Susie Lee, Nevada
Lori Trahan, Massachusetts
Joaquin Castro, Texas
* Vice-Chair

                   Veronique Pluviose, Staff Director
                 Brandon Renz, Minority Staff Director
                                 ------                                

   SUBCOMMITTEE EARLY CHILDHOOD, ELEMENTARY, AND SECONDARY EDUCATION

   GREGORIO KILILI CAMACHO SABLAN, Northern Mariana Islands, Chairman

Kim Schrier, Washington              Rick W. Allen, Georgia,
Jahana Hayes, Connecticut              Ranking Member
Donna E. Shalala, Florida            Glenn ``GT'' Thompson, 
Susan A. Davis, California               Pennsylvania
Frederica S. Wilson, Florida         Glenn Grothman, Wisconsin
Mark DeSaulnier, California          Fred Keller, Pennsylvania
Joseph D. Morelle, New York
                            
                            C O N T E N T S

                              ----------                              
                                                                   Page

Hearing held on July 23, 2020....................................     1

Statement of Members:
     Allen, Hon. Rick W., Ranking Member, Subcommittee Early 
      Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education.............     6
        Prepared statement of....................................     7
    Sablan, Hon. Gregorio Kilili Camacho, Chairman, Subcommittee 
      Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education.......     1
        Prepared statement of....................................     4

Statement of Witnesses:
    Boggs, Ms. Leslie, President, National Parent Teacher 
      Association................................................    17
        Prepared statement of....................................    20
    Hinojosa, Mr. Michael, Ed.D., Superintendent, Dallas 
      Independent School District................................    10
        Prepared statement of....................................    12
    O'Leary, Dr. Sean, MD, MPH, FAAP, Vice Chair, Committee on 
      Infectious Diseases, American Academy of Pediatrics........
   34
        Prepared statement of....................................    37
    Schwinn, Ms. Penny, Commissioner of Education, Tennessee 
      Department of Education....................................    23
        Prepared statement of....................................    26

Additional Submissions:
    Courtney, Hon. Joe, a Representative in Congress from the 
      State of Connecticut:
        Article: DeVos's Claim That Children Are Stoppers of 
          COVID-19...............................................    85
    Foxx, Hon. Virginia, a Representative in Congress from the 
      State of North Carolina:...................................
        Article: Considerations for Schools Operating Schools....   231
        Article: Preparing K-12 School Administrators for a Safe 
          Return to School in Fall 2020..........................   237
        COVID-19 Planning Considerations Guidance for School Re-
          entry..................................................   247
    Chairman Sablan:.............................................
        Remote Learning Synopsis.................................   103
        A Plan To Safely Reopen America's Schools and Communities   104
        All Hands On Deck: Guidance Regarding Reopening School 
          Buildings..............................................   126
        AASA COVID-19 Recovery Task Force Guidelines for 
          Reopening Schools: An Opportunity to Transform Public 
          Education..............................................   164
        COVID-19 Planning Considerations Guidance for School Re-
          entry..................................................   214
    Underwood, Hon. Lauren, a Representative in Congress from the 
      State of Illinois:.........................................
        Statement from the National Association of School Nurses 
          (NASN).................................................    91
Questions submitted for the record by:
        Walberg, Hon. Tim, a Representative in Congress from the 
          State of Michigan......................................   265
    Ms. Schwinn responses to questions submitted for the record..   266

 
                  UNDERFUNDED & UNPREPARED: EXAMINING
                  HOW TO OVERCOME OBSTACLES TO SAFELY
                         REOPEN PUBLIC SCHOOLS

                              ----------                              


                        Thursday, July 23, 2020

                       House of Representatives,

                    Subcommittee on Early Childhood,

                  Elementary, and Secondary Education,

                   Committee on Education and Labor,

                            Washington, D.C.

                              ----------                              

    The subcommittee met, pursuant to call, at 10:25 a.m., in 
Room 2175, Rayburn House Office Building, Hon. Gregorio Kilili 
Camacho Sablan (Chairman of the subcommittee) presiding.
    Present: Representatives Sablan, Schrier, Hayes, Shalala, 
Davis, DeSaulnier, Morelle, Scott (ex officio), Allen, 
Thompson, Grothman, Keller, and Foxx.
    Also Present: Representatives Lee, Bonamici, Courtney, 
Levin, Stevens, Wild, McBath, Underwood, Walberg, Stefanik, 
Johnson, and Murphy.
    Staff Present: Tylease Alli, Chief Clerk; Ilana Brunner, 
General Counsel; Ramon Carranza, Education Policy Fellow; 
Christian Haines, General Counsel; Sheila Havenner, Director of 
Information Technology; Stephanie Lalle, Deputy Communications 
Director; Andre Lindsay, Staff Assistant; Jaria Martin, Clerk/
Special Assistant to the Staff Director; Katelyn Mooney, 
Associate General Counsel; Max Moore, Staff Assistant; Mariah 
Mowbray, Staff Assistant; Jacque Mosely, Director of Education 
Policy; Veronique Pluviose, Staff Director; Loredana Valtierra, 
Education Policy Counsel; Banyon Vassar, Deputy Director of 
Information Technology; Cyrus Artz, Minority Staff Director; 
Kelsey Avino, Minority Fellow; Amy Raaf Jones, Minority 
Director of Education and Human Resources Policy; Hannah 
Matesic, Minority Director of Operations; Carlton Norwood, 
Minority Press Secretary; Mandy Schaumburg, Minority Chief 
Counsel and Deputy Director of Education Policy; and Georgie 
Littlefair, Minority Staff Assistant.
    Chairman Sablan. Welcome. I note that a quorum is present. 
And I note for the subcommittee that Mr. Courtney of 
Connecticut, Ms. Bonamici of Oregon, Mr. Norcross of New 
Jersey, Ms. Wild of Pennsylvania, Mrs. McBath of Georgia, Ms. 
Underwood of Illinois, Mr. Levin of Michigan, Ms. Stevens of 
Michigan, Mrs. Lee of Nevada, Mrs. Trahan of Massachusetts, Mr. 
Walberg of Michigan, Ms. Stefanik of New York, Mr. Banks of 
Indiana, Mr. Johnson of South Dakota, and Dr. Murphy of North 
Carolina are permitted to participate in today's hearing with 
the understanding that their questions will come only after all 
members of the Early Childhood Elementary and Secondary 
Education Subcommittee on both sides of the aisle who are 
present have had an opportunity to question the witnesses.
    The committee is meeting today for the hearing. We are 
hearing to get testimony on Underfunded and Unprepared: 
Examining How to Overcome Obstacles to Safely Reopen Public 
Schools. As this is a hybrid meeting, hybrid hearing with 
members participating, both here in the hearing room and 
remotely, I would ask that all microphones of members and 
witnesses participating remotely be kept muted as a general 
rule to avoid unnecessary background noise.
    Members and witnesses will be responsible for unmuting 
themselves from they are recognized to speak, or when they wish 
to seek recognition. Further, for House Resolution 965 and its 
accompanying regulations, members participating remotely are 
required to leave their cameras on the entire time they are in 
an official proceeding, even if they step away from the camera.
    While roll call is not necessary to establish a quorum in 
official proceedings, whenever there is an official proceeding 
with remote participation, the clerk will call the roll to help 
make clear who is present at the start of the proceeding. So at 
this time, I ask the clerk to call the roll.
    The Clerk. Chairman Sablan?
    Chairman Sablan. Here.
    The Clerk. Ms. Schrier.
    [No response.]
    The Clerk. Mrs. Hayes?
    Mrs. Hayes. Yes.
    The Clerk. Ms. Shalala?
    Ms. Shalala. Here.
    The Clerk. Mrs. Davis?
    Mrs. Davis. Here.
    The Clerk. Ms. Wilson?
    [No response.]
    The Clerk. Mr. DeSaulnier?
    [No response.]
    The Clerk. Mr. Morelle?
    [No response.]
    The Clerk. Chairman Scott?
    Mr. Scott. Present.
    The Clerk. Mr. Allen?
    Mr. Allen. Present.
    The Clerk. Mr. Thompson?
    Mr. Thompson. Present.
    The Clerk. Mr. Grothman?
    [No response.]
    The Clerk. Mr. Keller?
    [No response.]
    The Clerk. Mr. Van Drew?
    [No response.]
    The Clerk. Mrs. Foxx?
    [No response.]
    The Clerk. Chairman Sablan, that concludes the roll call.
    Chairman Sablan. Thank you, thank you very much. Pursuant 
to Committee Rule 7(c), opening statements are limited to the 
Chair and the Ranking Member. This allows us to hear from our 
witnesses sooner and provides all Members with adequate time to 
ask questions. I recognize myself now for the purposes of 
making an opening statement.
    We are here to ask what Congress must do to help American 
students get back to school during this pandemic. All of us 
wants our schools to reopen for full-time, in-person 
instruction as soon as possible. That fact is not out for 
debate. The question is, what must Congress do to help our 
schools get students back, get students and faculty back into 
the classroom safely?
    We are all coming to a new understanding of just how 
essential schools are to life in America, where working parents 
can be confident that their children are cared for, where 
economically challenged families know their children can be 
fed, where communities can find common ground cheering at 
sporting events, and where America's future is being formed by 
the knowledge and values we impart to the next generation.
    Schools are currently struggling to safely reopen because 
of this President's failed response to the pandemic. There is 
still no testing and contact tracing strategy, or science-based 
plan that we know other countries are using successfully to 
combat COVID-19.
    Now, the daily number of new cases in the United States is 
exceeding 60,000, . . . 60,000, much higher than when the 
pandemic first caused to school to close nationwide in March. 
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has made clear 
that fully reopening schools carries the highest risk of 
creating new spikes in COVID-19 infections. We had hoped to 
have CDC here today to discuss what best practices could help 
safely reopen America's schools, butButthe White House refused 
to let its officials testify at today's hearing.
    While initial studies suggest that students are less likely 
to contract COVID-19 and suffer serious illness, across the 
country, outbreaks at summer camps and even among infants make 
clear that we do not know enough about the risk for children. 
And a Kaiser Family Foundation analysis estimates that 1.5 
million teachers, nearly one in four have health conditions 
that put them at higher risk of serious illness if they 
contract COVID-19.
    This risk can be mitigated and tragedies can be prevented, 
but it requires both a nationwide strategy to contain the 
spread of the virus and a significant federal investment to 
help schools to take necessary safety precautions.
    House Democrats have not been idle waiting for a miraculous 
disappearance of COVID-19. The CARES Act in March provided over 
$13 billion directly to schools to help deal with the cost of 
closure and transition to an online learning environment.
    In May, the House passed HEROES Act with another $60 
billion in emergency school funding to help schools buy 
personal protective equipment, sanitize classrooms, and make 
special arrangements for students and teachers in high risk 
categories, soschools can safely reopen.
    And this month, this committee's Reopen and Review America 
Schools Act was included when the House passed the Moving 
Forward Act, another investment of $130 billion that can be 
used to reconfigure and modernize schools to protect the health 
of students and staff.
    Unfortunately, our Republican friends in the Senate have 
chosen, like the President, to hide from the problem and taking 
it to action, and taking no action on the House proposals to 
help America's schools safely reopen.
    We are hearing this week the Senate may finally be waking 
up to the enormity of the problem. I hope they shake themselves 
awake because time is not on our side.
    For many, the school year should begin next month, but you 
can't modernize the HVAC system in a 40-year-old school in a 
moment's notice. According to the Superintendents Association, 
the average district will need $1.8 million of work before 
schools can safely reopen. The House voted to give them the 
money to get started months ago. The Senate slept.
    Meanwhile, instead of joining Democrats to deliver more 
funding to help schools reopen safely, Secretary DeVos and 
President Trump are threatening, are threatening, to strip 
funding from public schools that determine they cannot safely 
bring all students back into the classroom full-time.
    They have it backwards. As a national survey published on 
Monday found,86 percent of the America's school principals said 
it is extremely important, that is in quotes, ``extremely 
important'' to get additional funding so their schools can 
safely reopen. And that is just the opposite of the 
administration's threat to defund schools. And to be clear, the 
President has no legal authority to withhold school funds that 
Congress appropriated.
    But I should also note that my Republican colleagues, who 
have consistently railed against federal government's role in 
education, now believe that the Trump administration should act 
as a national school board that coerces the schools into 
opening for full-time instruction regardless of local health 
conditions.
    Meanwhile, the Education Department has no plan, no plan at 
all for transitioning students back to in-person instruction 
safely. Instead it is blaming teachers and administrators for 
not doing enough. So we will be listening today to national 
leaders and experts who want to make sure Congress provides 
meaningful assistance to America's schools. I thank our 
witnesses in advance for their advice.
    [The statement of Chairman Sablan follows:]

 Prepared Statement of Hon. Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan, Chairman, 
   Subcommittee Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education

    We are here to ask what Congress must do to help America's students 
get back to school during this pandemic.
    All of us want our schools to reopen for full time, in-person 
instruction as soon as possible. That fact is not up for debate. The 
question is: What must Congress do to help our schools get students and 
faculty back into classrooms safely?
    We are all coming to a new understanding of just how essential 
schools are to life in America; where working parents can be confident 
their children are cared for, where economically challenged families 
know their children can be fed, where our communities can find common 
ground cheering at sporting events, and where America's future is being 
formed by the knowledge and values we impart to the next generation.
    Schools are currently struggling to safely reopen because of this 
President's failed response to the pandemic. There is still no testing 
and contact tracing strategy or science-based plan that we know other 
countries are using successfully to combat COVID-19.
    Now, the daily number of new cases in the U.S. is exceeding 
60,000--much higher than when the pandemic first caused schools to 
close nationwide in March.
    The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has made clear that 
fully reopening schools carries the highest risk of creating new spikes 
in COVID-19 infections. We had hoped to have CDC here today to discuss 
what best practices could help safely reopen America's schools, but the 
White House refused to let its officials testify at today's hearing.
    While initial studies suggest that students are less likely to 
contract COVID-19 and suffer serious illness, across the country, 
outbreaks at summer camps and even among infants make clear that we do 
not know enough about the risks for children.
    And a Kaiser Family Foundation analysis estimates that 1.5 million 
teachers--nearly 1 in 4--have health conditions that put them at higher 
risk of serious illness if they contract COVID-19.
    These risks can be mitigated, and tragedies can be prevented. But 
it requires both a nationwide strategy to contain the spread of the 
virus and a significant federal investment to help schools take 
necessary safety precautions.
    House Democrats have not been idle, waiting for a miraculous 
disappearance of COVID-19.
    The CARES Act in March provided over $13 billion directly to 
schools to help deal with the costs of closure and transition to an 
online learning environment.
    In May, the House passed the Heroes Act with another $60 billion in 
emergency school funding to help schools buy Personal Protective 
Equipment, sanitize classrooms, and make special arrangements for 
students and teachers in high-risk categories, so schools can safely 
reopen.
    And, this month, this Committee's Reopen and Rebuild America's 
Schools Act was included when the House passed the Moving Forward Act--
another investment of $130 billion that can be used to reconfigure and 
modernize schools to protect the health of students and staff.
    Unfortunately, our Republican friends in the Senate have chosen--
like the President--to hide from the problem and taken no action on the 
House proposals to help America's schools safely reopen.
    We are hearing this week the Senate may finally be waking up to the 
enormity of the problem.
    I hope they shake themselves awake, because time is not on our 
side. For many, the school year should begin next month, but you cannot 
modernize the HVAC system in a 40-year-old school on a moment's notice.
    According to the Superintendents Association, the average district 
will need $1.8 million of work before schools can safely reopen. The 
House voted to give them the money to get started months ago.
    The Senate slept.
    Meanwhile, instead of joining Democrats to deliver more funding to 
help schools reopen safely, Secretary DeVos and President Trump are 
threatening to strip funding from public schools that determine they 
cannot safely bring all students back into the classroom full-time.
    They have it backwards. As a national survey published on Monday 
found, 86 percent of America's school principals said it is ``extremely 
important'' to get additional funding, so their schools can safely 
reopen-- just the opposite of the Administration's threat to defund 
schools.
    To be clear, the President has no legal authority to withhold 
school funds that Congress appropriated.
    But I should also note that my Republican colleagues-- who have 
consistently railed against the federal government's role in 
education-- now believe that the Trump Administration should act as a 
national school board that coerces schools into opening for full-time 
instruction, regardless of local health conditions. Meanwhile, the 
Education Department has no plan for transitioning students back to in-
person instruction safely. Instead, it is blaming teachers and 
administrators for not doing enough.
    So, we will be listening today to national leaders and experts, who 
want to make sure Congress provides meaningful assistance to America's 
schools. I thank our witnesses in advance for their advice.
    I yield to Mr. Allen for the purpose of an opening statement.
                                 ______
                                 
    Chairman Sablan. And I now yield back to Mr. Allen for the 
purpose of an opening statement.
    Mr. Allen. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Reopening American 
schools has dominated family conversations around the country 
the last few weeks. The good news is science is on our side and 
federal agencies like the Centers For Disease Control and 
Prevention in State agencies, like the Georgia Department of 
Public Health, have provided detail reports on how we can 
reopen schools safely. I hope during today's hearing we can put 
political finger-pointing aside and put our children's 
interests first while we discuss, not if, but how we can safely 
reopen schools this fall.
    I know both my Democratic and Republican colleagues agree 
that students are being harmed by the physical closure of 
schools, and that we need to provide the option of in-person 
instruction.
    As we gear up for a new school year this fall, this 
question of how to reopen our Nation's schools safely needs to 
be a top priority for this committee. This past spring, more 
than 55 million students were affected by COVID-19-related 
school closures. That number accounts for approximately 97 
percent of students nationwide. The result, well, the numbers 
speak for themselves.
    The collaborative for student growth projected that some 
students could experience as much as a 50 percent reduction in 
typical learning gains as a result of school closures. Another 
analysis conducted by McKinsey and Company, a consulting group, 
found that when all the impacts of COVID-19 are taken into 
account, the average student could fall 7 months behind 
academically.
    As Leader McCarthy argued, we cannot afford to let a 
generation miss out on being taught. President Trump also 
recognizes the vital importance of safely reopening America's 
schools.
    Sadly, learning loss isn't the only challenge students face 
due to school closures. This pandemic and subsequent school 
closures have dramatically reduced interactions between 
vulnerable children and trusted adults, while exacerbating 
conditions that contribute to child abuse and neglect, such as 
financial strain and social isolation. School closures diminish 
educator's ability to serve these vulnerable students.
    Additionally, for some children, school is the only place 
where they receive nutritious meals in a, [on a] consistent 
basis. According to the Department of Agriculture, more than 30 
million children in the U.S. count on schools for free or low-
cost meals. So when schools and childcare centers close, 
children miss out on essential food services.
    Let's not forget the economic downside of keeping schools 
closed. If children can't attend school, parents can't return 
to work. In fact, the Brookings Institution argues, the world 
could lose, the world could lose, as much as $10 trillion over 
the coming generation as a result of school closures today. 
[CR2]
    School closures also disproportionately impact the economic 
well-being of lower-income and single-parent households. While 
families with multiple workers may be able to have one working 
adult scale back in their hours or quit their job to take on 
caregiving duties full-time, this is unlikely to be feasible 
for all families, especially those already struggling 
financially during this economic downturn.
    In May, the CDC released guidance on reopening schools that 
include ways in which schools can help protect students, 
teachers, administrators, and staff. These guidelines recognize 
that each school is unique, and there will be no one-size-fits-
all solution to reopening.
    Given that schools vary in their location, size, structure, 
the CDC recommends that school officials should determine in 
collaboration with State and local health officials whether and 
how to implement CDC guidance. Moreover, the American Academy 
of Pediatrics also released guidance for schools. They strongly 
advocated that all policies considerations for the coming 
school year should start with a goal of having students 
physically present in school.
    What do educators think? The American Federation of 
Teachers found that 76 percent of educators surveyed will be 
comfortable returning if certain health and safety conditions 
were met at their school. This includes daily cleaning and 
sanitizing of school facilities, additional protections for at-
risk students and staff, and availability of protective 
equipment. These are steps we can and should take to safely 
reopen our schools.
    That is why this morning, I introduced the Educational 
Flexibility for Families Act, legislation that requires K-12 
schools to provide an option for students to safely attend in-
person classes for the upcoming school year in order to be 
eligible for any federal assistance.
    My bill would ensure that the option for in-person learning 
is on the table and available for families around the country 
who want their children to safely return to the classroom this 
fall.
    I am proud of the educational leaders in my district who 
are committed to providing families the flexibility they need 
this school year, whether it is in the classroom, distance 
learning, home schooling, or a hybrid model. The bottom line 
is, schools must be prepared to provide every student effective 
instruction this fall and customized to that student.
    The health and future of our Nation's students depend on 
it. I thank our witnesses for testifying on this important 
topic today, and I look forward to hearing from them about the 
measures we can take to safely reopen America's classrooms this 
fall, and I yield back.
    [The statement of Mr. Allen follows:]

Prepared Statement of Hon. Rick W. Allen, Ranking Member, Subcommittee 
          Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education

    Reopening America's schools has dominated family conversations 
around the country the last few weeks. The good news is, science is on 
our side and federal agencies, like the Centers for Disease Control and 
Prevention (CDC), and state agencies, like the Georgia Department of 
Public Health, have provided detailed reports on how we can reopen 
schools safely. I hope during today's hearing, we can put political 
finger pointing aside, and put our children's interests first while we 
discuss, not if, but how we can safely reopen schools this fall.
    I know both my Democrat and Republican colleagues agree that 
students are being harmed by the physical closure of schools, and that 
we need to provide the option of in-person instruction. As we gear up 
for a new school year this fall, this question of how to reopen our 
nation's schools safely needs to be a top priority for this Committee.
    This past spring more than 55 million students were affected by 
COVID-19-related school closures. That number accounts for 
approximately 97 percent of students nationwide. The result? Well, the 
numbers speak for themselves.
    The Collaborative for Student Growth projected that some students 
could experience as much as a 50 percent reduction in typical learning 
gains as a result of school closures. Another analysis conducted by 
McKinsey and Company, a consulting group, found that when all the 
impacts of COVID-19 are taken into account, the average student could 
fall seven months behind academically.
    As Leader McCarthy argued, we cannot afford to let a generation 
miss out on being taught. President Trump also recognizes the vital 
importance of safety and reopening America's schools.
    Sadly, learning loss isn't the only challenge students face due to 
school closures. This pandemic and subsequent school closures have 
drastically reduced interactions between vulnerable children and 
trusted adults while exacerbating conditions that contribute to child 
abuse and neglect such as financial strain and social isolation. School 
closures diminish educators' abilities to serve these vulnerable 
students.
    Additionally, for some children, school is the only place where 
they receive nutritious meals on a consistent basis. According to the 
Department of Agriculture, more than 30 million children in the U.S. 
count on schools for free or low-cost meals, so when schools and child 
care centers close, children miss out on essential food services.
    Let's not forget the economic downside of keeping schools closed. 
If children can't attend school, parents can't return to work. In fact, 
the Brookings Institution argues 'the world could lose as much as $10 
trillion over the coming generation as a result of school closures 
today.' School closures also disproportionately impact the economic 
well-being of lower-income and single parent households. While families 
with multiple workers may be able to have one working adult scale back 
their hours or quit their job to take on caregiving duties full time, 
this is unlikely to be feasible for all families, especially those 
already struggling financially during the economic downturn.
    In May, the CDC released guidance on reopening schools that 
includes ways in which schools can help protect students, teachers, 
administrators, and staff.
    These guidelines recognize that each school is unique and there 
will be no one- size-fits-all solution to reopening. Given that schools 
vary in their location, size, and structure, the CDC recommends that 
school officials should determine, in collaboration with state and 
local health officials, whether and how to implement CDC guidance.
    Moreover, the American Academy of Pediatrics also released guidance 
for schools. They strongly advocated 'that all policy considerations 
for the coming school year should start with a goal of having students 
physically present in school.'
    What do educators think? The American Federation of Teachers found 
that 76 percent of educators surveyed would be comfortable returning if 
certain health and safety conditions were met at their school. This 
includes daily cleaning and sanitizing of school facilities, additional 
protections for at-risk students and staff, and availability of 
protective equipment. These are steps we can and should take to safely 
reopen our schools.
    That is why this morning I introduced the Educational Flexibility 
for Families Act, legislation that requires K-12 schools to provide an 
option for students to safely attend in-person classes for the upcoming 
school year in order to be eligible for any federal assistance. My bill 
would ensure that the option for in-person learning is on the table and 
available for families around the country who want their children to 
safely return to the classroom this fall. I am proud of the education 
leaders in my district who are committed to providing families the 
flexibility they need this school year-- whether it's in the classroom, 
distance learning, homeschooling or a hybrid model.
    The bottom line is, schools must be prepared to provide every 
student effective instruction this fall. The health and future of our 
nation's students depends on it. I thank our witnesses for testifying 
on this important topic today, and I look forward to hearing from them 
about the measures we can take to safely reopen America's classrooms 
this fall.
                                 ______
                                 
    Chairman Sablan. Thank you, Ranking Member Allen, for that 
opening statement.
    All the Members who wish to insert written statements into 
the record may do so by submitting them to the Committee Clerk 
electronically in Microsoft Word format by 5 p.m. on Thursday, 
August 6th, 2020.
    I will now introduce our witnesses. First is Dr. Michael 
Hinojosa, superintendent of Dallas Independent School District. 
Mr. Hinojosa has served as the Dallas ISD superintendent since 
2015. He served 20 years as a superintendent CEO of six public 
education systems, including two of the 25 largest school 
systems in America. He is past president of the Texas 
Association of School Administrators. He is a proud graduate of 
Dallas Independent School District, and also a doctorate in 
education from the University of Texas in Austin.
    Next is Ms. Leslie Boggs, President of the National PTA. 
Ms. Boggs is the 56th president of [the] National PTA. The 
Nation's oldest and largest volunteer child advocacy 
association. A leadership development expert from Odessa, 
Texas, Boggs has over 20 years of leadership experience at all 
levels of PTA. At the State level, Ms. Boggs serves as 
president of the Texas PTA and New Mexico PTA. A mother of 
three and a grandmother of four, Boggs is a dedicated and 
passionate advocate for children and their right to receiving a 
quality public education no matter their demographics, 
ethnicity, or household income.
    Next is Dr. Penny Schwinn joining us here in the committee 
room, Commissioner of Education for the State of Tennessee. Dr. 
Schwinn comes from a family of educators and is committed to 
increasing access to excellent education for all children. She 
began her work as a high school history and economics teacher 
in Baltimore. Dr. Schwinn was sworn in as Tennessee Education 
Commissioner on February 1, 2019. And prior to joining the 
Tennessee Department of Education, Commissioner Schwinn served 
as a Chief Deputy Commissioner of Academics for the Texas 
Education Agency. Commissioner Schwinn earned her Bachelor of 
Arts from the University of California Berkeley, her Master's 
of Arts in teaching from Johns Hopkins University, and her 
Ph.D. in education policy from Claremont Graduate University in 
California.
    Last is Dr. Sean O'Leary, M.D., professor of pediatrics 
infectious diseases at University of Colorado. Dr. O'Leary is a 
professor of pediatrics at the University of Colorado School of 
Medicine and Children's Hospital, Colorado, a pediatric 
infectious disease specialist, and a director of the Colorado 
Children's Outcomes Network. He is an accomplished researcher 
with over 120 peer review publications. His research focuses on 
vaccine-preventable diseases. Dr. O'Leary is a member of the 
American Academy of Pediatrics Council on School Health and 
serves as the vice chairman on the Committee on Infectious 
Diseases for the AAP. He also served as a liaison to the CDC 
Advisory Committee On Immunization Practices for the Pediatric 
Infectious Disease Society. Dr. O'Leary co-authored the AAP's 
guidance for school re-entry.
    We appreciate the witnesses for participating today and 
look forward to your testimony. Let me remind the witnesses 
that we have read your written statements, and they will appear 
in full in the hearing record. Pursuant to committee Rules 7(d) 
and committee practice, each of you is asked to limit your oral 
presentation to a five-minute summary of your written 
statement. Let me remind the witnesses that pursuant to Title 
18 of the U.S. Code Section 1001, it is illegal to knowingly 
and willfully falsify any statement, representation, writing 
document or material fact presented to Congress or otherwise 
construe or cover up a material fact.
    During your testimony, staff will be keeping track of time, 
and will use a chime to signal when one minute is left and when 
time is up entirely. It will sound a short chime when there is 
one minute left and a longer chime when time is up. Please be 
attentive to the time and wrap up when your time is over and 
remute your system.
    With the witnesses participating remotely, if any of you 
experience technical difficulties during your testimony or 
later in the hearing, you should stay connected on the 
platform, make sure you are muted with the mute button 
highlighted in red, and use your phone to immediately call the 
committee's IT director, Sheila Havenner, whose number has been 
provided.
    We will let all the witnesses make their presentations 
before we move to members' questions. When answering a 
question, please remember to unmute your system.
    And I will first recognize Dr. Hinojosa. Sir, you have five 
minutes.

 STATEMENT OF MICHAEL HINOJOSA, Ed.D., SUPERINTENDENT, DALLAS 
                  INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT

    Mr. Hinojosa. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and Members of the 
committee, I do appreciate this opportunity to testify in front 
of you this morning. My name is Michael Hinojosa, and I am the 
superintendent of the Dallas Independent School District. I am 
also here representing AASA, the Superintendents Association. 
As I am a member of the COVID-19 Recovery Task Force, and it is 
an honor, as I said, to be in front of you today.
    The Dallas ISD has 153,000 students, and right now, we are 
preparing to launch the school year, and we face many 
challenges. When we shut down right before spring break, we had 
to offer, we decided to offer some opportunities for learning 
at home. We have a master plan to deploy devices to all of our 
students, but we had to accelerate that plan, and then we ran 
into some other issues about connectivity once the devices got 
into the hands of our students and families.
    So we figured out that we try to train teachers and get 
everyone prepared almost on a moment's notice, but learned that 
we would have some significant long-term issues on how we 
respond to those matters.
    When we started this journey back in March, Dallas County 
only had a total of 1,300 cases, of confirmed cases in the 
county. In the month of July, we have had 14 consecutive days 
where we have had over 1,000 cases per day.
    So the context has been changing significantly as we have 
move forward. We are now learning that our best option may be 
to do distance learning. We certainly want to see our students, 
we haven't seen our students since March, and we know that we 
need to see our students but things are evolving. And, in fact, 
tonight, I am meeting with my school board to present our 
latest option about adjusting our calendar so that we can offer 
both remote and on-campus instruction, but how we actually do 
that, we need to buy some time with our school board.
    Recently, also, the State of Texas has pivoted a little 
bit. An issue they said we would have to have in-person 
instruction before we would qualify for any funding. Now, they 
have given us more leeway, they have now given us a full-week 
window where we could have virtual instruction before we have 
to do in-person instruction, and still be able to qualify for 
State funding for our public education.
    The COVID cases have been 1,000 a day for this month. 
However, we have some recent good news, because we have been 
asked to really wear mask and social distance. The last 2 days 
have been a lot better in Dallas County. We went to over 1,700 
to 400. The bad news is that the deaths have increased 
significantly in the county. So there is this lag effect, and 
that is precisely why we are asking for more time for our 
families.
    In addition, it is also very important for you to know that 
91 percent of our families are ethnic minority, Black and 
Latino families. And so, these are the two largest groups that 
are negatively affected by the crisis.
    When we started this journey, we surveyed our parents. 
Early on, 30 percent of our parents said they wanted an at-home 
learning option, and 70 percent said they wanted to come in 
person. As the crisis got worse, we are now at a 50/50 split. 
And, now, we feel that if we did a survey today, it would be 
more than 50 percent of our parents that would ask for an 
opportunity for virtual instruction.
    And then, the next matter that is also changing, early on 
when we asked our teachers how many were ready to come back, 
ready, willing, and able, 91 percent of our teachers said they 
were ready, willing, and able to come back. As we talked to our 
teacher organizations that were doing a new survey, that has 
completely changed. We are probably at 50/50, maybe even less 
than that as we try to communicate with our teachers. We have a 
lot of employees that signed up to speak to our school board 
this evening as a result of the changing CARES Act.
    I know that my time is running short, but I also want to 
say that we--broadband connectivity is a huge issue for us. If 
we actually have to shut down, it is going to be very 
imperative for us to have an opportunity to continue learning 
at home. We had--there are several bills in front of Congress 
that would make this a reality for us to knock down the front 
door to be able to have high-quality broadband connectivity for 
all of our families, not only for education, but also to have 
telemedicine, and also the ability to apply for a job.
    But, we are fortunate right now we have some funds in 
reserve, but that is not true for most school districts. And 
the number of bills that are in front of Congress, we know that 
Congress had to help large business, small business, and even 
individual families. But now State and local governments need 
that support as well, including firefighters and our teachers 
to make sure that we have an opportunity to be successful in 
the future years.
    Now, thank you very much, and I will yield my time. Thank 
you.
    [The statement of Mr. Hinojosa follows:]
    [GRAPHICS NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
    

    Chairman Sablan. Thank you, Dr. Hinojosa. You know, you see 
how five minutes goes by so fast. But thank you.
    I now recognize Ms. Boggs. Ms. Boggs, you have five 
minutes, please, thank you.

 STATEMENT OF LESLIE BOGGS, PRESIDENT, NATIONAL PARENT TEACHER 
                          ASSOCIATION

    Ms. Boggs. Chairman Sablan, Ranking Member Allen, and 
Members of this subcommittee, thank you so much for this 
opportunity to testify today on what is needed to support the 
safe reopening of our Nation's public schools in the midst of 
this pandemic. I am here today on behalf of National PTA, the 
nation's oldest and largest child advocacy association with 
congresses in all 50 states, the Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, 
and DC. Since 1897, National PTA has been a strong advocate, 
and the resource for millions of parents, teachers, 
grandparents, families, and community members, who share a 
commitment to improving the education and health and safety for 
all children. We speak with one voice for every child.
    As the President of [the] National PTA, I have seen 
firsthand how the partnership between parents and school 
leaders is now more important than ever. Unfortunately, this 
pandemic is far from over, and we cannot downplay the critical 
nature of this virus. We are seeing a substantial increase in 
cases across the country, including in my own home State of 
Texas.
    Children are the future of our Nation, and we must keep 
them safe. Claims that all children are asymptomatic and can't 
spread virus are simply not true. Our utmost priority during 
this time continues to be the health and safety of all 
students, their families, educators, and school personnel.
    States and school districts, or the federal government, 
should not simply push plans for reopening schools on parents. 
State and school district leaders must meaningfully engage with 
parents and stakeholders on developing plans to reopen schools, 
and subsequently throughout the year, as changes occur in plans 
and strategies to ensure both learning and safety.
    Parents know the value of in-person instruction, and want 
their children to be back in school this year. However, this 
must be done safely and effectively and with engagement of all 
stakeholders, especially parents and students. Our association 
understands that the reopening of our Nation's schools during 
this crisis is vital to ensure the continuity of education. 
However, it should not outweigh the safety and the mental and 
physical health of our students, educators, staff, and 
families.
    Our Nation's parents and educators have significant 
concerns. In fact, we recently surveyed parents and other 
stakeholders during an online forum last week, and 72 percent 
were not confident that schools could physically reopen in a 
safe manner.
    Regardless of each approach to beginning the school year, 
safely and effectively reopening schools is going to take 
resources. Whether schools begin the year in person, remotely, 
or a hybrid combination, funding our Nation's public schools 
should not be political. It is an investment in our Nation's 
future success. Schools must be prepared to address the 
transition back to school. The trauma of a pandemic and the 
many instructional issues, including the effects of learning 
loss and the digital divide. The added strain of recovery from 
a worldwide pandemic will wreak havoc on all localities, and 
will require significant, immediate, and continuing support and 
resources from federal and State governments.
    National PTA is encouraged by and thankful for the adoption 
of previous COVID-19 packages. However, despite these actions, 
there are and will be continued needs Congress must address. 
National PTA has been advocating for many weeks for additional 
aid for our public schools in response to this virus.
    Before I reiterate our previous recommendations, I want to 
reinforce our opposition to any private school voucher programs 
or other mechanisms to funnel public dollars to private 
schools. Our public schools must be fully funded. Our larger 
recommendations called for action in five areas. Building off 
the education stabilization fund, the fourth emergency COVID 
response bill must be provided at least $175 billion in 
emergency funding directly to States to support K-12 education.
    Next, we are recognizing the devastation of facing State 
and local economy. It is clear that when schools open their 
doors, their student population will be significantly needier. 
We have urged Congress to provide $13 billion for the IDEA, and 
$12 billion for Title I in addition to funding provided 
throughout the fiscal year 2021.
    Next, outside of, and in addition to the fiscal 
stabilization fund, Congress must include $4 billion in funding 
for remote learning through the E-Rate Program.
    Next is a provision for a one-time infusion of $245 million 
for the statewide family engagement centers to enable them to 
support the needs of families, children, and educators, during 
this crisis.
    And, last but not least, is the increased funding for food 
at USDA to prevent prepared food insecurities. To help schools 
[inaudible] and meet protocols as students physically go back.
    National PTA does urge the Congress to act swiftly. Thank 
you.
    [The statement of Ms. Boggs follows:]
    [GRAPHICS NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
    

    Chairman Sablan. All right. Ms. Boggs, thank you very much 
for your statement.
    And I now would like to recognize Dr. Schwinn who did not 
take a flight from Baltimore to join us here in the this 
morning. Dr. Schwinn, you have five minutes, please.

 STATEMENT OF PENNY SCHWINN, Ph.D., COMMISSIONER OF EDUCATION, 
               TENNESSEE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

    Ms. Schwinn. Good morning, Chairman Sablan, Ranking Member 
Allen, and Members of the subcommittee, thank you for inviting 
me today.
    I very much appreciate the opportunity to share Tennessee's 
story, and the incredible work that continues to be done by our 
districts, educators, and Department of Education on behalf of 
students. I also want to thank Governor Bill Lee and the 
Tennessee General Assembly, for their unwavering support in 
prioritizing education.
    I am proud that Tennessee has committed to maintaining the 
same level of State funding to our districts as in previous 
years, demonstrating the State's clear and continued commitment 
to schools. However, we also know that this is not like other 
years. We know that this school year will look and feel 
different. Districts are trying to make decisions with 
constantly updated information, and the lives and livelihoods 
of children and staff to consider. This is a serious discussion 
that is worthy of a greater understanding of the complexities 
that exist for schools, staff, and families.
    At the core, our systems have the monumental task of 
keeping people safe and healthy, so that we can provide 
children with a strong education. In Tennessee, most districts 
are choosing to include both an in-person and a remote option, 
and are focusing on how to do that safely. These are 
unimaginably hard, taxing, and critical decisions. And as we 
prepare for school reopening, there are three primary areas 
that must be addressed: the health and safety in schools, 
technology, and child well-being.
    First, to safely reopen schools, we must put the health of 
our students and staff in front of mind. Under Governor Lee's 
leadership, the Department of Education has partnered closely 
with other agencies to address the needs of the pandemic. The 
cross-agency partnership has led to a number of significant 
resources for our schools, including PPE for every staff 
member, disinfecting kits for classrooms, and resources co-
developed with the Department of Health. To reopen, we must 
provide these types of assurances and deliver.
    Second, we must address the opportunity in access gaps in 
technology and broadband that exist for our students and their 
teachers. Governor Lee recently announced $50 million in 
technology grants for our districts, which will support 
purchasing one computer for one-third of all students in 
Tennessee in grades 3 through 12. This investment in devices 
allows for continuity instruction when remote learning is 
required. However, it is also a critical investment in our 
education system that is necessary now, and will continue to 
pay dividends in the future.
    Finally, school reopening must consider child well-being 
regardless of the format of instruction being provided so that 
every child has his or her needs met and services provided. 
When schools are closed, those services become more challenging 
to deliver, and can impact a child's ongoing development. The 
department created a robust child well-being task force to 
focus on the needs of students as they return to school. This 
has been done alongside significant academic resources, free 
professional development for teachers and principals, and 
grants to expand opportunities for both children and school 
staff, to address the learning loss and child well-being needs 
that resulted from school closures.
    In closing, we must continue to ask ourselves, what is in 
the best interest of students and staff as we balance the needs 
of community health, access to strong educational 
opportunities, financial stability for families, and critical 
services to students?
    Education is personal to everyone. We aren't just talking 
about an abstract idea. We are talking about children. My 
girls, the students I serve in Tennessee, our children, it is 
nothing if it is not personal, which is why we must treat it as 
such, and not as an either/or conversation.
    Families must make their own choices, and districts must 
ensure that they are considering the feasibility of providing 
those choices. If schools are going to be open, it must be done 
safely and with sufficient health protocols and supplies in 
place. It must also allow the flexibilities necessary to 
protect vulnerable staff and students. If schools are going to 
be closed, then we will need to have clear plans on how we will 
support working families who may not have an option to work 
from home, how to provide food to students just as they would 
receive at school, how to provide the required special 
education, language, counseling, and health services necessary 
for students to continue to learn and grow, how to remotely 
teach children to read, how to address the increasing and 
unreported cases of abuse and suicide that have been noted, and 
how to do all of this while still ensuring children continue to 
be educated.
    Any option we choose has consequences, which is why options 
are so important. It is also why federal funding will continue 
to help our schools to create those options with the resources 
necessary to do so safely and responsibly for all. But there is 
a clock. Schools are starting. This is one of those moments for 
our field and our country. Our kids deserve our best right now 
and nothing less is acceptable. Thank you.
    [The statement of Ms. Schwinn follows:]
    [GRAPHICS NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]    

    Chairman Sablan. Thank you, Dr. Schwinn. Thank you for 
ignoring the clock at this morning's hearing.
    I will now like to recognize Dr. O'Leary for five minutes, 
please.

STATEMENT OF SEAN O'LEARY, MD, MPH, FAAP, VICE CHAIR, COMMITTEE 
     ON INFECTIOUS DISEASES, AMERICAN ACADEMY OF PEDIATRICS

    Dr. O'Leary. Chairman Sablan and Ranking Member Allen, 
thank you for the opportunity to testify before you today. My 
name is Sean O'Leary, and I am a practicing infectious disease 
pediatrician from Denver, Colorado. As a parent of two children 
in public schools, this issue is both professional and personal 
for me. I work at Children's Hospital, Colorado, and I am 
testifying today on behalf of the American Academy of 
Pediatrics. As the Vice Chair of the Committee on Infectious 
Diseases, I am part of the team that authored AAP's guidance on 
school re-entry.
    The purpose of the Academy's guidance is to inform school 
re-entry policies that foster the overall health of children 
and adolescents, while also protecting teachers, staff, and 
communities. Our guidance is based on the best, currently 
available evidence and is updated as new evidence comes to 
light and we learn more about COVID-19.
    We start from the knowledge that children get much more 
than an education at school. In addition to math, reading, and 
science, schools help students develop important social and 
emotional skills, offer healthy meals, and provide physical 
activity, among many other benefits. Lengthy time away from 
school deprives students of these benefits, and makes it 
difficult for schools to identify and address learning 
deficits, child abuse, substance use, depression, and suicidal 
ideation.
    Any parent of school-aged children can tell you the 
difficulties we faced when schools shut down in the spring. My 
own children miss their friends, and they also missed out on 
learning and physical activity. As working parents, we struggle 
to find ways to meet their needs and perform our jobs at the 
same time.
    The importance of in-person learning is well-documented, 
and there is already evidence of the negative impacts on 
children because of school closures. The impact has been 
particularly hard on minority children as well as children who 
are medically fragile and developmental or physical 
disabilities, and those living at or near poverty. AAP 
carefully weighed the available evidence and determined that 
our overall goal should be to have students physically present 
in school this fall. However, this can only happen with careful 
measures to keep students, teachers, and staff safe, and with 
flexibility to adapt as needed to the community's prevalence of 
COVID-19.
    This does not mean that we recommend that all schools open 
5 days a week from the start of the school year. Many parts of 
the country are currently experiencing uncontrolled spread of 
COVID-19. While the AAP urges those areas to maintain in-person 
learning as the goal, we recognize that many jurisdictions will 
need to utilize distance-learning strategies until cases 
decline.
    Although many questions remain, our guidance is based on 
evidence that children and adolescents are less likely to be 
symptomatic, particularly, younger children, and less likely to 
have severe disease resulting from SARS-CoV-2 infection.
    A study that was just published from South Korea showed 
that children under age 10 were roughly half as likely, 
compared to other age groups, to spread COVID-19 to others. The 
same study also suggested that adolescents and teens, age 10 to 
19, may spread the virus at rates similar to adults. With these 
data in mind, school systems may consider prioritizing return 
of younger children and taking additional measures to ensure 
physical distancing and the wearing of face coverings for older 
children.
    It also needs to be acknowledged that COVID-19 policies are 
intended to mitigate, not eliminate risks. While no single 
action will completely eliminate the risk of transmission, 
implementation of several coordinated interventions can greatly 
reduce that risk. Schools will need to follow guidance from 
public health officials, adhere to health monitoring and 
cleaning protocols, utilize face coverings as much as possible, 
and urge frequent hand washing.
    Schools will also need to have sufficient PPE for teachers 
and staff, implement new procedures for busing, and put 
protocols in place for how to respond when a student or teacher 
tests positive.
    It is also important that children are up to date on all 
vaccines, including the influenza vaccine and have their annual 
checkups. Schools must also be prepared to address a wide-range 
of mental health needs of children and staff when schools 
reopen. The emotional impact of the pandemic, including a loss 
of family members, financial concerns, and social isolation 
demands careful attention and planning.
    In order for schools to be able to safely reopen with 
students in the classroom, Congress must provide sufficient 
funding to help schools adapt and make necessary changes and 
accommodations. Specifically, the AAP urges Congress to provide 
at least $200 billion in funding to help schools reopen. Money 
must be available to all schools, regardless of their timeline 
for reopening.
    Schools and areas with high rates of COVID-19 spread may 
need to consider delaying the return to full-time in-person 
instruction. These schools will need the same or greater 
federal investments, not less.
    In closing, reopening schools in a way that maximizes 
safety, learning, and the well-being of children in the 
communities will clearly require substantial new investments in 
our schools.
    Thank you for the opportunity to testify today, Chairman 
Sablan and Ranking Member Allen. .
    [The statement of Dr. O'Leary follows:]
    [GRAPHICS NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]    

    Chairman Sablan. Well, thank you, Dr. O'Leary. Thank you, 
and thank you to all the witnesses for their statements. Under 
Committee Rule 8(a), we will now question witnesses under the 
five-minute rule.
    I will be recognizing subcommittee members in seniority 
order. And, again, in order to ensure that the members' five-
minute rule is adhered to, staff will be keeping track of time, 
and will use the chime signal when 1 minute is left and when 
time is up entirely. It will sound a short chime when there is 
1 minute left, and a longer chime when time is up. You can miss 
the chime, the longer time. So please be attentive to the time 
and wrap up when your time is over.
    Again, if any member experiences technical difficulties 
during the hearing, you should stay connected on the platform, 
make sure you are muted with the mute button highlighted in 
red, and use your phone to immediately call the Committee's IT 
Director, Ms. Sheila Havenner, whose number has been provided.
    And as chairman, I recognize myself for five minutes. I 
have my first question for the president of PTA, Ms. Boggs.
    Ms. Boggs, how many schools plan to implement rotating 
schedules where students who rotate daily, weekly, monthly, or 
on a quarterly basis? Public schools in my district also plan a 
staggered schedule under a partial reopening scenario. So how 
have families reacted to the idea of rotating school schedules, 
what is the status of parents from rotating schedules when they 
have children across different grade levels, what challenges 
can rotating schedules present for parents who are essential or 
onsite workers, or families who have multiple children in 
schools across different grade levels?
    Ms. Boggs. Thank you. As I visited with all of the State 
presidents across our Nation, it was evident that every school 
is implementing a different plan, and it should be locally 
based [inaudible] within the community. There is no one way for 
everyone to do it the same. I think it is important that the 
school districts have conversations with their parents and 
their students and their educators to find the best plan, 
whether that should be in person, remotely, or hybrid. I think 
it is going to change, even if you heard Dr. Hinojosa from 
Texas [inaudible] in our State. [Inaudible] see for all others. 
How do parents feel about that? Well, they are concerned. You 
know, we had an online forum with infectious disease doctors, 
72 percent of the parents were not sure about the safety of 
schools. So it is important when we talk about funding that 
everyone understand we need to really fund our schools 
appropriately to help them address the virus.
    It is a lot of, I get it, of money being asked for. But we 
are at war with a disease that is infecting this entire 
country. And the future is at risk because our students are the 
foundation for our Nation. They need to be protected as well as 
the educators that are giving them the tools to be successful.
    So when you talk about challenges, what we have seen and 
what we have heard from everyone on your panel, is that 
distance learning is not the best way. All parents, not one, 
wants their, schools to be reopened and their children to be at 
school. So it is really important that everyone understands 
parents are not against going back in-person. They are just 
worried about the safety of their students and of their 
children, and of the educators as well, this is an essential 
business for our Nation. We need to carefully fund it and enact 
the right resources for everyone to be successful.
    And that is why you saw PTA with the [inaudible] ask that 
we are asking for. It is important no matter what you do, 
remotely or hybrid, you are going to need to. We ask that you 
do that as Congress.
    Chairman Sablan. All right. Thank you. And before I forget, 
I will seek unanimous consent to enter into the record, a short 
presentation submitted by Dr. Bobby Cruz, of the Director of 
Instructional Technology of the North Marianas American Public 
School System.
    Chairman Sablan. Dr.--Ms. Boggs, again, for among parents, 
was there a preferred rotating schedule where there is half 
day, 2 days a week, A, B, C schedule, or a day a week?
    Ms. Boggs. We know--we didn't see a clear path for--every 
parent is different as every community is different. So I 
think, really, the best option for you and Congress is to think 
about giving local control, giving them the resources to be 
successful. If you ask them their first choice, it is for their 
children to be in school, but then again, safety is of utmost 
importance.
    Chairman Sablan. All right. So the National School Board of 
Education would not work. I mean, one size does not fit all, I 
think.
    My time is up, and I will submit, I have questions for the 
record.
    So at this time, I recognize the ranking member, Mr. Allen, 
for his five minutes of questioning. Thank you.
    Mr. Allen. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
    Dr. Schwinn, I want to thank you for being here today to 
talk about this critical topic. You know, I believe that every 
family has a right to educational options. And, particularly, 
this fall, I think that the one thing that we might benefit 
from in this terrible pandemic we have been through is, I am 
seeing remarkable parental engagement in children's education 
now. And I am seeing that the parents are seeing our education 
system a lot different. And I think they are going to be 
demanding options in the future. But obviously, every child is 
different. I have surveyed my grandchildren. And I have 
surveyed their parents. And, you know, one says, well, you 
know, I--you know, like she can learn how to distance learn, 
but she has got to be in school. And so every child is 
different.
    And I think that, again, you know, the problem with 
Congress is there has been this one-size-fits-all, this is what 
you got to do. What I hear from educators across the country is 
they don't have any flexibility when they get the funding, 
because every school district is different.
    In your testimony, you discussed the choices you have had 
to make in Tennessee around physically reopening the schools. 
Have you looked at what is at stake if you don't set a goal of 
in-person learning to give parents that option this fall?
    Ms. Schwinn. Yes, sir. And thank you so much for the 
question. I think Tennessee is a great example of a State that 
has urban, suburban, rural communities. All have different 
needs and challenges, and that is why we think that parent 
choices are so important about what is best for their own 
child. We are thinking about the risks and consequences of not 
reopening schools, and that having that choice available, we 
looked at our data and projected out the significant learning 
loss for students.
    I think many of you remember we had tornados before the 
pandemic, so some of our students had been out of school for 6 
months or longer. We know we are going to have learning loss. 
That affects our most vulnerable population more than anyone 
else, and especially when we think about our early learners. We 
have looked at our child development statistics. We have worked 
closely across State agencies around that and have noted that 
more of our vulnerable populations are at risk, and they rely 
on schools for services.
    It is logistically very difficult to provide those services 
of children that are not in school. And so some of the things 
that we are thinking about are how do we get rules schools to 
open in safe way, and provide resources so that families have 
those options that are so critically important for their 
children.
    Mr. Allen. Thank you. Well, I know you and I both care 
about students, and--and we care about their health and 
welfare. But we also have to look at the economy, and I don't 
think those these two things are mutually exclusive.
    In fact, this Congress is spending an enormous amount of 
money to try to deal with this pandemic. I don't think that is 
going to be good for our children. I think it is going to 
affect generations and generations and generations of our 
children because of this huge debt that we are building in this 
government, and it does not seem like there is going to be an 
end. And I don't think it is--I know it is not sustainable.
    But American families are struggling, because of COVID-19, 
and they are concerned about their children's future. It seems 
clear to me that the primary way we can help struggling 
families now is by working to reopen schools. In other words, 
in our rural communities, we have got to reopen schools. I 
don't think we have a choice. W are already reopening 
businesses, and businesses are doing incredible, innovative 
work to make sure that we keep--one is our food supply, if you 
can believe it. I mean, we had some challenges with that.
    But I recognize that reopening schools presents a lot of 
challenges, and there is so much we still don't know about this 
virus. Can you discuss the unique challenges to--that you have 
tackled in reopening the schools in Tennessee, and how can what 
you have been able to do help those schools across this 
country? I think we need idea sharing, although every community 
is different. But what are some things you have implemented you 
would like to share with us?
    Ms. Schwinn. Absolutely. So, briefly, we have done a lot 
with academics. We will have an online academic system with 
video lessons. We have offered free PD for teachers and 
principals over 18,000 teachers and over half the principals in 
the State have PDs ready to go back. Governor Lee has 
appropriated funds for face masks, gloves, disinfecting wipes, 
et cetera, for every single classroom in the State. So we have 
done a lot to make sure schools are safe and people are ready 
and will continue to do that.
    Mr. Allen. Thank you very much, and I yield back. Thank 
you, Mr. Chairman. That alarm is obnoxious, if I can say that.
    Mrs. Foxx. Mr. Chairman, could they ring it five or six 
times and then stop because it makes difficult to hear the 
witness. I mean--
    Mr. Allen. Maybe one time.
    Chairman Sablan. Well, I think the clock is when it rings 
it stops. I mean, witnesses try their best to stay, they are 
actually stay within the five minutes. I just--I don't control 
the clock. I have got a cheap Casio, you know, I can't depend 
on it. It is actually brand new, too, because I broke my--
    Anyway, next up is Mrs. Hayes, our national teacher of the 
year, you have five minutes.
    Mrs. Hayes. Thank you to everyone for being here today. I 
think we all want schools to reopen and to go back to normal, 
but I think reality is that no one can say with absolute 
certainty that we can do that safely, not governors, not 
commissioners, not the Secretary of Education, not the 
President, not this committee. So I think we have to explore 
every available option and every precaution to keep students 
and faculty safe.
    My question is for Dr. O'Leary. I have talked to many in my 
district about plans that they have for reopening, and I am 
concerned because none of those plans involve testing. Do you 
believe that States and districts should be responsible for 
ensuring that individuals in schools have access to testing if 
they request it or if that is needed?
    Dr. O'Leary. Thank you for that question. It is an 
incredibly complicated issue right now. You know, I wish we had 
more testing capacity in the U.S., that would greatly help 
matters right now. But, you know, like many of you are 
discussing, as I am sure you are well aware, they are very 
contextual down to the district and even down to the school 
level. And so I know that schools across the country are asking 
that same question, how are we going to get testing done?
    So just to point out, I don't believe all students before 
attending school, that doesn't appear to be a good approach, 
because if you are positive--or if negative one day, then you 
are going to be negative the next day. So testing asymptomatic 
students and the staff, I think, is really not in the cards at 
this point, given the testing capacity.
    In terms of testing symptomatic students, yes, we 
absolutely have to have plans in place for how to do that 
safely. You know, as we approach the school year, and 
inevitably some other respiratory viruses [that] mimic COVID-19 
are going to circulate, we need to have plans in place on how 
we handle that. And to get those tested with a turnaround time 
that is reasonable, turnaround times really don't help you 
right now.
    So if you have seven--waiting seven days for a test, that 
doesn't help, and that is going to exclude students for longer 
than is necessary. Most of them are actually not going to have 
COVID-19.
    So I absolutely 100 percent agree with you that we need to 
come up with a good plan for testing, but it is going to be 
contextual at this point, even down to the school district.
    Mrs. Hayes. Thank you, because what I have heard--I guess 
my granular question on that regard is, if you have a faculty 
member, a student or someone who says I feel symptomatic, can I 
be tested? So I understand that we can't do a universal testing 
plan, but no one has been able to answer to me if a staff 
member comes in and they say, I am feeling symptomatic, most of 
the responses that I have gotten is that they would have to 
seek some type of community-based testing or figure it out on 
their own.
    There is a national poll of school principals that found 
that many principals are concerned over the safety of their 
staff, especially those who are older or immuno-compromised.
    Dr. Hinojosa, do you have a plan to address the concerns of 
our most vulnerable staff members?
    Mr. Hinojosa. Yes, absolutely. Thank you for--
    Mrs. Hayes. I mean, not just teachers, everyone in the 
building. Cafeteria workers, vendors, everyone who is in and 
out of our educational spaces.
    Mr. Hinojosa. No, absolutely, we have a form we distribute 
to all of our employees to give us specific information on 
their health conditions, and we will handle those on a case-by-
case basis. What you described is an issue we faced this 
summer, as we were trying to distribute food, half a million 
meals a week to our employees [students]--we had difficulty 
finding enough employees to come and distribute the meals. That 
is why we went to one day a week to distribute meals and 
technology to all of our students.
    So we do have a plan, we ask them to identify, and then we 
will work with them individually on how we execute this. But I 
concur with the [inaudible] on that because communicated that 
very same feeling to us locally here in this district.
    Mrs. Hayes. Thank you.
    I have also heard from leaders that they are afraid that 
this situation may lead to a shortage of full-time teachers and 
substitute teachers. I think there is a population that we 
haven't really talked about. How would this potential shortage 
in the teacher workforce affect students with disabilities?
    Dr. Hinojosa?
    Mr. Hinojosa. Yeah. Students with disabilities is probably 
our biggest concern right now, because, actually, many of them, 
especially medically fragile students, the teachers need to get 
very close to them. And if they already have a medical 
condition, this is going to exacerbate the shortage area.
    We have a shortage of bilingual and special ed teachers. So 
this situation is not going to help, and it will make it more 
difficult to hire qualified employees in these positions.
    Mrs. Hayes. Thank you.
    My time is about to expire, but, Dr. Schwinn, I have just 
one question. Can anything that you have talked about or any of 
the interventions that you have discussed happen without 
government or federal resources and support, yes or no?
    Ms. Schwinn. We will appreciate any resources that will 
help us open schools safely.
    Mrs. Hayes. Can you do it without it?
    Ms. Schwinn. We will--
    Mrs. Hayes. Yes or no?
    Ms. Schwinn. Those resources will be incredibly helpful to 
schools.
    Mrs. Hayes. Yes or no?
    Ms. Schwinn. That is the answer. Tennessee is doing great 
work to make sure we can reopen our schools safely.
    Mrs. Hayes. Thank you.
    Chairman Sablan. Thank you very much, Mrs. Hayes.
    I would now like to recognize the full committee ranking 
member, Dr. Foxx, for five minutes, please.
    Mrs. Foxx. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
    And I want to thank all of our witnesses for participating 
in the hearing today, and particularly to Dr. Schwinn for being 
here in the committee room.
    Thank you for the work you and your schools have done in 
Tennessee to serve the students since the outbreak and for 
coming here today to discuss the ways we can help students get 
the education they need in the upcoming year.
    In many ways, the best way to do so is in person. Despite 
commendable efforts by educators, students, and families during 
the unexpected months of remote learning, it is clear that for 
many students the greatest chance for success is that in-person 
instruction in the classroom.
    Can you describe the advantages of having students in 
person this fall?
    Ms. Schwinn. Absolutely, and thank you for that question.
    I think that it is critical that we have opportunities for 
students to be in person. I have two young daughters myself. 
Both are in third grade, and one is in kindergarten. And so 
thinking about, for our very young learners, the need to learn 
to read, that is very difficult to do remotely.
    We also know that many of our students rely on services 
like special education. To go to a previous question, Tennessee 
is looking at innovative options like having 200 teachers get 
endorsements for special education at the cost to the State so 
we can provide those resources in schools.
    But when we think about what schools provide--healthcare, 
counseling services, et cetera--that can be done in schools, 
and schools being reopened is incredibly important for those.
    Mrs. Foxx. Well, it sounds to me like you are focusing on 
students, and that is something that needs to be done. I have 
said for years, schools are basically focused on administrators 
and teachers and their convenience, not for focusing on 
students. So thank you for that.
    Again, the focus is often on the obstacles, but I believe 
we can find ways to overcome these challenges just in the two 
examples you gave. Prior to March 2020, one might have said 
that transitioning all classes online was inconceivable, but 
many schools accomplished this feat swiftly.
    So, Dr. Schwinn, what makes you so confident that it is, in 
fact, possible to reopen schools safely in person this fall? 
What evidence do you have to support your decision?
    Ms. Schwinn. I appreciate that question, and I think it is 
a great opportunity to talk about how adults can support 
children.
    So, in the State of Tennessee, our State legislature, our 
Governor--and we have a history of Governors who have committed 
to education in the State. We have not reduced State funding to 
public schools in the State of Tennessee. Governor Lee has 
allocated millions of dollars for technology, safety equipment, 
resources, health and sanitation equipment for schools.
    All of that is so that our schools can reopen, because we 
understand how important it is for our families and for our 
children. We also know how important it is for our staff, 
teachers as well as support staff and district staff. We are 
getting them what they need so that they can do the really hard 
work about educating our students. And we know that has got to 
be the priority.
    Mrs. Foxx. Thank you again.
    Dr. Schwinn, much has been learned over the past several 
months about the coronavirus and its consequences for 
education. In addition to the research that provides new 
insights into the risk of COVID-19, particularly to young 
people, there is also more information available about the 
effectiveness of education in a remote environment. How does 
this information and research inform your plans for safely 
reopening schools this fall?
    Ms. Schwinn. Sure. And as a mom of two children who is 
doing the same balance as many families, understanding how 
difficult it is to both do your job and then certainly to 
support learning at home, and I think we have heard that from 
parents across the country.
    Look, our teachers have been working incredibly hard, our 
principals and our superintendents have been working incredibly 
hard to do what they could in a remote environment, but nothing 
replaces the relationship and quality of instruction that 
happens between a teacher and his or her children in the 
classroom. We know that is where this really wonderful learning 
takes place.
    And so our efforts and supports have been certainly to 
provide remote options for those staff and students who need 
them, but knowing that the most high-quality education happens 
in the classroom for students at all levels but particularly 
those who are most vulnerable and in our youngest grades.
    Mrs. Foxx. Well, again, thank you. Thank you for what 
Tennessee is doing. Thank you for your leadership.
    I am so incredibly impressed to hear your emphasis on the 
students. I believe that, in many cases, that is being lost in 
this discussion about not reopening schools, and that is, what 
are the needs of the individual students? My colleagues on the 
other side of the aisle continually talk about the need for the 
personal approach to all students. We need to keep that in mind 
in all the decisions we make.
    Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I yield back.
    Chairman Sablan. Thank you very much, Ms. Foxx.
    I now recognize Ms. Schrier for five minutes, please.
    Ms. Schrier. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
    And thank you to all of our witnesses. I very much 
appreciate this testimony.
    And I want to tell you that I am speaking from the 
standpoint of being a pediatrician, so there is no question 
that I have the students' best interests in mind. I am also 
speaking to you as a parent with type 1 diabetes, and so I have 
the interests of other parents with preexisting conditions or 
grandparents at home in mind. And I am speaking to you as the 
daughter of a teacher. So I am looking at all of these things.
    And I would just remind my colleagues on the other side of 
the aisle that you can't open schools without adults and also 
that kids don't live in a vacuum. We do know that kids are 
better served in school. I experienced remote education with my 
son, and, frankly, it was pretty lousy. And so we all want our 
children back in school. We know it is better for them 
academically, socially--we know kids who need nutrition and 
childcare through schools need to be there.
    But we also know that other countries wisely have not 
opened while rates are surging, because that essentially dooms 
this process to failure. We also know now that kids 10 and up 
seem to spread this just as readily as adults, putting families 
in danger. And so, while we know that children are less 
affected and tend to remain either asymptomatic or mildly 
symptomatic, they don't live in a vacuum.
    And what this seems to come down to for me is really the 
level of community spread. Because if there are high levels in 
the community, there will be high levels in the school, and you 
will end up closing and quarantining an awful lot.
    And so my first question is for Dr. O'Leary, which is just: 
Is there a number, either developed by States or, gosh, it 
would be really nice to have a national number, that just says, 
hey, if levels are below some number, 1 in 100,000, 1 in 
10,000, then it is considered a safe incidence or safe 
prevalence to open our schools? Or is that based on the R0?
    And, as you are answering that question, would it be 
helpful to have that information from the CDC, since different 
communities have different levels of disease and different R0s?
    Dr. O'Leary. Thank you for that question, Representative 
Schrier. Can you hear me okay?
    Ms. Schrier. Yes.
    Dr. O'Leary. So the R0, the reproductive number, is one 
measure that a lot of folks are using to help make these 
determinations. It is an incredibly complicated calculus. 
Each--it is done at the local level, the State level, and 
States are tracking their numbers differently, in different 
ways. They have different benchmarks for how they are making 
these decisions, and they are complicated.
    So, again, R0 is one number, but other numbers include, as 
you point out, the incidence of disease, the rate of rise of 
the disease, the percentage of positive tests, the number of 
hospitalizations in a community. There are quite a few metrics 
that people are using.
    I know CDC is also working on, you know, what are the best 
ways to make these decisions, but it is really a complicated 
discussion between CDC, local, and State public health, as well 
as the schools and the educators, because, again, it is very 
contextual.
    Ms. Schrier. Thank you. It seems to me it would be helpful 
to have that number. And it is nice to hear that the CDC is 
working on it, to have that. Because I think it would inform 
the administration, as well, that we know that different 
communities, different school districts are in different 
situations, and just to blanketly say all schools should open 
is just irresponsible. And so that kind of data would be very 
helpful.
    My next question is for Dr. Hinojosa, which is about remote 
learning. And, like I said, our experience with that was very 
substandard. Are there other methods, perhaps through TV, 
anything else that could bridge the digital divide? Because we 
just can't get broadband to every child, and they can't do 
their homework in a car.
    Mr. Hinojosa. Yeah, I do want to acknowledge public 
broadcasting systems in many cities, including L.A. and Dallas 
and other places, where they have a contract, a contract 
agreement with us where we actually provide some television 
opportunities for teachers, for students and families.
    But we also need to do better on learning at home 2.O. 
Number 1.0, we just put things together. Right now, we are 
training our teachers on the tools and the content, and both of 
those are very important. That is why buying a little bit more 
time will help us do a better job to have quality instruction.
    So thank you for the question, Representative.
    Ms. Schrier. And are there some super-smart teachers out 
there who are really good with online instruction who could 
basically spoonfeed this to all the school districts out there 
so each teacher isn't inventing the wheel on their own?
    Mr. Hinojosa. Yeah, we are actually studying that right 
now. We have a differentiation of our most effective teachers, 
and now we want to know which ones are most effective in this 
context. And so we are trying to do that assessment ourselves.
    Chairman Sablan. Thank you, Ms. Schrier.
    Ms. Schrier. Thank you.
    Chairman Sablan. Thank you very much.
    Mr. Thompson, you have five minutes.
    Mr. Thompson. Mr. Chairman, thank you. Appreciate it.
    Thank you to all members of the panel on this very timely 
and incredibly important discussion.
    Dr. Schwinn, you know, I--first of all, I just want to say 
thank you publicly to all the life-essential employees that are 
out there. That is kind of a term that has taken on a new 
meaning in this pandemic. But thank you to the folks who show 
up to work each and every day, of different ages and diversity, 
in grocery stores, convenience stores, manufacturing, making 
the personal protective equipment, the other things that we 
deem as being needed, our first responders, our healthcare 
providers.
    And so--I want to see, do you think that teachers fall into 
that category as life-essential? And, I guess, why or why not?
    Ms. Schwinn. Thank you for that question.
    And I come proudly from a family of teachers, many of whom 
are starting school this year. And so, when I think about what 
is critically important to the foundation of our country, 
public schools are part of that. It is the fabric of who we are 
and how we educate our children.
    And so, certainly, when we think about the impacts of 
children going to school and being able to live whatever lives 
they choose, when we think about how families rely on schools, 
and certainly when we think about opening up our economy so 
that families can get back to work, we need to be able to 
provide those options to all of our parents, whether they 
choose to educate their children remotely or choose to send 
their kids to school, that option is available. And so I think 
it is critically important we provide those.
    Mr. Thompson. Yeah, no, I would agree. I am a big fan of 
teachers. I think they are life-essential. It is the immediate, 
intermediate, and long-term educational benefits, the mandatory 
reporter role. A lot of these kids are sheltering at home with 
distance learning with their abusers, unfortunately. It is 
being able to get access to the nutrition that they need.
    So I would encourage--I think our school districts need 
flexibility. And the CDC guidelines specify that and talk about 
cohorting, talk about different suggestions, just guidance. As 
a recovering school board member, I found that very helpful and 
meaningful, as I read and digested that. And I think they need 
the flexibility to be able to perform their function as life-
essential employees.
    I am really appreciative of the things I have heard about 
students with disabilities. I think that those students in 
particular are very vulnerable, and it is very, very difficult, 
and we need to figure out a better hybrid. Distance learning 
just I don't think is working for those students, and they are 
really at risk.
    You know, a student that I haven't heard talked about but I 
am--obviously, the chairman knows I am pretty passionate about 
career and technical education. Career and technical education 
is actually preparing our future life-essential employees. The 
people that I named off here are kind of career and technical 
education fields.
    And, really, our school districts need to take a look at 
keeping that in mind, because those are hands-on. And when 
these kids graduate, they are going to be life-essential 
employees during the next pandemic. Unfortunately, these things 
travel at the speed of jet airplanes, in hours and days, not 
months and years anymore. And so to cheat, really to short them 
in their education so that they are not prepared with the 
skills to be able to go into the workforce to be there to 
provide for us in the future.
    So any thoughts in terms of how we could do a better job 
for those students that are in career and technical education 
tracks?
    Ms. Schwinn. I appreciate the question, especially in this 
room. And we have our CTE Week this week, actually. And so I 
think about Gibson County; I think about Kingsport city; I 
think about Clarksville, Montgomery. These are districts in 
Tennessee who are tackling those problems.
    And one of the things that has come from our superintendent 
is, how can the State fund curriculum that can be used whether 
the student is in school or in a remote environment and going 
back and forth? Because we know classrooms may need to close 
throughout the year. So the State is looking to invest in those 
types of remote-to-classroom opportunities for students.
    And we are partnering--and, again, cross-agency support is 
critical--partnering with other State agencies, working closely 
together, under Governor Lee's administration, so that our 
workforce development group can support our schools to still 
provide those opportunities.
    Mr. Thompson. Yeah. And within months, hopefully, or 
hopefully maybe weeks after these students graduate from these 
career and technical education programs, some of them will be 
going to work still in the middle of this pandemic. So we need 
to figure out how we do in classroom, whether it is--whatever 
the skills are, whatever that area, so they can do that safely 
as a future life-essential employee.
    So I would argue that, you know, distance learning and 
modules that are--you know, they need to be in those settings, 
because they are going to be working in those settings. And 
education is a lot more than probably just a diploma; it is 
about, really, preparation to work and survive and succeed in 
the world that we live in.
    Chairman Sablan. Thank you.
    Mr. Thompson. Chairman, thank you.
    Chairman Sablan. Thank you, Mr. Thompson.
    Without losing her place on the question list, I will pass 
on Ms. Shalala at this time and recognize Mrs. Davis for five 
minutes.
    Mrs. Davis. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
    And thank you to all of you who are present with us but 
also very active in this discussion. We appreciate that 
greatly.
    I wanted to turn to Dr. O'Leary, because, Dr. O'Leary, I 
know that your testimony suggests that schools that are forced 
to delay in-person openings need more resources, not less. And 
yet the proposals that we are hearing seem to suggest that, if 
schools are not able to be do that because there is a fire 
raging in their community, the virus, that they should be not 
given any resources in order to fund them.
    So, Dr. O'Leary, what do you think about that proposal?
    Dr. O'Leary. Yeah. Thank you for that question.
    I think, just to put it in context, you know, imagine a 
community where there is a lot of virus circulating and you 
have, you know, lots of different people getting infected. It 
is inevitable that the virus--oh.
    Sorry. I think I might have a bandwidth issue.
    But it is inevitable that the virus is going to get into 
the schools, and the schools are going to have to shut down. It 
doesn't make sense where there is widespread community 
circulation to open schools, no matter how many mitigation 
measures are in place, to withhold funding from those districts 
because they can't open. They really can't open in that 
circumstance, and those decisions need to be made with local 
and State public health.
    Mrs. Davis. Uh-huh. Thank you.
    One of the issues that has been raised--and I know, Dr. 
Schwinn, you probably relate to this as well--is you need to 
have the connectivity for students to be able to even have a 
fighting chance to be able to not keep continuing to fall back. 
And we know for all children that they did.
    You were not willing to really answer my colleague's 
question about whether schools need more resources. But, I 
mean, if you were asked, along with other education 
commissioners throughout the country, if you wanted more 
resources, if you felt it would help the children in your 
State, what would you say? Would you say, ``No, don't worry, I 
am okay, I don't need anything''?
    Ms. Schwinn. I would say, absolutely, we want more 
resources to open schools. What I don't want to say is that we 
will make decisions for 147 very unique districts and counties 
simply by waiting for the federal government.
    Tennessee will protect our own, and we will certainly allow 
our superintendents to make decisions that are right for their 
own communities. But, certainly, we welcome and need additional 
resources to do so with complete safety in mind.
    Mrs. Davis. Yeah.
    Dr. Hinojosa, could you respond as well, as the Dallas 
superintendent? Because I know that you certainly are in a 
position, as the superintendent, to see that the city of Dallas 
itself has lost, what, nearly $33 million in tax revenue in 
2020. And that impacts the schools; am I correct?
    Mr. Hinojosa. Yes, absolutely. Well, it impacts us 
significantly. Sales taxes are down in the State of Texas. All 
revenues are down in the State of Texas. So we are going to hit 
this big wall, and if we don't have the resources--but, more 
importantly, back to your original question about Operation 
Connectivity, we have even asked the FCC to relax some of their 
requirements so that we could use some of the resources at the 
FCC so we could actually use them to knock down the front door 
and have families access connectivity.
    So, yes, we definitely need additional resources. And if 
you think about high-poverty States with Title I and special ed 
dollars, IDEA dollars, those are well within the federal 
government's purview, and those would be extremely welcome 
during this time. And we know that--
    Mrs. Davis. Would you like to see--I guess Dr. Hinojosa, 
would like to see Congress then address that issue?
    Mr. Hinojosa. Yes, I would love to see Congress address 
that issue. You have already done it in the House. We would 
like for the Senate to consider it. Thank you for the CARES 
Act, but we also think that the HEROES Act has the potential to 
significantly help districts throughout the country.
    Mrs. Davis. Uh-huh.
    And I want to go back to Dr. O'Leary for a second. Because 
one of issues that has been raised is that school districts 
have to develop protocols in order to deal with the ``if''s. 
You know, what if, one day, you know, right after school is 
open, you have several teachers that come down with COVID? What 
if you find that, in a classroom, children have symptoms?
    Are there protocols out there that the pediatric 
association is dealing with, is trying to suggest to schools? 
Do you think that what the CDC has done has helped people with 
those specific kind of protocols? Because that could be really 
a very dangerous situation.
    Dr. O'Leary. Yeah. Those protocols are being actively 
worked on, including from members of the Academy, the CDC is 
working on this, State and local health departments. 
Absolutely.
    Chairman Sablan. Thank you.
    Mrs. Davis. Thank you.
    Chairman Sablan. Thank you, Mrs. Davis.
    I would now recognize the gentleman from Wisconsin, Mr. 
Grothman, for five minutes.
    Mr. Grothman. Thank you. I am glad to be here and will give 
Dr. Schwinn some questions.
    It seems to be little doubt that children spread COVID-19 
less rapidly than adults. Is that so?
    Ms. Schwinn. According to our department of health in 
Tennessee, yes.
    Mr. Grothman. Can you expand on some of that claims and 
explain why those aspects need to be looked at when determining 
whether or not we send kids back to school, the effect of that?
    Ms. Schwinn. Sure. I think, you know, again, pointing to 
the exceptional leaders that we have in Tennessee who are 
responsible for our school districts, there are a lot of 
conversations about prioritizing our younger students. Our 
superintendents are being incredibly creative about that, 
because we know that the spread of the virus is less in our 
younger students, and so trying to think about different 
options that allow for us to bring especially that age group 
back into school and spread out, social distancing, et cetera. 
So that is a priority in Tennessee, and we have seen that 
reflected in our schools.
    Mr. Grothman. Sometimes I think that our whole bureaucracy, 
in dealing with this thing, doesn't look outside the United 
States enough. And at least the papers in front of me claim 
that countries like Switzerland and the Netherlands are saying 
that children play even a minor role in spreading the virus. 
Have you heard that? Do you think Switzerland and the 
Netherlands are right in that or not?
    Ms. Schwinn. You know, I don't think I would be able to 
speak specifically on any kind of health conditions or studies 
that have been done there.
    But I do know that, when we are looking at the best 
practices from other countries, what we are seeing is that 
there are solutions we can put into place in our schools that 
protect students and staff and allows children to continue to 
be educated in person, as long as we provide them with the 
resources necessary to do so safely. And that is what we have 
been focusing on.
    Mr. Grothman. One suggestion in Wisconsin, apparently, 
since you proposed guidelines, we have a 4-day week and a fifth 
day for cleaning, put kids on a 2-day rotation. Have you heard 
about that, and could you kind of comment on that?
    Ms. Schwinn. Sure, we have a similar--so we have a district 
who is looking at similar options around bringing students in 
on A days, B days, and allowing for alternative classrooms or 
alternate classrooms to be cleaned on those on and off days. 
Frankly, we will be doing the same thing at the Department of 
Education with our desks in our own office space.
    So we are looking at that. We are also seeing districts who 
are bringing in younger students, K through 8, across all of 
their schools and having high schoolers do more remote A day/B 
day. So we are seeing that same alternate scheduling to allow 
for disinfecting procedures to take place.
    Mr. Grothman. Okay.
    You are kind of following what is going on nationwide.
    Ms. Schwinn. Uh-huh.
    Mr. Grothman. In Wisconsin so far, at least whenever 
whoever put this together put it together, nobody under age 20 
has died of the COVID. Is that true nationwide, or is it 
restricted to people dying with serious health problems? But 
could you kind of elaborate on the level of sickness for people 
under 20?
    Ms. Schwinn. You know, I can certainly speak in 
generalities. I would probably defer to a health professional 
related to that data.
    I do know, when we are thinking about risk factors, we are 
making sure that, depending on the age range and certainly--and 
that goes from students all the way to staff--that they have 
what they need, including personal protective equipment, to 
keep themselves safe.
    And, certainly, I have relatives in Wisconsin, and so it is 
special and near and dear to my heart to make sure that they 
are safe in schools in that State as well.
    Mr. Grothman. We will get their name later, and I will look 
out for them. But we will do that after the hearing.
    Some of my colleagues and national pundits have said that 
putting kids to school, it is--if you let the kids in school, 
you are putting their health at risk. Nobody I know talks about 
reopening schools without making sure the kids are not at risk.
    But do you think the conversation should really be about 
reopening schools safely and how it will benefit children?
    Ms. Schwinn. I do, especially because--you know, I was 
talking with the superintendent yesterday morning in Pickett 
County. She has very few cases in her county. Her district 
wants to open up in person. That is certainly very different 
than metro Nashville or Shelby County, where Memphis is, that 
has a different population and skyrocketing cases. Local 
communities need to make local choices, but the conversation 
needs to be how we do so safely.
    Mr. Grothman. I will give you another question. I am not 
sure this exactly applies to schools, but last week, when I was 
home, I looked at one of what used to be the called the 
sheltered workshop--in other words, people who are used to be 
called handicapped working there. And I have a special interest 
in people like that.
    We had a shutdown in Wisconsin, like a lot of States, so 
these folks couldn't come in and work for, like, 3 months. And 
when they came back, the staff could really tell 
psychologically it was damaging to them, not having the school 
to go to, because I think particularly for folks in that 
situation the workplace is their social setting as well.
    Could you comment on any special concerns we would have or 
special damage that would happen if you have people with 
special needs who are not able to go to school and see their 
peer group? Is it especially damaging to people like that?
    Ms. Schwinn. I have a strong concern especially when we 
think about our vulnerable populations, inclusive of our 
children with disabilities. The Department of Education put 
forward a $5 million compensatory services grant and a $1 
million assistive technology grant. It is not enough to serve 
children in a remote setting. That is why we know that we need 
to bring certain students in to provide that in-person 
instruction. It is incredibly important to them and their 
health.
    Chairman Sablan. Thank you, Dr. Schwinn. Thank you very 
much.
    At this time, I would like to recognize Ms. Shalala for 
five minutes, please.
    Ms. Shalala, are you on remotely?
    All right. We will move on.
    Ms. Wilson of Florida? Ms. Wilson?
    All right.
    Mr. DeSaulnier of California? Sir?
    I will move on.
    Mr. Morelle of New York?
    Okay. He is on the floor. So let's try--
    Mr. Morelle. No, I am here. Mr. Morelle. I am sorry. I was 
searching for my ``mute'' button.
    Chairman Sablan. Oh, Mr. Morelle. Hi. Good morning. You 
have five minutes, sir. Thank you.
    Mr. Morelle. Great. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. And thank you 
for holding, I think, one of most important, one of the most 
important hearings that you could hold.
    Obviously, as we look towards the fall, this is the time of 
year when students and teachers and parents are happily 
preparing for the return to school--teachers refreshing 
curriculum, setting up classrooms, getting ready to welcome 
their students; parents and children gathering school supplies, 
reviewing schedules and getting excited about the first day of 
a new school year.
    But, obviously, nothing, to put it--suggesting that is a 
major understatement--nothing is normal about this year. 
Principals and teachers are stressed about providing a safe 
environment for their students with limited resources. Parents 
worry whether their child will be exposed to the virus in the 
classroom, as well as how to balance work and daycare if you 
are in a district where schools are going to provide education 
remotely through distance learning.
    So I think we can all agree we want students back in the 
classroom, but only under safe conditions, and that rushing to 
do this is terribly inappropriate. So we need to safely open 
schools and follow clear public health guidelines. I think that 
is what Dr. Fauci has said repeatedly about that.
    And I think if the administration was serious about getting 
students back in the classrooms, we need fewer tweets and more 
meaningful action and resources devoted towards schools to help 
them get to the point where they can reopen. And rather than 
blocking the CDC from testifying before the House for fear of 
what they will say, let's see a commitment to sharing data and 
providing clear guidance for industries that repeatedly are 
calling for assistance. And let's put the political agenda 
aside and utilize the Defense Production Act to ramp up testing 
immediately and demonstrate leadership the American people so 
greatly deserved.
    I am proud of this body, that we have showed this country 
we are serious about providing support. I know colleagues have 
said it is not sustainable, but there is nothing that we want 
to sustain about this situation. We need to act. This is, as I 
often say, people talk about, ``Well, you should only do that 
in case of a really rainy day.'' Well, this isn't a rainy day; 
this a torrential downpour, and we need to do everything we 
can.
    That is why I think the HEROES Act was so important. It 
provided $200 billion in funding for K through 12 schools. And 
waiting for action by our colleagues has been incredibly 
frustrating, especially when so much is at stake. I think we 
are on the right side of history, and we are gathered here 
today to continue the important conversations.
    I think the President and Secretary DeVos have publicly 
come out and demanded schools reopen full-time in person. I 
think that is wrongheaded. CDC guidance, which categorizes 
full-size, in-person classes and activities to be the highest 
risk of transformation and transmission of the disease.
    So, with that, I wanted to ask Dr. O'Leary--and I partly 
wanted to ask as a follow follow-up to the conversation my 
colleague Mrs. Hayes asked about testing.
    But, first of all, someone said that transmission of the 
virus among children, obviously even those who are 
asymptomatic, could put teachers and adults in the building at 
risk, and I want you to talk about that.
    And, also, could you just comment--I thought I heard 
someone say that the transmission was less among children. 
Could you talk about the science of that and whether or not 
that is actually true?
    Dr. O'Leary. Yeah. Thank you for that question.
    So we are learning more every day about this issue. At this 
point, it appears that younger children appear to be less 
likely to get infected and less likely to spread it. But that 
by no means, means that they can't get it and they can't spread 
it and that some don't get sick.
    So, yes, they are at lower risk; yes, they can get it and 
can spread it.
    Mr. Morelle. So, just for clarification, the reason it is 
harder for them to spread is because they are less likely to 
get it in the first place? Or is there something, even for 
those children who have the virus, who contracted it, it is 
harder for them to transmit? So those are kind of two pieces, 
right?
    Dr. O'Leary. Yeah. So it appears to be both. And we can 
talk another time about why that is. But, yeah, younger kids 
appear to be less likely to get it and less likely to spread 
it.
    Mr. Morelle. So I also wanted to go to the question of 
testing, because you seemed to suggest that testing students 
was not a viable option. But is that simply because you don't 
think we have the capacity or we haven't demonstrated the 
capacity at the federal government to ramp up testing and make 
it available? Or are there other issues with testing students?
    Because, clearly, if one tests positive, you would want to 
get them out of the classroom and quarantine them at home, even 
if they are asymptomatic but have contracted the virus.
    Could you just comment on that?
    Dr. O'Leary. Let me be clear. I am talking about not 
testing asymptomatic students. (inaudible) We don't have that 
capacity in the U.S. We do want to try and test the students 
who are symptomatic to the extent that is possible, but it 
really varies a lot across the country.
    Mr. Morelle. But just to be clear--
    Chairman Sablan. Thank--
    Mr. Morelle. Oh, I am sorry. Has my time expired? Boy, that 
was quick. I apologize. I yield back.
    Chairman Sablan. Thank you, Mr. Morelle.
    At this time, I recognize Mr. Keller for five minutes, 
please.
    Mr. Keller. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. And I would like to 
thank the chairman and the ranking member for holding this 
critically important hearing today on how our Nation can move 
forward with safely reopening our schools.
    Additionally, I would like to thank the witnesses for 
participating today and for offering their valued perspective 
and expertise.
    As a father of two and a proud grandfather, I am extremely 
concerned about the long-term impacts that COVID-19 has had on 
students as a result of being out of the classroom for months 
at a time.
    One example is, McKinsey & Company has projected that, when 
all the impacts of COVID-19 are considered, students should 
fall an average of 7 months behind academically. This is simply 
unacceptable. We owe every generation of students a well-
rounded education that encompasses the educational, social, 
mental, and physical benefits that come with students attending 
school.
    Additionally, I commend Congress for working together to 
provide schools with billions in dollars for relief. The 
Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund 
authorized under the CARES Act provided $13.2 billion in 
formula funding directly to States and school districts to help 
schools respond to COVID-19. My home State, Pennsylvania, 
received almost $524 million for local educational agencies to 
address the impact of COVID-19.
    However, it is my understanding that not one State has 
spent the entirety of their funding under the CARES Act.
    Mr. Keller. While the Pennsylvania General Assembly has 
appropriated much of the money, there is still about $1.3 
billion unspent in the Pennsylvania treasury.
    Across Pennsylvania's 12th Congressional District, 
districts are approving reopening plans for the fall, working 
in conjunction with local school boards, administrators, 
parents, and State officials. One central Pennsylvania school 
district surveyed parents and found that 60 percent of the 
respondents favored a return to in-person schooling this fall.
    I was thrilled to read this morning that the Williamsport 
Area School District, located in Pennsylvania's 12th 
Congressional District[CR4], has outlined a thorough three-
educational-phases plan to reopen schools in the fall that 
include[s] a hybrid of in-person learning and remote learning 
based on the level of transmission risk.
    Today I am eager to hear about how reminding CARES funding 
can be utilized to safely open schools and learn more about the 
specific actions schools are taking to make sure students, 
teachers, staff, and families can attend schools safely and in 
person this fall.
    Dr. Schwinn, I look at schools, and when schools across the 
country closed in March, scientists and policymakers alike had 
limited information as to the implications of the coronavirus 
and what they were for children. Although there are still 
lingering questions regarding the novel coronavirus, one thing 
most scientists agree on is that the risks to adolescents are 
extremely low. Thus, it appears that you can open schools 
safely for students.
    While you still need to look at how to protect the staff, 
doesn't this knowledge help make the decision to open schools a 
little bit easier?
    Ms. Schwinn. Thank you for the question.
    And I think that, bringing both of your, I think, really 
important points together, when we look at our ESSER funds or 
our CARES funds and how our districts are choosing to spend 
that on technology and certainly on safety and disinfecting 
equipment so that we can open, we also know that there has to 
be a priority on providing every child with that opportunity.
    I have spent my career supporting those students in the 
most vulnerable populations, because education is such a 
critical vehicle for them being able to support themselves for 
the rest of their lives. And that is our focus in Tennessee.
    So, certainly, we know that protecting our adults allows us 
to open schools in a way that is safe and supportive of local 
communities, and that will continue to be our priority.
    Mr. Keller. Okay. Thank you.
    And just to follow up, how is your agency working to make 
sure school leaders and personnel as well as parents have the 
facts and not invoking fear and rhetoric to help make decisions 
about school?
    Ms. Schwinn. Yeah. And that communication is always so 
challenging, I think, as you are well-noting.
    So one of the things that we are doing is, we had an 
educator survey. Twenty-five-thousand teachers in the State of 
Tennessee took a survey through our partnership with Vanderbilt 
to be able to know what it is that they were challenged by.
    We are working closely with the Department of Health, and 
on Friday we will release a number of parent-facing supports 
and resources to communicate. One of those will be a family 
website, in partnership with Trevecca, to be able to 
communicate directly to parents about what the information is 
and what their choices are that they can make for their own 
children.
    Mr. Keller. Okay. Thank you.
    I just have a question for Dr. O'Leary.
    There was a question about how kids transmit the 
coronavirus, and you just got done talking to one of my 
colleagues about that. So we know that it transmits differently 
with adolescents, and kids aren't as at risk to transmit it. Is 
that true?
    Dr. O'Leary. There does appear to be a difference between 
younger children and older children. But, again--
    Mr. Keller. How does it transmit differently than the flu? 
Or is it similar to that?
    Dr. O'Leary. Well, it is different. Children are clearly 
drivers of influenza epidemics. That seems to be less the case 
with this.
    Chairman Sablan. All right. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. 
Keller.
    Mr. Keller. Thank you.
    Chairman Sablan. And now I would like to recognize Ms. 
Shalala for five minutes.
    Ms. Shalala, are you on remotely?
    Okay. She is on the floor.
    The Chairman of the full committee, Mr. Scott, you are on, 
sir. You have five minutes.
    Mr. Scott. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
    You know, we have heard comments about the desirability of 
opening schools. Of course that is how you get better academic 
achievement, socializing skills, access to nutrition, prevent 
child abuse, and you are not going to reopen the economy 
without reopening the schools. So of course we want to reopen 
the schools if it can be done safely.
    And so, Dr. O'Leary, let me ask you about a question about 
ventilation. Four in 10 school districts, it has been found, 
need to update or replace HVAC systems--heating, ventilation, 
and air conditioning systems--in at least half of their 
schools. Why is ventilation so important?
    Dr. O'Leary. Yeah. I don't want to pretend to be an 
environmental engineer, but it does appear that ventilation 
matters with the spread of this particular virus. You know, for 
example, we know that, the virus transmits much less in outdoor 
environments than indoor environments. And so having 
circulation within classrooms is important.
    But that is another one of the reasons that schools need 
resources, to address ventilation. You know, that is one 
example of many of the reasons schools need resources in trying 
to reopen.
    Mr. Scott. Thank you. In the Moving Forward Act, the 
school, the infrastructure bill, we have significant funding 
for school construction that could take care of that.
    And, Dr. O'Leary, if we are not going to test all the 
students on day one to know who is infected and who isn't, you 
have to assume that, students coming from the community all 
into one place, somebody is going to be infected.
    What is the plan to deal with a student who is beginning to 
show symptoms? What should be the protocol at that point?
    Dr. O'Leary. Yeah. I think that speaks to the issue of why 
we need to act across the U.S. right now to drive infections 
down as much as possible with wearing face coverings, physical 
distancing, et cetera. Because if we can drive infections down 
as a country, then that issue is going to become much, much 
less of a problem.
    But in terms of the actual--
    Mr. Scott. Well, statistically, there will be children who 
will be present in school and show symptoms that they are 
infected. After they show symptoms, that means they have been 
in school for all those days asymptomatic or pre-symptomatic, 
spreading the disease around. What should be the protocol when 
you find someone who is symptomatic?
    Dr. O'Leary. Yeah. So those protocols are being developed 
right now at the, you know, federal, State, district, and even 
school levels. I mean, we could talk for an hour about the 
details of those protocols, but basically what they are trying 
to do is screen students to identify who might be ill, and 
strong encouragement for parents to keep their kids home when 
they have any symptoms, including fever or runny nose, et 
cetera.
    There are screening protocols that are being put in place, 
such as having an app or some kind of a system that parents can 
screen prior to sending their child to school. There are 
difficulties in trying to do that at school. For example, 
having children line up to get their temperature taken, that 
could present more problems than it solves.
    So these issues are being worked out right now. And, again, 
it comes down to the level of the individual school for how 
that may be done.
    Mr. Scott. Well, if you wait for the symptoms to occur, it 
is too late. If someone has been found to be positive, do you 
shut the school down?
    Dr. O'Leary. Well, the various plans that are coming into 
shape usually involve cohorting students so that, if there is a 
student identified as having been infected by COVID-19, it is 
only the people that they are in close contact with. And then 
it also depends on the number of students that are infected, et 
cetera.
    So it is not as simple as saying, if you get one case in a 
school, you shut the school down.
    Mr. Scott. Okay. Should we have nurses in the school?
    Dr. O'Leary. I am sorry, could you repeat the question?
    Mr. Scott. Should we have nurses in every school?
    Dr. O'Leary. I would love to have a full-time school nurse 
in every school. School nurses have been shown to improve 
health outcomes across the board. Being in schools, 
unfortunately, is not currently the reality in the U.S.
    Mr. Scott. Thank you.
    I think by the time I get my next question in, my time will 
expire. I yield back.
    Chairman Sablan. All right. Thank you, Chairman Scott.
    Mr. Van Drew?
    All right.
    Mr. Walberg?
    I will go to Dr. Murphy. Dr. Murphy, you have five minutes.
    Your mic.
    Mr. Murphy. There we go. Technology is wonderful. Thank 
you.
    My first question is for Dr. O'Leary, actually.
    You know, I was reading a couple journal articles last 
evening. We talked about immunity, antibody immunity and 
cellular immunity. It was interesting to point out that a lot 
of studies now are talking about antibody immunity waning after 
several months and that T-cell immunity is going to be really 
what is going to get hold of this.
    And I was wondering if you could speak to--and this looks 
why that children are by all means relatively spared from this, 
compared to adults, just because of their thymus gland and 
everything as we burn out as we get older. I was wondering if 
you could speak to that a little bit.
    You know, our kids are obviously our biggest concern, and 
putting them behind in their education is why we are all here, 
to try to prevent that. But I think--I would really like to 
know what you truly believe is the relative risk of our 
children. In the State of North Carolina, we have had 3 
fatalities in kids under 24, all with comorbid diseases.
    And let's give a real, true picture for what the true risk 
is for our kids under age 18 as we move forward. Give me the 
R0. Give me the things that you truly believe, are our kids at 
risk. And, you know, not just a hypothetical. I would really, 
truly like to look at what we have learned so far from, you 
know, Korea, the GermanGerman studies, and all these things. 
What are we truly looking at for the risk of our kids as we go 
back to school?
    Dr. O'Leary. Yeah. So you have asked several complicated 
questions there. I will do my best--
    Mr. Murphy. Yeah, just--I will tell you what, forget the T-
cell immunity one. That is pretty heady there. Let's just talk 
about the true relative risk for our kids.
    Dr. O'Leary. Yeah. So, again, learning every day, but what 
we have seen so far in the U.S. is that kids are less--well, 
sorry, around the world, kids do appear to be less impacted 
from COVID-19 than adults. That is fairly clear.
    In terms of the actual numbers, I think we are still trying 
to get a handle on that, because we don't have a good sense of 
the denominator of children that are infected. We also--you 
know, the understanding of the biology of the virus is still 
really rapidly evolving.
    There have been some studies suggesting that the overall 
risk for mortality is less than--for children, I should say--is 
less than several other things that we commonly accept on a 
daily basis in society, such as trauma, influenza, things that 
sort of happen all the time. But, again, that is not to say--
    Mr. Murphy. Yeah. So I am sorry to interrupt. I just want 
to get one other question in.
    Just from what I was reading last night, the relative risk, 
as it is calculated--to the best to my calculations, is 0.011 
percent. That is 1 in 10,000. So, if you look at the number of 
kids who die every year from flu--from flu--in the United 
States, it is going to seemingly be a fairly comparable number, 
and we don't shut down our schools every year.
    And so, I mean, I just want to take the fear factor out of 
this. I just want us to deal with the nonpolitics, with the 
true part of this, that we can put our kids back to school 
safely. And we need to stop the fear mongering. We need to get 
our kids back on track.
    So, anyway, thank you.
    And in that same line, this question is for Dr. Schwinn. 
You know, I had a great telephone townhall across the school 
administrators from our district this morning. They are all 
concerned about all the details, which we all are. I was 
wondering if you could speak to liability.
    I have actually put forth an Open Schools Responsibly Act 
that basically holds our school institutions free from 
frivolous lawsuits because of this, because it is just one less 
thing that they have to worry about.
    And I wonder if you could speak to that, Dr. Schwinn, 
briefly.
    Ms. Schwinn. Sure, I am happy to. And that is an ongoing 
conversation in Tennessee as well, and I know our legislature 
is looking to pick that back up in August.
    I think, when I talk with superintendents, one of the 
things among the many concerns that they have is around how to 
ensure they can make the best decisions possible for children 
and for their staff, and I think liability is one of those 
concerns that is getting into the conversation outside of the 
outcomes that we are driving toward. So I think it is a 
worthwhile conversation and one that we are incredibly grateful 
is happening at both the federal and the State level.
    Mr. Murphy. Great. Thank you so much.
    It looks like my time is just about out. I will yield back. 
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
    Chairman Sablan. Well, thank you, Dr. Murphy.
    So I would now would like--Mr. Courtney?
    Mr. Courtney. Yes, Mr. Chairman. Thank you.
    Chairman Sablan. All right. Five minutes, please.
    Mr. Courtney. Yes. Thank you. So I appreciate you holding 
this hearing, which is the question of the day, I think, for 
our country in many different respects.
    This morning, the Department of Labor reported 1.4 million 
new unemployment filings, which actually is the first time in 3 
months that number has gone up, and just really, unfortunately, 
validates what the Chairman of the Federal Reserve has been 
saying since last May, which is that the CARES Act stimulus was 
inadequate in terms of addressing a whole host of issues and 
that the country needs more fiscal stimulus.
    The most efficient way to do that, to accomplish that, is 
to provide more funding for State and local assistance, because 
that, again, will circulate into the economy the quickest and 
will enable us to solve the problem which we are trying to 
figure out here this morning, which is how to safely reopen 
schools.
    Again, I think it is clear, both sides can stipulate to the 
fact that opening up schools is highly beneficial, and it is a 
goal we all share. The question is, how do we do it safely?
    A couple days ago, the Secretary of Education, in an 
interview, actually made a comment, that we should open schools 
because children are actually stoppers--and that was the term 
that she used--of COVID-19, which, when asked by the press 
afterwards what she meant by that, the Department of Education 
cited a study in Saxony, Germany, which, again, echoed some of 
the comments that we have had here this morning about the fact 
that young kids, particularly smaller kids, are not--they don't 
transmit as much as older children or adults.
    But the researchers, when they were interviewed after the 
Secretary made her comment, you know, were careful to point out 
that their results depict a situation with low infection rates 
after the initial transmission peak is under control. ``If you 
do have rising infection rates, as in the U.S.''--and this is a 
quote from the researchers in Germany--``putting people in 
close contact will obviously lead to transmission of 
respiratory viruses.''
    So the question I wanted to ask Dr. O'Leary is just--I 
mean, that is sort of the issue we have to grapple with here. 
If there are parts of the country where infection rates are 
going up in the population at large, you know, the decision to 
reopen schools is a different one than in other parts of the 
country where infection rates are low or below the 1 percent 
positivity rate.
    I mean, is that, you know, what the association of 
pediatricians--is that sort of your take in terms of 
evaluating, you know, this decision?
    Dr. O'Leary. That is absolutely correct. It varies 
depending on what is going on.
    And I think, you know, there is a lot of discussion of 
other countries, but what is rarely mentioned is that the 
situation in all of these other countries where they have 
attempted to reopen schools is vastly different than what we 
are seeing in most parts of the U.S.
    And so, yes, it is important to draw lessons from what they 
are doing in other countries, but we can't simply say, ``Oh, 
look. They did it, and so we can too.'' You really have to base 
it on the local epidemiology.
    Mr. Courtney. And, again, the researchers which the 
Department was relying on, you know, made that precise point, 
which is that, you know, you have to deal with the overall 
population of a country or a region before you can, you know, 
sort of extrapolate from that it is, you know, all clear in 
terms of reopening schools.
    And, again, in Israel, they, again, had a very bad 
experience in terms of school reopenings and the number of 
students who became infected as well as almost 700 staff 
members. And they had to again really hunker down in terms of 
trying to respond to that.
    So, again, The Washington Post did an analysis of the 
Secretary's statement. They again interviewed the researchers, 
as well as other resources, and did their Pinocchio test, which 
gave the Secretary four Pinocchio's for her comments.
    And, Mr. Chairman, I would like to enter that story into 
the record.
    Chairman Sablan. Without objection, so ordered.
    [The information follows:]
    [GRAPHICS NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]    

    Mr. Courtney. And, again, the notion that we all want 
schools to reopen, but let's really get a shared baseline of 
science and not cherry-pick in terms of studies that, again, I 
think, just create more confusion and misunderstanding then 
really a shared baseline in terms of how we solve this problem 
as a country.
    And, with that, I yield back.
    Chairman Sablan. Thank you, Mr. Courtney.
    Ms. Bonamici?
    Ms. Bonamici. Thank--
    Chairman Sablan. Ms. Bonamici?
    Ms. Bonamici. Yes, I am here. Can you hear me?
    Chairman Sablan. Yes.
    Ms. Bonamici. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and to all our 
witnesses today.
    This is an important conversation. I have had so many 
discussions with parents, students, teachers, school 
counselors, psychologists about their struggles over the last 
several months with distance learning. And we know how 
important it is to reopen schools. We know that. We also know 
that the decision to reopen has to be based on science, and it 
has to make the health and safety of our students and our 
teachers and our staff and families the top priority.
    I just want to follow up on a question that one of my 
colleagues made, the suggestion that the flu kills more 
students than COVID. I did just read, 2 days ago there was a 9-
month-old in Minnesota who died of COVID.
    But, Dr. O'Leary, can you respond to that, that the flu 
kills more students than COVID in schools? Why is it different?
    Dr. O'Leary. Yeah. I think--sorry, there is some background 
noise. But I think that, yeah, influenza is potentially a 
severe illness in children, and we do see roughly 100 deaths 
every year in the U.S. among children from influenza.
    But I also want to point out, we are still learning every 
day about COVID-19 and its impacts on children. And, you know, 
any of us working in children's hospitals have taken care of 
very sick children. Unfortunately, many of us have worked with 
children with COVID-19 who have died.
    So to minimize the risk of COVID-19 I think is a mistake. 
We need to put it in context.
    Ms. Bonamici. Absolutely.
    Dr. O'Leary. It is not that kids don't get sick.
    Ms. Bonamici. Thank you. I appreciate that.
    And I have been very concerned. We haven't had a national 
strategy to curb the virus. We have had rhetoric about forcing 
schools to open, you know, their funding threatened, which is 
completely inappropriate. No school should be threatened into 
reopening before it is safe for them to do so. And it does vary 
by district, and by--across the country.
    So, when schools can safely reopen, they need our help. Our 
public schools and districts, they need funding to make sure 
they can equitably serve students and keep everybody in the 
school building safe. And I know the HEROES Act does make a 
robust investment of $58 billion in K-12 schools. I hope the 
Senate will pass that. We need to make sure that our schools 
can open safely.
    And, Dr. O'Leary, another question. The reopening guidance 
from the American Academy of Pediatrics makes clear that 
schools must anticipate and address a wide range of mental 
health needs for both students and staff as they prepare to 
open.
    So what mental health supports will students and staff need 
as they return to school? And what does the Academy recommend 
to prepare teachers to address the mental health needs of their 
students?
    Dr. O'Leary. Yeah. That is a very important question.
    So, you know, we already are vastly underfunded for mental 
health support across the country. You know, there is a 
shortage of mental health providers. Access is a real problem.
    And I think schools should be planning right now--I know a 
lot of them already are--for how to handle that. They are 
working within their own communities to work with behavioral 
health specialists, child psychologists, child psychiatrists, 
to meet the needs of those students.
    But it is a real problem. It is an ongoing problem that 
absolutely did not start with the COVID-19 pandemic and, I 
think, absolutely needs to be addressed.
    Ms. Bonamici. It has been exacerbated, of course.
    Dr. Hinojosa, how have schools and districts meaningfully 
engaged with families to learn about what went right and what 
went wrong with distance learning? And how are school systems 
involving families in planning for the next school year to make 
sure that reopening plans will incorporate their feedback?
    Dr. Hinojosa?
    Mr. Hinojosa. Yes, ma'am. Well, we have definitely surveyed 
our parents. We communicate with them. We ask them to contact 
our teachers directly to give us--and they have been pretty 
honest with us about what worked and what didn't work.
    But I also want to elaborate that we have 57 mental health 
specialists that we are bringing back to our schools. Because 
when the students do come back, they will need support, and our 
teachers and counselors may not be ready to do that support. So 
that is a big fiscal notenote on our local district, but we 
know it is important, so we have hired 57 new mental health 
specialists in Dallas ISD.
    Ms. Bonamici. Well, thank you so much.
    And before I yield back, I just want to follow up on the 
concerns raised by both Chairman Scott and Mr. Morelle about 
testing of students. And with apologies to anyone who is eating 
lunch, I know there has been very promising work done on 
wastewater testing as an early warning system.
    And I don't know if, Dr. O'Leary, you are familiar with 
that, that testing. But I think we need to look at all ways to 
make sure that we are making sure that our school buildings are 
safe for our students and--the adults who work in them, and for 
families. That is just something to keep in mind.
    Dr. O'Leary, are you aware of the work that is being done 
on wastewater testing as early detection?
    Dr. O'Leary. Yes. That is one of many strategies to help 
the global pandemic.
    Ms. Bonamici. Thank you. My time has expired. I yield back, 
Mr. Chairman.
    Chairman Sablan. Mr. Norcross, once?
    All right. Ms. McBath?
    Ms. Underwood, I can see you.
    Ms. Underwood. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I appreciate the 
time today and your indulgence in allowing me to participate in 
this committee's proceeding.
    Local school administrators in my district and across the 
country are weighing incredibly difficult decisions. The 
educational needs of students, the concerns of parents, and 
above all, the risk to the health, and ultimately, the lives of 
students and staff. In my outreach to schools in my district, 
the number one concern I hear is funding. And I will continue 
to fight until the necessary funding we need and that was 
passed by the House in the HEROES Act 2 months ago, reaches our 
schools that are so desperate, desperately needing those 
resources.
    I am so disappointed that we are not able to hear today 
from the administration officials who are leading the public 
health response to reopening schools. But I am very grateful to 
the witnesses who are here, and, of course, to our educators 
across the country who are working so hard to keep our kids 
safe and learning.
    The decisions about what school will look like in the fall 
should be guided by public health experts, and those experts 
must be allowed to make recommendations based on the best data 
and science, and not pressure from this administration.
    Dr. O'Leary, as a pediatrician with health and development 
in mind, what should CDC be relying on when developing guidance 
for schools? And why is it important that schools have clear 
guidance from public health experts?
    Dr. O'Leary. Yeah, thank you. I agree with everything you 
just said. It does need to be in conjunction with local and 
State public health. You know, CDC, you know, I work in various 
aspects with a lot of folks at CDC, and they are working very 
hard right now to help--working on this guidance and they are 
working with health departments, local health departments, as 
well as physicians, et cetera, trying to develop guidance.
    And I think they also recognize, though, that it is--these 
decisions are best made at the local level.
    Ms. Underwood. Mr. Chairman, at this time, I would like to 
ask for unanimous consent to enter written testimony from Lori 
Combs, she is the president of the National Association for 
School Nurses into the record.
    Chairman Sablan. Without objection, so ordered.
    [The information follows:]
    [GRAPHICS NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]    

    Ms. Underwood. According to this testimony, less than 40 
percent of schools have a full-time nurse on staff, and a 
quarter of schools have no nurse at all.
    Dr. O'Leary, school nurses are critical in ensuring the 
health of our kids in normal times, can you tell us more about 
why it is so important to have a healthcare professional like a 
nurse on staff for schools during a pandemic?
    Dr. O'Leary. Yeah, school nurses do an amazing job of 
improving [the] health of students within the schools. Across 
the board, there have been a number of studies showing the 
positive outcomes of having a school nurse within the schools. 
And so, the--in the schools where there is a full-time school 
nurse, in general, children have different health outcomes than 
where there is none. So I absolutely support fully funding 
school nurses within our schools.
    Ms. Underwood. And the school nurses connected in with that 
local public health infrastructure, right? So if there is 
something going in that school building, that school nurse can 
help flag and bring the attention into that school building, 
help the students, help the teachers, help the staff, help the 
families. I heard from teachers in my district who are at 
higher risk for complications of COVID-19 due to their age or 
health status. They want to be back with their students but are 
deeply worried that this will put their health at risk. One in 
three teachers in this country is over the age of 50.
    Dr. O'Leary, what precautions do we need to be considering 
to protect the health of older or medically vulnerable teachers 
and staff?
    Dr. O'Leary. I mean, first, let me say, I think--I as a 
physician, you know, we choose to devote our careers to the 
lives of children. Teachers are no different. They are devoting 
their careers. And so I think we need to support our teachers. 
And right now, we need to do everything we can to make sure 
that they are safe, to safely return to school. And so I think 
funding to be able to help them do that is going to be crucial 
to successfully reopen schools safely.
    Ms. Underwood. Yes, funding is particular for PPE, despite 
repeated calls from Congress to do so, this administration has 
not invoked the full power of the Defense Production Act to 
meet the shortages of PPE. Shortages that will get worse if 
schools open.
    In a Homeland Security Committee hearing that I 
participated in yesterday, FEMA Administrator Pete Gaynor said 
the administration has no plans to invoke it to provide schools 
with face masks. And so, we know that school districts are 
often very worried about how they are going to pay for their 
PPE and other necessary supplies for the entirety of the school 
year. We need to help relieve them of that burden. The 
administration has all the authorities at their disposal to do 
so. And, you know, we are going to continue to call for the 
full implementation of that. Thank you again to our witnesses 
for being here. And I yield back.
    Chairman Sablan. Thank you.
    Mr. Levin was here earlier.
    All right. Ms. Stevens, you have five minutes.
    Ms. Stevens. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, for having me at this 
hearing. And thank you to our witnesses. It has certainly been 
an honor to hear the exchange back and forth, particularly as 
we move closer to the start of the school year. And we are all 
looking for certainty.
    And if we recall when this pandemic was declared by the 
World Health Organization, they projected a year to a year and 
a half. And so, here we are in sort of the middle of it and it 
is uncertain, it is trying, and it is safe to say we all want 
it to be over. We all want to get back. We want to get back to 
school safely.
    I have been on the phone with my school administrators, our 
superintendents, our educators, our parents around the clock 
since the first timeschool was cancelled. It was supposed to be 
2 weeks. And it was the rest of the school year. We honored and 
we recognize the class of 2020, these incredible seniors. And 
we look, to the classes that are coming up, and we look to 
those who are juniors and sophomores and--had to interrupt 
their sports season wondering if they are going to get that 
letter, or students of all abilities who need that IEP.
    The White House, just the other day, said we are going to 
have to learn to live with this. And I know we have been 
getting asked some scientific questions here that are being 
asked of you that really shouldn't be being asked of you to our 
incredible witnesses who do have Ph.D.'s and great backgrounds. 
And we know you, like me, like to listen to the scientists. 
Alright. We want the answers. We are in the race for the 
information. But yet, the White House we have got to learn to 
live with this.
    It dawned on me, Mr. Chair, as we have been hearing today 
the questions and answers about what has been asked of our 
educators across this country, our public schools for so long. 
Can you accept the unacceptable? Can you accept unfunded 
mandates? Can you accept the threat of gun violence in your 
schools?
    I think it is fair to say that the American public is tired 
of accepting the unacceptable. And we are here today as a 
legislative body, to legislate, to partner, to join forces with 
you.
    I heard Mr. Keller talk about that the CARES Act funding in 
Pennsylvania hasn't all been utilized. In Michigan, we have 
utilized our CARES Act funding, we struck a deal with our State 
capital for school funding for this year. But we are moving 
into fiscal year 2021, and I just this morning before 9 a.m. 
was on with the head of the Tri-County Alliance for Oakland 
County, Wayne County, and Macomb. And I said, okay, so we 
struck the deal. How are you feeling? And I check in with him 
all the time. I call him before I know he is really beginning 
his workday. And he said, yeah, we have struck the deal, but we 
still have the $750-per-pupil budget shortfall in Michigan.
    We want to reopen safely. We want to get you to your goals. 
And I want to hear what you need. Five minutes is not enough.
    Dr. Hinojosa, I would love to hear from you for a minute 
about what the primary concerns of our principals are and how 
we can best serve you and meet your needs? Thank you, sir.
    Mr. Hinojosa. Yes, well, our principals' primary concern is 
how do we manage the inevitable of having, making sure the 
teachers have all of the tools that they need to deliver the 
best quality instruction for the students in a safe 
environment. And that is their biggest concern. And they want 
to, we have missed our kids since March, but unless we have a 
way to deliver that instruction safely, that is probably their 
biggest concern, and it is going to take resources to make that 
happen.
    Ms. Stevens. Resources. I applaud you for saying that. We 
recognize that. And we do also agree that we need flexibility. 
We need to empower support and understand your needs. And we 
want to continue this dialogue going forward. You are all 
heroes for coming in today and participating in this hearing, 
answering our questions, and we look forward to supporting you 
going forward.
    Thank you, Mr. Chair.
    Chairman Sablan. Thank you, Ms. Stevens.
    Mrs. Lee? Mrs. Lee?
    Mrs. Lee. Hi, there. Sorry, I had to unmute.
    Chairman Sablan. You have five minutes.
    Mrs. Lee. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. And I want to thank all 
of our witnesses today. You know, I sat here and I listened 
today about the back and forth that if you want to open up 
schools safely, clearly, you don't value in-person learning. 
Let's be clear, we totally agree and honor and respect a need 
to have students in the classroom learning one-on-one or with a 
teacher. That is the ultimate goal. But we also need to do it 
in a way where we do not needlessly risk lives.
    You know, and Dr. Schwinn, I applaud your commitment to 
opening schools. I find it a little odd that you are not 
acknowledging the necessity of federal support to be able to do 
so. You know, I represent the State of Nevada. We have seen a 
$1.2 billion shortfall likely cutting over $156 million in K-12 
funding. And so we know that whatever option that we are 
looking at, and a lot of them aren't great options, that we 
need--that we will require additional resources. And, honestly, 
to me, it requires extensive testing.
    And I want to point out that in Tennessee, you are one of 
nine States that has doubled, more than doubled the testing 
needed that has been estimated by three public health 
organizations that would be needed to control your outbreak. 
And the fact that Tennessee basically fronted the cost of this 
test so that anyone who wanted it could get it within--
Tennessee officials now acknowledge that they are hoping and 
they are banking on the federal government paying for those 
tests.
    So to me, the lack of testing in this country is, number 
one, why we have rampant unemployment, but number two, why we 
are faced with this awful decision on how we reopen schools, 
whether we treat our students and our teachers like guinea 
pigs, by rushing to open our schools without proper resources, 
or we keep trying to do remote learning, which we know does not 
do our families and our students the justice that we deserve.
    Dr. Hinojosa, I wanted to ask you, you know, you are in a 
predicament quite like the one we are in Nevada where Dallas is 
facing an issue of nearly $33 million in lost revenue, which is 
certainly going to impact your schools. Can you tell Congress 
and tell us how we can best address these revenue shortfalls, 
and how we can best help you in your ability to reopen in the 
fall?
    Mr. Hinojosa. Yes, for us to be open for our biggest ask 
right now is to make sure that we have broadband connectivity 
and devices that so we can connect with our families. And also, 
we do have the PPE, so we are good on that kind of information, 
but we need a lot more support going forward with how our 
special needs students get supporting. And Title I is so 
critical to us, 92 percent of our students are economically 
disadvantaged. And also, the big funding that comes from the 
Department of Agriculture for feeding our students. We feed all 
of our students two meals a day, and it is just extremely 
important that those opportunities continue for the long term. 
But also, the State took a lot our money through the CARES Act 
to supplant the revenue we get. We understand why they did it 
because they have significant shortfalls.
    So they did that to shore up this year. But that is only 
this year. Going forward, there is going to be huge deficits in 
State budgets.
    And so, it is a domino effect that will put down every 
community in the State of Texas if nothing is done about it.
    Mrs. Lee. Have you estimated what you plan to receive from 
the HEROES Act, and what is the delta, between what you would 
estimate that you would be needing and what you actually think 
you will need to open safely?
    Mr. Hinojosa. No, there is a lot of nuances because in the 
CARES Act, we thought we were going to get $61 million, we 
actually got $31 million. But from the HEROES Act, we haven't 
fully analyzed that. And there are several other bills in front 
of Congress that can help with us with connectivity. No 
evidence with that analysis yet, but it would be significantly 
helpful for everybody in Texas.
    Mrs. Lee. Then, finally, I think we are running out of time 
here. Can you just walk us through what you have gone through 
with your local public health officials to talk about the 
public safety with respect to your reopening plans?
    Mr. Hinojosa. Absolutely. We are in constant contact with 
our local health officials about what they expect from us what 
we need if we have everybody safe [inaudible] masks, buses, 
entryways, everything, everything we discussed has been 
considered with our local health.
    Chairman Sablan. Thank you.
    Mrs. Lee. Thank you very much. I yield back.
    Chairman Sablan. I now recognize Ms. Shalala, five minutes, 
please.
    Ms. Shalala. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I apologize. I had to 
preside on the floor, so I just got back.
    I would like to ask Dr. O'Leary a question. Dr. O'Leary, 
the Florida education commissioner Richard Corcoran recently 
issued an emergency order that aligns with the Trump 
administration, requiring all schools to reopen full-time for 
all 5 days of the week, they are going to be mandated to meet a 
minimum number of instructional hours to students. This past 
Monday, Florida's largest teacher's union filed a lawsuit 
seeking to block the return to in-person classes because we 
have community spread in Florida. The virus is, in fact, out of 
control. And we know without a safe environment to learn and 
grow, children risk developmental delays.
    In your view, what are the risks for students from 
increased exposure with their peers, especially in a State like 
Florida which remains a hotspot of the virus? Is it the right 
approach to have students come to school every day of the week, 
and what alternatives would you recommend?
    Dr. O'Leary. We are all on the same page. Thank you for 
that question. We all in the same page to keep our kids in 
school, but we have to do it safely. And where the virus is 
surging as it is currently in Florida, we have to be really 
cognizant of those issues. And, you know, one, it is not safe. 
Students are going to get sick, teachers are going to get sick, 
staff is going to get sick. So that is number one.
    Number two, it is not practical. If you open schools when 
the virus circulating within the community, it is inevitable 
that it is going to get into those schools, and you will just 
have to shut them down immediately. And that is--we are all 
dealing with sort of whiplash from this whole thing. Imagine 
going--students going into school and having to come back home 
the following week. And that is what is going to happen if you 
open schools in a place where the virus is widely circulating, 
it is inevitable.
    Ms. Shalala. Thank you. And if I might ask the 
superintendent a question, just a quick question. About 
minority and low-income students who clearly--and also disabled 
students, is there another strategy, perhaps tutors, that we 
should focus on to make sure that students who in underserved 
areas actually are able to keep up with their work if we have 
to go online for the fall? If you have the resources, what 
would you do in terms of helping those students to catch up in 
addition to their classroom work?
    Mr. Hinojosa. Yes, we had to have some assessment that tell 
us which students are the furthest behind and have the least 
contact. What I worry about is a lot of these nonprofits that 
help us, like reading partners and tutors, they are also not 
getting donations from other people that help foundations that 
help support them because they are short on dollars.
    So it is a double whammy on our partners that need to help 
us with the wraparound services that our students need to have 
tutoring and reinforcement. So I think an influx of resources 
would help, not only us, but them to be able to provide the 
quality nonprofit services that they help us to support and 
tutor our students. It would be vitally important.
    Ms. Shalala. Thank you. I yield back.
    Chairman Sablan. Thank you, Ms. Shalala.
    At this time, Ms. McBath has agreed to let Ms. Wild--Ms. 
Wild, you have five minutes.
    Ms. Wild. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and thank you to my 
colleague, Ms. McBath, for her accommodation.
    My question is for Ms. Leslie Boggs. Ms. Boggs, when my 
children, who are now in their 20s, were in school, their dad 
and I panicked whenever we had to accommodate a single snow or 
sick day into our work schedule. So I have great sympathy for 
parents now as they try to figure out how they are going to 
manage their schedules, not to mention being worried about 
their children's health. And so many of the discussions we have 
been hearing around school reopening have focused on the 
perspectives of the administrators, the teachers, and political 
leaders, quite frankly. I think it is vital that we engage 
parents and families in the conversation on how to best and 
most safely reopen the schools, because it is going to affect 
parents and families just as much as it affects students and 
school staff.
    And based on the conversations I have had with the parents 
in my district, there is a wide range of opinion about how 
schools should operate this fall.
    So my question to you as president of the National Parent 
Teacher Association is: Do you think parents and PTAs have been 
included enough in the local and national conversations about 
ways to safely reopen the schools? And could you just comment 
on the benefits of incorporating the parents' opinions and 
insight when creating these school reopening plans?
    Ms. Boggs. Thank you for the question. It is interesting to 
see across our Nation the effect when our parents and educators 
become true partners in our education system. I am hearing from 
several States that parents have been meaningfully involved in 
the conversations for reopening schools, but I have also heard 
that there are some school districts that are not including 
parents in the conversation and students.
    So I think in order for us to be completely--am I not--can 
you hear me?
    Ms. Wild. We can hear you.
    Ms. Boggs. Okay. Something came up on mine that said I have 
been muted. Whenever I see that parents are not included in the 
conversation, that is when you were going to see schools 
struggle with reopening, because they are not listening--to the 
critical issues parents are concerned about. They do want to be 
back in school. And we know that for sure. That they are 
concerned about the safety and the reopening of those schools, 
and the ability for them to do it appropriately.
    So I think that is why you have to see that conversation be 
there. I have seen districts, even my own district here in 
ECISD, this administration does a Facebook live every week, 
takes questions from parents, they have had town halls with 
parents to see what they can do to help effectively reopening. 
The concern is if we don't reopen schools, again, is that 
homework gap, or learning gap. Because what you are seeing in 
districts that are low-income districts is that they are really 
hurting more. And what we have seen is, there is really 
populations that bear the burden, right? There are 37 percent 
of rural students and 21 percent of urban students lack home 
internet access. 35 percent of Native American students, 30 
percent of Black students, and 26 percent of Latino students 
have inadequate internet access at home compared to only 18 
percent of white students.
    We got a disparity that we have got to be worried about. 
When children come back to school, they are going to be 
significantly needier than they have ever been in the past. And 
this is probably the biggest hurdle, I think, our education 
system will have to overcome is really assessing those needs 
for each student. And they are very different depending on 
where you are.
    Ms. Wild. Well thank you for that very thoughtful answer, 
I'm. I am a big believer that we need to be establishing 
commissions or committees that consists of teachers, parents, 
other educators, physicians, both pediatricians in infectious 
disease, [and] we really need to get the political officials 
out of the discussion and yield to the sentiments of the people 
who are true stakeholders and who really know what they are 
talking about when it comes to this. And you are clearly one of 
them. So thank you so very much for your responses. I yield 
back.
    Chairman Sablan. Thank you very much. And now I recognize 
Ms. McBath for five minutes, please.
    Mrs. McBath. Thank you, Chairman Sablan, for holding this 
hearing today, and thank you to all of our witnesses that have 
taken the time to really enlighten us as to what is truly 
happening with the public school system and our children.
    I think we can all agree that the best place for our 
children to truly be educated is within the classroom. I don't 
think anyone here is denying that at all. But our current 
pandemic prevents us from allowing that to happen safely.
    And I will say this very briefly. I was a woman who chose 
to home school her child [from] 4th through 8th grade. And I 
know that is not something each and every family is able to do. 
But I understand now that I think parents are feeling that they 
are in a sense of home schooling, even with virtual schooling 
and that added--that adds a lot of additional stresses because 
of the COVID-19.
    So after the last few weeks, I have actually had 
conversations within my own district with my teachers and my 
school board members. And we were trying to decipher, and I 
wanted to hear from them what is the best pathway forward, 
going forward to reopen our schools? These conversations, they 
confirmed my deepest fears. I felt in my gut that there was 
trouble, that our teachers and our superintendents were really 
troubled by how they were going to best be able to appropriate 
funding and resources and tools to make sure that our children 
have the global education that they deserve.
    And our teachers, what I found out, are basically afraid of 
infecting their students with COVID-19, but also they are 
afraid that their students might also inadvertently affect 
them, too.
    They said to me that there was clearly a lack of uniform 
guidelines. And this is when I represent the 6th Congressional 
District of Georgia, that there was a lack of clear guideline 
and guidance from our administration as to how our students and 
our teachers would be protected to return to the physical 
classroom.
    So I know that we are here today because of that lack of 
leadership. And if the administration had acted earlier to 
prevent the spread of COVID-19, I really believe we would not 
be in this predicament at this time. In the House, we have 
passed the HEROES Act. We actually passed that 2 months ago. 
And yet, we are still waiting today, we are still waiting on 
the Senate to take action on the HEROES Act. And the HEROES Act 
we know, truly, appropriates the funding and the resources and 
the tools to save lives.
    In each of my meetings with my local school officials, they 
all express the need for more funding from Congress for PPE, 
and also, school infrastructure and hiring more mental health 
professionals in the school, because that is definitely 
lacking, and the mental health of our students is very, very 
critical at this time.
    The HEROES Act does provide for increased funding for 
mental health services, and it also gives the resources 
necessary to stop the spread of this very devastating disease.
    Ms. Boggs, if you would please answer my question. You 
know, you mentioned the results of the Virginia PTA parent 
survey in your testimony, which I have read. As we all know, 
the pandemic might be taking a toll, more specifically on the 
mental health of many, many of our students. Did the responses 
align to those concerns, the responses from that survey?
    Ms. Boggs. I would say yes, I think they align with the 
concerns that you heard and saw within the report that we gave. 
Parents are just overall concerned, but they want their 
children back in school, but they do understand that likely we 
will see parents [inaudible]. The concern that I have as leader 
of this association is ensuring that everyone has options, and 
that parents are not putting themselves in a no-win situation. 
So we know that distance learning is not the best option. If 
our schools aren't safe, then we are not giving them great 
options, are we? And I think that is where I find your earlier 
comment on leadership during this crisis, leaders will be 
defined by what happens during this crisis.
    We have seen the House do the right thing. I think the 
Senate needs to understand that leadership needs to happen, and 
our Nation is waiting, and our parents are watching. So I hope 
this answers your question.
    Mrs. McBath. It does, thank you very much.
    And Mr. Hinojosa, can you please discuss how the Dallas 
Independent School District plan to reopen addresses the need 
of marginalizes students, including students that have 
disabilities. I am very concerned about that. And we know that 
those students, those demographics of students are 
disproportionately impacted by school closures.
    Mr. Hinojosa. Yeah, that is one of our biggest concerns. We 
have a lot of robust plans for our traditional students. But 
our students with special needs, by definition, have an 
individual plan that has to be adjusted. And many of the 
parents are now carrying the burden of doing that at home, when 
our trained professionals are the ones that need to do it. So 
we also, though, need to be concerned about their safety. Those 
teachers have to get very close in proximity to the students in 
certain conditions. And so we are concerned about that and we 
think we can make it happen.
    Mrs. McBath. Thank you so much for your answer. I yield 
back my time.
    Chairman Sablan. Thank you very much.
    At this time, I would like to remind my colleagues that 
pursuant to committee practice materials for submission for the 
hearing record must be submitted to the Committee Clerk within 
14 days following the last day of the hearing. So by close of 
business on August 6, 2020, and preferably in Microsoft Word 
format.
    The material submitted must address that subject matter of 
the hearing. Only a member of the subcommittee or an invited 
witness may submit materials for inclusion in the hearing 
record, and documents are limited to 50 pages each. Documents 
longer than 50 pages will be incorporated into the record via 
an internet link that you must provide to Committee Clerk 
within the requested, required timeframe. But please recognize 
a year from now, the link may no longer work.
    Pursuant to House Resolution 965 and the accompanying 
regulations, items for the record shall be submitted 
electronically by emailing submissions to 
[email protected]. Member offices are 
encouraged to submit materials to the inbox before the hearing 
or during the hearing at the time the member makes the request. 
The record will remain open for 14 days for committee practice 
for additional submissions after the hearing.
    Without objection, I would like to enter the following 
statements into the record: a statement from Dr. Bobby Cruz, 
Director of Instructional Technology, Commonwealth of the North 
Marianas Islands Public School Records System; COVID-19 
Planning Considerations Guidance for School Re-Entry by the 
Academy of American Pediatricians, a Plan to Safely Reopen 
America's Schools and Communities by the American Federation of 
Teachers; All Hands on Deck Initial Guidance Regarding 
Reopening Schools by the NEA; and Guiding Principles & Action 
Steps For Reopening Schools by the AASA.
    Chairman Sablan. Witness questions for the hearing record, 
I want to thank our witnesses for their participation today. 
Members of the subcommittee may have some additional questions 
for you, and we ask the witnesses to please respond to those 
questions in writing. The hearing record will be held open for 
14 days in order to receive those responses. And I remind my 
colleagues that pursuant to committee practice, witness 
questions for the hearing record must be submitted for the 
majority committee staff or committee clerk within 7 days. The 
questions submitted must address the subject matter of the 
hearing.
    I would now like to recognize the distinguished ranking 
member for his closing statement.
    Mr. Allen. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and I want to thank 
everyone for taking time today to provide testimony about this 
important topic of safety, safely reopening our schools this 
fall. I want to thank our--all of our witnesses for their 
input. And it is much appreciated, Dr. Schwinn, a special 
thanks to you.
    The coronavirus pandemic has tested our Nation's public 
schools in a way we have not seen in generations. We know that 
Americans can turn this challenge into something positive for 
students by further enhancing how we educate our students. 
Quite frankly, we cannot fail a generation of school students. 
Children learn and thrive in school. Students deserve the 
option to go back to school with instruction, supports, 
services, and all of this provided in person. And we all need 
to work together to focus on how to make it happen safely. 
Likewise, teachers and staff deserve thoughtful thorough 
planning that protects their health and safety while at school.
    We touched on so many reasons that the ability to safely 
return to school is so important for our students and their 
families. These students rely on schools for meals, the support 
of counselors, coaches, school nurses, and many other trusted 
adults that make up our school community.
    Families' economic security has been negatively impacted by 
COVID-19 related to school closures. We must remember that in 
the best of cases, this spring, families were adapting to 
remote learning in their homes and making due with virtual 
connections to classmates and educators. But in many scenarios, 
families struggle without critical resources for their 
children. Now more than ever, we need to work together to help 
all children get the education they need to thrive.
    We have guidance from the CDC, the AAP, and other experts 
outlining the considerations for returning to schools, and the 
steps we need to take to do it safely. States like Tennessee 
and Georgia are setting great examples of the resilience and 
fortitude it takes to find solutions in the complex conditions 
we are facing today, and will continue to do--continue to face 
this in the fall and in the future.
    No one takes the decision to reopen schools for students 
this fall lightly. It is with great consideration, coupled with 
the determination to do what is best for our Nation's students. 
Every student should be afforded the option for high-quality 
instruction this fall.
    I want to thank, again, our witnesses for bringing 
thoughtful testimony before us today, and I look forward to 
working with my colleagues and educators to ensure our students 
are provided opportunities to be successful this fall and 
beyond.
    And, Mr. Chair, I yield back.
    Chairman Sablan. Thank you very much, Mr. Allen. I also 
want to thank you, again, all the witnesses for joining us and 
providing your expertise. I want to thank the Members also for 
taking part in today's hearing.
    And today's hearing confirmed that what family, school 
staff, education leaders, and public health experts across the 
country have been telling us for months, schools need immediate 
and significant support to confront the unprecedented 
challenges of providing students with safe and high-quality 
education during this pandemic.
    President Trump and Secretary DeVos should heed that 
warning and join Democrats in delivering the $200 billion in 
relief that we have passed for school safely reopen for in-
person instruction. But, instead, this administration is 
leaving school districts to fend for themselves, threatening to 
strip away without any legal authority the very resources that 
schools need to ensure the safety of students and school staff.
    In short, this administration is abandoning the health 
needs of our school communities at a time when the U.S. has 
surpassed 4 million known COVID-19 infections, and they are 
blaming school districts for not doing enough to reopen. I will 
read through it again. Each one of us wants to reopen our 
school system as soon as possible so that we can get our 
children back into classrooms and reopen our economy. But we 
also have the responsibility to care for the health and safety 
for our students, families, school staff, and communities. And 
that, that must always be our first and foremost priority.
    I look forward to working with you and all my colleagues to 
provide our schools with the resources they need to safely 
reopen classrooms, welcome students back to in-person 
instruction, and help our economy recover from the pandemic. 
Thank you.
    If there is no further business, without objection, this 
committee stands adjourned.
    [Additional submissions for the record by Chairman Sablan 
follow:]
[GRAPHICS NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]

    [Whereupon, at 1:02 p.m., the subcommittee was adjourned.]

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