The plan introduced by Republican state lawmakers could still become law if enough of the handful of Democrats who backed the bill decided to bypass the governor’s veto.
“Students learn best in the classroom, and I have strongly urged all schools to be safely open to personal instruction and the vast majority of local school systems have done just that,” Cooper said. However, Bill 37 of the Senate falls short on two critical points. First, it allows middle and high school students to return to class in violation of the NC Department of Health and Human Services and the CDC health guidelines. Second, it hinders local and government officials from protecting students and teachers during an emergency. ”
READ SENATE BILL 37 (.pdf)
The Democratic governor said he had told the legislature that he would sign the bill if these “two issues” are resolved. He has called on school boards that have not yet done so to transition to personal education, but opposed the statewide mandate, requiring them to reopen with about two weeks’ notice. In some places, students were kept out of physical classrooms for 11 months, sparking outrage among parents concerned about learning loss.
Cooper argued that the bill poses a threat to public health, just as North Carolina is striving to get out of the pandemic.
“The bill they just passed has failed on both fronts,” Cooper said. “I will continue to discuss possible new legislation with General Assembly leaders before taking any action regarding the law that I now have on my desk. It is critical for our teachers and students that we do this properly. to do.”
The Republicans said the North Carolina Association of Educators was against the bill, saying teacher unions across the country “flexed their political muscles” to withhold or minimize personal education.
At the same time, the Governor shows off teachers’ vaccinations after giving them a higher priority than cancer patients, vetoes this law on the reopening of schools because it gives school districts the flexibility to operate according to the plan that best suits them. their needs on the ground, “” said Senator Deanna Ballard, R-Watauga, who co-chairs the Senate Education Committee and sponsored Senate Law 37.
“With vaccinations for teachers In full swing, there is no legitimate excuse for Gov. Cooper and the far left NCAE to oppose the wide reopening flexibility this bill gives to school districts, “Ballard added.” The far left NCAE owns the governor’s mansion. Fortunately, Senate Bill 37 was passed with enough bipartisan support to override Governor Cooper’s veto, and we expect to vote on it. “
State House Chairman Tim Moore, R-Cleveland, also responded to Cooper’s veto on Friday.
“With this veto, the governor ignored desperate parents, policy experts and students suffering from his refusal to return them to the classroom,” said Moore. “The legislature has worked hard to reach an agreement with the governor, but we have a constitutional duty to give our students access to education and will veto the North Carolina families.”
The NCAE had pushed for a higher priority on the COVID-19 vaccine distribution list, although the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention do not believe that reopening schools should be based on teacher vaccination. Reopening Cooper’s administration guidelines eases restrictions for elementary school students by allowing children not to wear masks while sitting in classrooms. There are stricter guidelines for secondary and secondary schools.
The NCAE released a statement in support of Cooper’s decision.
“Teachers at North Carolina public schools are eager to return to their classrooms as soon as it is safe to do so, but SB 37 is the opposite of a safe return to personal education,” said NCAE President Tamika Walker. Kelly. By trying to anticipate the decision-making powers of local school boards and ignore the latest scientific guidelines, this bill would have unnecessarily endangered the health and safety of educators and students. The best action all lawmakers can take now is to encourage their communities to comply with safety protocols and to encourage the vaccination of all school employees. We thank Governor Cooper for vetoing this bill, and look forward to working with him and the legislature to develop a to bring about a safe return to personal education. “
RELATED: North Carolina public schools are seeing a drop in student numbers during the COVID-19 pandemic
Republicans have accused Cooper of playing more politics than science in the fight to reopen schools, citing studies done here in the Triangle, where a team of researchers from Duke and UNC found a very low transfer rate in school
“Governor Cooper has vetoed SB 37 to keep as many children as possible locked up in failing virtual schools, while at the same time actively pleading with left-wing activists to release thousands of convicted criminals,” said NCGOP Communications Director Tim Wigginton. “Cooper is letting criminals out of prison and locking our children in failing virtual schools.”
Cooper noted that 95% of districts plan to provide face-to-face education in mid-March, representing about 96% of the state’s roughly 1.5 million K-12 public school students.
According to the NC NAACP and ACLU, at least 3,500 detainees will receive parole from North Carolina state jails after a settlement is reached in NC NAACP v. Cooper, a lawsuit filed by civil rights organizations, three individual detained people, and a spouse of one detainee, challenging the conditions of incarceration in North Carolina state prisons during the COVID-19 pandemic. Under the terms of the settlement agreement, the state has 180 days to release 3,500 people currently in custody.
The Associated Press contributed
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