Congressman Kim Calls on Administration to Stop
Inserting Politics into School Reopening Plans

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Congressman Andy Kim (NJ-03) called on the Trump Administration to listen to the advice of medical experts to help education leaders safely reopen schools during a hearing of the House Select Committee on the Coronavirus Crisis entitled, “Challenges to Safely Reopening K-12 Schools”.

“As a father of two boys, I know firsthand the worries that parents are feeling as they get their kids ready for the upcoming year. And what we all want is to do everything right for our kids–taking care of them and making sure they are safe,” said Congressman Kim who went on called on the Trump Administration to stop using guidance from the American Academy of Pediatrics as a “political prop” that has been “misrepresented” and “misunderstood”.

Members of the House Select Committee were joined by education and health experts including Arne Duncan, former Secretary of Education; Dr. Caitlin Rivers, Senior Scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security; Robert Runcie, Superintendent of Broward County Public Schools; Angela Skillings, a teacher from Arizona; and Dan Lips, a Visiting Fellow at the Foundation for Research and Equal Opportunity.

“I personally believe that there is a common-ground approach to this that a lot of Americans understand. I think that Republicans and Democrats both believe that in-person education would be best if we’re able to achieve that with the health conditions that we face,” continued Kim, who went on to call on for “significant support” for state and local education officials to make decisions, guided by public health leaders, to safely reopen schools.

The Congressman’s full remarks and questions to experts testifying before the Select Committee can be found here.

Earlier this week, Congressman Kim called for House and Senate leadership to bring a coronavirus recovery package to the House floor that includes robust funding to help schools across Burlington and Ocean County safely reopen, and ensures that schools are properly funded for the upcoming year.

Information about Congressman Kim’s actions to contain the Coronavirus pandemic and address the ongoing economic impact can be found on his website by clicking here.

Congressman Kim is a member of the bipartisan House Select Committee on the Coronavirus Crisis, where he serves as one of twelve members of the House tasked with conducting oversight over programs aimed at ending the Coronavirus pandemic and helping address the economic impact it’s having on the American people. Congressman Kim is also a member of the House Armed Services Committee and the House Committee on Small Business. More information about Congressman Kim can be found on his website by clicking here.