Biden Blames Psaki For Confusion On Schools Being Open One Day A Week: ‘A Mistake In The Communication
Michael Cantrell
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President Joe Biden is now distancing himself from comments that were made by press secretary Jen Psaki concerning the administration’s goal to have more than 50 percent of schools open at least one day a week within the first 100 days of his administration.
Wow. Just straight throwing Psaki under the bus.
That goal was criticized as unambitious as it had essentially already been met by school districts partially opening on their own before Biden’s time in office. There was also speculation that the White House was trying to avoid upsetting teachers unions, which are a major force in the Democratic Party and have in many cases strongly opposed school reopening efforts.
But Biden at a CNN town hall Tuesday night said that Psaki was not correct in saying that having half of schools open one day per week — essentially getting schools 10% open overall — is the White House’s goal for the end of its first 100 days.
“No, that’s not true. That’s what was reported; that’s not true. There was a mistake in the communication,” the president said. “But what I — what I’m talking about is I said opening the majority of schools in K-through-eighth grade because they’re the easiest to open, the most needed to be opened, in terms of the impact on children and families having to stay home.”
“I think we’ll be close to that at the end of the first hundred days,” Biden went on to say of elementary and middle schools.
Biden did not specifically say what his definition of an open K-8 school at the end of his first 100 days would be. But he did say that schools may be open over the summer to help make up for lost learning for students — a comment that also contradicted Psaki.
“My guess is they’re probably going to be pushing to open all summer to continue like it’s a different semester,” the president said.
Last week during a White House briefing, Psaki said, “And you’re right: Schools won’t be in session for the summer, but this is a pandemic we’re working to get under control, making progress every month. And we’re certainly hopeful that things will be — more kids will be back in school five days a week as quickly as it can safely happen.”
Biden was asked during the town hall on Tuesday if schools might be open five days a week over the course of the summer, to which the president responded by saying, “I think many of them five days a week. The goal would be five days a week.”
These people can’t even get on the same page with their own policies about something as simple as education. How are they going to handle a situation when things really hit the fan?
It’s going to be a disaster. Pray that things stay calm for the next four years.
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