Providing for Consideration of H.R. National Apprenticeship Act of Providing for Consideration of H. Con. Res. Concurrent Resolution on the Budget for Fiscal Year and for Other Purposes

Floor Speech

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Mrs. HINSON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to oppose the previous question, and I do so in support of our students.

Our amendment would ensure that students get back in schools safely and soon. Students have been out of the classroom for far too long, and the costs of at-home learning are far greater than we could have ever imagined, especially when it comes to mental health for our kids.

My bill, the Reopen Schools Act, would prioritize State COVID relief grants for education for schools that are reopening. It would require schools to offer at least partial in-person learning in order to receive these Federal pandemic relief funds. These funds were intended to help students get back into the classroom safely, taking important precautions.

Congress sent States this money so we could reopen schools safely, yet this hasn't happened in so many communities across our country.

I am so proud of our home State of Iowa for already taking a stand for students and requiring schools to offer an in-person learning option. But The Washington Post found that roughly one-third of all K- 12 school districts in the United States right now are only offering virtual learning. So this means one-third of our classrooms are closed and one-third of our school playgrounds are still roped off.

The cost of this goes well beyond academics. Child depression, anxiety, and other mental health challenges are surging. The science shows kids need to be back in school.

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Mrs. HINSON. Mr. Speaker, even the CDC has confirmed that young kids have an extremely low infection rate right now, a low transmission rate, and a low rate of serious illness from COVID-19. Yet they are forced to stay home and learn from behind a computer screen, that is if these kids have access to computers and broadband internet.

For many students, especially those in rural Iowa, virtual learning is not easy. It is not just going downstairs and logging onto the family computer. It is sitting in the parking lot of the Cedar Rapids Public Library, logging onto the WiFi to finish homework or take a test.

So it is no surprise that our most vulnerable students are the ones who will suffer the most and are suffering the most. Isolation, lack of social support, added stress, and environmental strain of this lockdown have gone on far too long. Kids and families are suffering.

As a mom of two school-age kids, this issue is personal to me. This issue is personal to all parents, and it is personal to all families who care about their kids' well-being. Kids need to be in school. We can get them back behind a desk instead of in front of a screen, and we can do so safely. That is exactly why we allocated funds for this purpose.

It is past time for States and local school districts to stop hoarding these resources and use them for their intended purpose: To pay for science-based safety measures that get students and teachers back in the classroom with less risk.

That is why my bill would condition a portion of the $54 billion Congress sent to States for K-12 schools in December on reopening their doors. One-third of the education funds provided would be immediately available right now with the remaining two-thirds available to schools in increasing amounts as they move to reopen. Schools with at least 50 percent of students attending in person at least 50 percent of the time would receive the full amount of funding. Parents and students want to return to the classroom. My bill will help make that happen.

Mr. Speaker, I hope my colleagues on both sides of the aisle will join me in supporting our students by defeating the previous question, and I urge a ``no'' vote.

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