The private school attended by presidential son Barron Trump has announced that it will not be holding full-time, in-person classes this fall and is now deciding between a combination of limited in-person schooling and online classes or going back to the full-time online model. This announcement sparked anger from the public after Donald Trump pushed so hard for public schools across the country to reopen full-time in spite of the fact that the coronavirus pandemic is getting worse in the U.S.
And there it is. Barron Trump's school will not re-open in the fall, meaning that while Trump is demanding everyone else's kids pack into dangerous classrooms, his own son will be safe at home.
Surprised?https://t.co/M2JCo6rshI
— Brian Tyler Cohen (@briantylercohen) July 24, 2020
Barron’s school will make its final decision in early August depending on how bad the pandemic gets by that time.
“We are hopeful that public health conditions will support our implementation of the hybrid model in the fall,” said St. Andrew’s Episcopal School heads Robert Kosasky and David Brown in a letter. “As we prepare to make a decision the week of Aug. 10 about how to best begin the school year, we will continue to follow guidance of appropriate health officials and refine both our hybrid and distance learning plans.”
Meanwhile, the president has gone as far as threatening to withhold federal funding from public schools who refuse to fully reopen. As teachers fill out their wills in anticipation of the coming school year, their unions are pointing out the disparity between Trump’s push for school reopenings and this decision from his son’s school.
“The president now has to face what every other parent in America and every other teacher in America is grappling with right now, which is: In the midst of a pandemic, how do schools keep their kids and their faculty safe?” said American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten. “It’s about safety, not bluster. It’s about a plan and resources, not threats.”
As new COVID-19 cases hover around 70,000 daily in the U.S., Trump has appeared to soften a bit on school reopenings “districts may need to delay reopening for a few weeks.” However, The New York Times pointed out that he was reading from a script when he said this.
Regardless, there has already been widespread public outrage from people who feel like Barron gets special treatment because he’s the son of a wealthy president.
Just so it’s clear, Ron DeSantis is going to keep his kids home, Barron trump’s private school is staying closed this fall to keep him and other rich kids safe, but parents around the nation are expected to risk the death of their kids for a criminal who wants to get re-elected?
— Ricky Davila (@TheRickyDavila) July 24, 2020
No surprise there. There are two sets of rules; the privileged and the rest of us. We mean nothing to them. https://t.co/FdJWyUt4bT
— Flicker Farkle (@Orlsmitty) July 24, 2020
Trump: open the schools.
Also Trump: Barron will be staying home.
DeSantis: open the schools.
Also DeSantis: my kids will be distance learning in the fall.
How do these men still have jobs? And jobs of public trust? This is insane.
— Robert J. DeNault (@robertjdenault) July 24, 2020
Barron’s school has a 7:1 student-to-teacher ratio
(and tuition is $45,000/year!)If social distancing can’t be done safely with a student-teacher ratio of 7:1, it can’t be done with a ratio of 30:1, either.
— Gobsmacked Grognard (@LongDavy) July 24, 2020
Just wondering…since Barron's private school is NOT opening…will Trump send his son to a public school?
— Kimberley Johnson (@AuthorKimberley) July 24, 2020
He better pull all funding for this school then! Oh wait I’m sure it’s private since he can afford it so no problem there. School choice and all but poor people who can’t afford private schools need to suffer and die.
— Mike (@payhn99) July 24, 2020
Then send him to a public school in DC. Lead by example. You said kids have to go to school, yours goes first.
— Joby (@thunderstruckMC) July 24, 2020
This is the Republican way: they’re more than happy to put other people in harm’s way (poor people, minorities) but ask them to do the same and this is what you get.
It’s why they start wars and then send other (poor) peoples kids off to go fight them.
— Sallinger (@sallinger) July 24, 2020
