NEA welcomes Coronavirus Child Care and Education Relief Act

WASHINGTON - July 01, 2020 - The Coronavirus Child Care and Education Relief Act, introduced by Sens. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) and Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), includes $175 billion for K-12 schools so students can get what they need to stay safe, $132 billion for higher education, $12 billion for special education, and $4 billion for the proven E-Rate program to narrow the digital divide and “homework gap” that is hitting our most vulnerable students.

The following statement can be attributed to NEA President Lily Eskelsen García:

“Educators want nothing more than to return to in-person instruction and be back with their students, but they know reopening school buildings and college campuses has to be done safely. The cavalier wait-and-see approach Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has taken by stalling the federal funding that schools desperately need to reopen safely has puts students’ safety at risk. Sens. Patty Murray and Chuck Schumer know that students cannot wait because school districts across the country are working on school reopening plans now. That’s why they introduced the Coronavirus Child Care and Education Relief Act, which will go a long way to giving our students and educators the resources they need to rise up from the economic fallout caused by this devastating COVID-19 pandemic.

“The American economy cannot recover if schools can’t reopen, and we cannot properly reopen schools if funding is slashed and students don’t have what they need to be safe, learn and succeed. Congress must take immediate action to save millions of jobs and ensure students don’t pay the price if states are forced to make deeps cuts to education funding.”

More resources are available at www.nea.org/coronavirus

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The National Education Association is the nation’s largest professional employee organization, representing more than 3 million elementary and secondary teachers, higher education faculty, education support professionals, school administrators, retired educators, students preparing to become teachers, healthcare workers, and public employees. Learn more at www.nea.org.