Inslee: We Will Not Be Bullied Into Unsafely Reopening Schools

SEATTLE, WA — Washington's schools, colleges and universities are spending the summer planning so that they can reopen in the fall— but they won't reopen if they can't do it safely, according to Gov. Jay Inslee.

The announcement comes as a response to a series of statements made by President Donald Trump threatening to cut off funding to states that do not reopen schools in the fall.

At a news conference Thursday, Inslee said he was not impressed by Trump's threats.

"It's just not going to happen," said Inslee. "This is an individual who has a modus operandi of threatening things to try and intimidate people and it's never worked for us, and it's not going to work on us."

Inslee went on to call Trump's calls an attempt to "distract from [the president's] failed leadership on COVID."

Schools across Washington have been instructed to plan for face-to-face classes, but also to develop backup plans in case it is unsafe to do so. Under the state's guidance there are a number of safety measures schools will need to consider when reopening, including:

• Requiring students and staff to wear facial coverings or masks.
• Limiting class sizes and large gatherings.
• Limiting the number of visitors to schools and university campuses.
• Physical distancing in classrooms and on campus.
• Using contact tracing to isolate and quarantine patients and students who may have been exposed to the virus.

Plans will need to be made to accommodate students who can not safely wear masks. Students and staff will also be screened for virus symptoms at school entrances and extra hygiene will be strongly encouraged.

However, if some schools cannot safely reopen, Washington has been clear: they will remain closed and classes will continue remotely.

"For some communities, the health guidelines may not be able to be met, perhaps the social distancing can't be met given a particular way a school is configured, or maybe we start in the fall and ultimately a local health authority has to shut a school down again due to significant outbreak," said Washington State Superintendent Chris Reykdal in an early June conference announcing the plan to reopen classrooms in the fall.

Thursday, Inslee expressed confidence that this is both the safest move, and a widely popular choice among Washingtonians.

"Perhaps the best news is the public understands that we are in a fight involving life or death, and Washingtonians are committed to working together to win this battle," said Inslee. "It is clear the majority of the public is with us."

"Washingtonians are ignoring Donald Trump, and that's a really healthy thing to do," said Inslee.

Related:

Washington Schools Plan To Return To Classrooms This Fall

Washington Outlines How Colleges, Universities Can Return In Fall