School reopening will be the primary agenda item today at 9:30 a.m., as Georgia school districts reopen in-person classes while the state hits over 216,000 cases of coronavirus, Georgia Democrats will share the stories of parents, students, and school employees that have been endangered by Georgia’s reckless reopening.
Speakers at the press conference include State Rep. Beth Moore, who has been collecting whistleblower testimony from Georgia teachers and students over the past week; Gwinnett School Board member Everton Blair; Dr. Michelle Au, doctor, mom and candidate for State Senate; and Amy Westmoreland, a former school nurse in Paulding County, where hallways were packed with students without masks in the first week of school.
This event will be conducted over Zoom webinar.
Who: DPG Chairwoman Nikema Williams; State Rep. Beth Moore; Gwinnett School Board Rep. Everton Blair; State Senate candidate Dr. Michelle Au; former Paulding County school nurse Amy Westmoreland
What: Testimony from concerned Georgians and school leaders about Georgia’s reckless school reopening
When: Monday, August 9th, 2020, 9:30 AM
Update:
Gwinnett County Schools reported that as Georgia approaches back to school, 260 school employees have tested positive for the coronavirus or are in quarantine due to exposure. Gwinnett County has one of Georgia’s highest rates of COVID-19, with 17,781 positive cases and nearly 2,000 hospitalizations due to coronavirus.
This latest surge of new cases comes as Trump gambles with children’s health and safety by trying to force schools to fully reopen before they’re able to do so safely. Donald Trump and our state leaders, including Brian Kemp, have threatened to cut federal school funding, slashed nearly a billion dollars from state funds for public schools, and refused to implement federal public health guidance, including a statewide mask order.
“Students haven’t even gone back to school yet, but COVID-19 is already surging in the Gwinnett School system and Georgia schools due to Donald Trump and Brian Kemp’s failed leadership,” said Maggie Chambers, communications director for the Democratic Party of Georgia. “This crisis has only gotten worse for our schools and our families because our leaders refuse to listen to public health experts. It’s beyond time to stop playing politics, and start doing the work to help schools reopen safely.”
We’ve known Kemp’s office did not take this pandemic as seriously as they should and today’s rollbacks are the latest example. This is a mistake and it’s going to cost even more Georgians their lives,” State Rep. Shelly Hutchinson said in a statement on the irresponsible reopenings.”
“Without enough testing, without enough supplies for doctors and nurses, and without listening to medical professionals, the governor’s actions today will make this crisis even worse and put more Georgians at risk. Now is the time to listen to the health providers and public health experts who tell us what we need to keep our communities safe. I urge all Georgians to listen to the advice of their health care providers and stay home — even if their governor won’t,” said DPG Chairwoman Nikema Williams released the following statement.
