Politics & Government
VP Pence, Secretary DeVos call for reopening classrooms in visit to NC private school
Vice President Mike Pence and Education Secretary Betsy DeVos visited an Apex private school on Wednesday that Pence said was “in the forefront of reopening schools in America.”
A masked Pence and DeVos stepped out of their airplane at Raleigh-Durham International Airport a little after noon on the way to Thales Academy, a private school in Apex, which reopened with in-person learning earlier in July.
Pence met afterward in Durham with executives from Wake Research, the Raleigh company conducting the human trials for Moderna, one of the companies that has received money as part of the federal effort dubbed Operation Warp Speed to develop a COVID-19 vaccine.
Pence said during a roundtable discussion with staff at Thales Academy that, “if we’re going to open up America, we’ve got to open up schools.”
Statewide, public schools are set to reopen on Aug. 17, but with most students in remote learning.
Outside the school, about 200 people gathered, split into one group of supporters of President Donald Trump and another group of protesters.
Inside, Pence wore a mask as he went into a fourth-grade classroom, then took it off to tell the students how he was “excited to be here with each and every one of you” and talked about his job. DeVos was in the classroom as well. A teacher wore a mask as well as several of the students sitting at their desks. DeVos did not have a mask on while Pence spoke.
The school has smaller class sizes and daily temperature checks.
Pence told the students he was proud of all of them during this “challenging time.” He told them about being governor of Indiana and that he grew up going to a private Catholic school through eighth grade, then to a public high school.
Pence said some of the most important people in his life were his elementary school teachers who believed in him and challenged him. One student asked how he liked being vice president on a scale of one to 10, and Pence responded, “Eleven.”
He told the students to “dream big dreams” and then go and live them, before leaving the classroom visit for the roundtable discussion in another room. He put his mask back on to take group photos.
Too many NC schools giving ‘no choice’ but online learning, DeVos says
Joining Pence and DeVos on the trip, Pence tweeted, were Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Stephen Hahn and Republican Reps. David Rouzer, Richard Hudson and Mark Walker, who all represent North Carolina in Congress.
“To Open Up America Again is to open up schools again!” Pence tweeted. He said that Thales Academy reopened on July 20 “after putting in 40,000 man hours to keep students [and] faculty safe!”
Thales Academy founder Bob Luddy is one of the biggest Republican donors in North Carolina.
Luddy also founded Franklin Academy, a Wake Forest charter school that changed its school handbook after criticism of rules prohibiting LGBT discussion or affirmation, The News & Observer previously reported.
At the Thales Academy roundtable, Pence thanked Luddy and others for their work in education and reopening schools for in-person instruction.
DeVos said students and teachers want to be back in school.
“There’s not a national superintendent, nor should there be, therefore there’s not a national plan for reopening,” DeVos said.
Too many schools in North Carolina are giving families “no choice but to fall back on virtual learning,” she said. DeVos advocated for school choice, including private school vouchers.
DeVos also mentioned a U.S. Department of Education announcement Wednesday that North Carolina is among 11 states to receive a Rethink K-12 Education Models Grant. The North Carolina Department of Public Instruction will receive $17.6 million of CARES Act money. The grants were awarded to states that would in turn provide small grants to help families with technology and services for remote learning, and that would offer statewide virtual learning programs and field models for providing remote education “to ensure that every child is learning and preparing for successful careers and lives,” according to the Department of Education.
Ahead of Pence’s visit, former Vice President Joe Biden’s campaign for president sent out a statement.
“Since the beginning of this pandemic, the Trump-Pence Administration has left North Carolinians out to dry when it comes to providing resources or any semblance of national guidance,” said Biden spokesperson Kate Bedingfield in an emailed statement. “Vice President Pence can try to convince educators and students otherwise with this school visit, but the reality is that he has been pushing educators across the country to reopen their doors without putting critical safety measures in place.”
“Joe Biden knows that our number one priority has to be safeguarding our students and educators, which is why he has released a reopening plan that’s in lock-step with Governor Roy Cooper. We need an administration that will put the lives of the American people over their own self-interest,” Bedingfield said.
Pence’s visit was an official one as vice president. Campaign events in person are mostly suspended during coronavirus restrictions.
Pence visited Florida on Monday to see progress on another COVID-19 vaccine clinical trial.
Trump was in the Triangle on Monday to visit a company working on a vaccine in Research Triangle Park in Morrisville.
Asked if Trump’s and Pence’s visits highlight how important North Carolina is to their re-election, Walker said that “could be a secondary factor, but I think the most important thing is to come and highlight some of the research. ... The Triangle has been huge and I applaud the president and vice president for featuring and highlighting the good work that is getting done here.”
Students on reopening, Pence and Trump
Among the protesters gathered near Thales Academy were Jami Olvera and Alex Receveur, both 14 and rising freshmen at Apex High School. They stood in a line with some other friends, holding signs with messages promoting LGBT rights and remote schooling.
“We’re just out here to show we’re not going to tolerate homophobia, transphobia, anything like that,” Olvera said.
Receveur said that schools like Thales reopening completely in-person are putting the broader community at risk.
“They already have a positive case,” she said. “So I can’t understand why they’re still open, and why Pence supports that.”
A different Thales Academy location in Raleigh closed temporarily after a visiting staff member tested positive for COVID-19 the first week of school.
Brothers Joey and Jake Alves came to show their support for Trump and Pence. Unlike the anti-Trump protesters, the Alves brothers, like many of the Trump supporters, were not wearing face masks despite them being mandatory statewide.
Joey, 16, said he thinks the risks of coronavirus have been exaggerated. He said he doesn’t really have an opinion on whether school should be in person or online, and he mostly just wanted to come out to show his support for Trump and Pence, who he sees as role models.
“They’re straight and to the point,” he said. “They don’t tiptoe around anything.”
Jake, 14, is a rising freshman at Apex Friendship High School, where his brother also attends. He said he’d really like for his first year in high school to be in person.
“I would rather have it open,” he said. “I learn better in school, with a teacher in front.”
COVID-19 vaccine trial presentation
Speaking at the NC Biotech Center Wednesday afternoon, Pence said Research Triangle Park “has been a critical part” on the way to developing a vaccine for COVID-19.
This was the first week that Phase 3 clinical trials for Moderna began, and Pence met with some of the local volunteers for the trials, including a teacher and an emergency management services worker.
Pence says this is a “week of hope” because of the trials. He encouraged Americans to volunteer to take part in the trials.
Hahn, the FDA commissioner, promised that despite the speed at which clinical trials are moving the FDA is not cutting corners when it comes to safety.
“These clinical trials are going to produce the data that the FDA is going to use to make the judgment about the safety and effectiveness of a vaccine. We are an independent regulatory body, we are not a part of Operation Warp Speed, and we will make a determination based upon our very rigorous criteria,” Hahn said.
Moderna’s Phase 3 trials will enroll 30,000 people across 89 sites in the nation, including in the Triangle. Half of the participants will be given a placebo and the other half will get the actual vaccine.
Dr. Wayne Harper of Wake Research said it will be important to get a diverse group of volunteers to prove any vaccine effectiveness. Individuals who are exposed to the virus, like front-line workers and potentially teachers, would be the best candidates to participate, Hahn said.
Pence told people to visit clinicaltrials.gov to apply to volunteer for the trials.
At both stops, Pence encouraged Americans to wear masks and practice good hygiene and social distancing. Pence, Walker, Hudson and Rouzer all wore masks at the RTP visit.
“I would remind everyone that we all do have a role to play, and encourage people to heed and respect state and local guidance,” Pence said at the Thales roundtable. “But all of us should just practice good hygiene: wash your hands, wear a mask wherever it’s indicated by state and local authorities or wherever social distancing is not possible.”
For more North Carolina government and politics news, listen to the Domecast politics podcast from The News & Observer and the NC Insider. You can find it on Megaphone, Apple Podcasts, iHeartRadio, Stitcher or wherever you get your podcasts.
Comments