Statement from Deborah Delisle, President and CEO of the Alliance for Excellent Education, on McConnell’s COVID-19 Relief Bill

For Release: Sept. 10, 2020

Media Contact: Dorie Turner Nolt, (404) 861-1127, dorie@dorieturnernolt.com

Washington, DC—“The Senate did the right thing by opposing Majority Leader McConnell’s ‘skinny’ COVID-19 relief bill. The challenges facing our country are anything but thin; our nation needs and deserves a robust response. Moreover, this bill uses federal taxpayer dollars to coerce schools into reopening—something that should be decided by local officials in consultation with public health experts, not by the federal government. At a time when our public schools are hurting for money, the bill would also siphon much-needed funding into private schools. What’s more, the bill includes no funding for broadband internet, which every child needs to be able to learn at home. During this unprecedented crisis, we need a serious education policy response. This bill is not it. COVID-19 will affect families, especially our youth, for years to come, and both Democrats and Republicans in Congress need to step up for families, educators, and schools.”

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Deborah S. Delisle is the president and CEO of the Alliance for Excellent Education and served as the U.S. assistant secretary of elementary and secondary education from 2012 to 2015.

The Alliance for Excellent Education (All4Ed) is a Washington, DC–based national policy, practice, and advocacy organization dedicated to ensuring that all students, particularly those underperforming and those historically underserved, graduate from high school ready for success in college, work, and citizenship. all4ed.org