Ayanna Pressley Throws Botanical Barb At DeVos's Reopening Plan

WASHINGTON, DC — Massachusetts Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley slammed U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos over the federal government's push to reopen schools this fall. Pressley, a Democrat, tweeted that she wouldn't trust DeVos to "care for a house plant let alone my child" after the secretary's appearance on CNN Sunday.

DeVos said that while there may be exceptions, the "rule should be that kids go back to school this fall." CNN host Dana Bash asked DeVos how the federal government can reconcile its call to reopen schools with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's guidance that children meeting in groups "can put everyone at risk."

"The CDC has also been very clear to say they never recommended schools close down in the first place, and they are very much of the posture that kids need to be back in school for a multitude of reasons," DeVos said. "The American Academy of Pediatrics has said the same thing. Kids need to be in school. They need to be learning. They need to be moving ahead."

The issue of holding in-person classes this fall has been a political lightning rod, with President Donald Trump threatening to withhold federal funds from schools that do not reopen. Preliminary guidelines in Massachusetts call for districts to prepare plans for in-person classes, remote learning and a hybrid model.

If classes are held in person, students in the second grade and up and adults would be required to wear face coverings and practice social distancing. Desks will be a minimum of 3 feet apart; ideally, they will be 6 feet apart, officials said.

Pressley criticized DeVos as having "no plan."

"Teachers, kids and parents are fearing for their lives," Pressley tweeted Sunday. "You point to a private sector that has put profits over people and claimed the lives of thousands of essential workers. I wouldn’t trust you to care for a house plant let alone my child."