Democratic U.S. Rep. Susie Lee on Monday told a group of teachers and parents that federal funding is needed to ensure safety in the classrooms during a Facebook Live roundtable.
Lee met with Nevada Parent Teacher Association President Rebecca Garcia and Clark County School District parents and teachers to discuss K-12 education in Southern Nevada on CCSD’s first day of school. Topics included internet access for at-home learning, food assistance for students, child care for working parents and funding for school districts and state and local governments.
“What I know we need is federal funding that will help with these things, like helping schools secure personal protective equipment, internet access for students learning from home, food assistance for students and other things we need to safely start the school year, whether in a classroom or a living room,” Lee told the group.
During the roundtable, Lee highlighted why roundtables like these are important to her job in Congress.
“I want to hear from our parents, who I know need answers and help with at-home learning, child care, food assistance and so many wrap-around services that parents and students rely on, especially during this pandemic,” she said. “I want to hear from our students about their fears and anticipations and what they need to succeed during this unusual school year.
“And of course I want to hear from our teachers, who as always are being forced to work with less and are now learning to adapt overnight from in-person to online teaching.”
“Back to school looks very different this year and families are struggling to adapt to ever-increasing demands,” Nevada PTA President Rebecca Garcia said. “Many of us, including my own family, are trying to figure out how to meet our kids’ educational needs and still do our jobs. The pandemic has also exacerbated existing community challenges including access to affordable childcare, broadband and the underfunding of public schools.”
Despite the challenges, Lee struck an optimistic note during the roundtable.
“I’m always impressed by our ability to come together as a community,” she said. “Ultimately, that’s what we’re going to need to do to open our schools safely, to open our economy safely and to get back to the life we all know and love. And that’s how we’ll start this school year off strong.”