Press Releases

During a virtual meeting with Northeastern Pennsylvania educators and administrators today, U.S. Representative Matt Cartwright (PA-08) called on the U.S. Senate to negotiate with the House and pass the Heroes Act to protect students, families and teachers, as schools begin their fall semesters.

More than 100 days have passed since the House passed the Heroes Act, which would provide critical support to schools struggling to reopen safely. In addition to robust aid for state and local governments to support teachers, first responders and other public employees, this legislation would authorize over $100 billion for K-12 schools and higher education institutions, as well as over $3 billion in State Fiscal Stabilization funding for Pennsylvania to support elementary, secondary and higher education to cover costs to support a safe school re-opening, such as those associated with acquiring personal protective equipment (PPE), cleaning and sanitizing, and making other special public health accommodations.

“We need to reopen our schools in a smart way that keeps our children, our teachers, and our communities safe,” Cartwright said. “We have to ensure that schools have the resources they need to meet the major challenges of preventing the virus from spreading among their students. For Northeastern Pennsylvania’s schools, teachers, and the families that depend on them, I’m calling on the Senate to start negotiating with the House in good faith to finally pass the Heroes Act and send our children safely back to school.”

Cartwright was joined by Rev. John Ryan, President, King’s College; Tim Hopkins, Principal, Dunmore Junior-Senior High School; and Melissa McTiernan, Superintendent, Scranton School District, each of whom discussed the health, safety and logistical challenges of resuming classes amid a deadly global pandemic. They each spoke positively of the relief provided by the Cares Act which helped them meet a variety of needs, but noted that it is running short and stressed the need for additional federal support to ensure they can continue to operate safely.

Instead of joining Democrats to deliver more funding to help schools reopen safely, Education Secretary Betsy DeVos and Senate Republicans are threatening to strip funding from public schools that determine they cannot safely bring all students back into the classroom full-time. The Senate Republican HEALS Act offers just a fraction of the funding schools need to physically reopen safely, two-thirds of which is only available to schools that physically reopen.