Betsy DeVos says there is no 'perfect option' to safely return students to classrooms in COVID-19 era

Betsy DeVos on students returning to classrooms amid coronavirus pandemic

Education Secretary Betsy DeVos joins Dana Perino on ‘The Daily Briefing.’

There is no "perfect option" to guarantee the safe return of K-12 children to their classrooms in a COVID-19 era, Education Secretary Betsy DeVos said Tuesday.

In an interview on "The Daily Briefing," DeVos told host Dana Perino that the Department of Education is working to provide parents and educators with several "good options" as long as a foolproof plan for in-person learning remains unfeasible.

"I know that parents across the country want their kids to be back in school and continuing to learn and we know more than ever parents want and need to have choices and options for how that works and how that looks, depending on their children," DeVos said.

"We know there's no perfect option but there are lots of good options," she added, "and I've had the chance to visit a number of schools in districts where they've been leaning into this and really addressing the problems and the issues and providing choices and options for families."

DeVos said the department is working to help students learning both online and in-person using funds left over from the coronavirus economic relief package passed in March.

"I think giving parents and families different choices and options to do what's best for their particular children is the answer now," she said.

"We have been continuing to provide support and as much flexibility around the funds that the federal government has appropriated and there's still lots of CARES Act funds that have gone unspent that could be used for technology upgrades, for technologies, for testing, and for cleaning supplies," DeVos explained.

"Whatever the need is, " she said, "there are resources there to be drawn from. But again, it's just an imperative that all kids have the opportunity to be learning full-time in an environment that works for them."

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