‘Let kids learn’ — Conservative groups’ new ad campaign targets NC for school reopening
North Carolina is being targeted with a series of cable television and digital ads from two conservative groups urging that schools be reopened for in-person instruction.
The State Government Leadership Foundation (SGLF) and N2 America announced Thursday that their new six-figure “Let Kids Learn” ad campaign will “highlight the true cost of keeping schools closed.” The campaign will target Michigan, New Jersey, North Carolina and Virginia, where both groups say “union-controlled politicians” are refusing to reopen schools.
“Education policy should be guided by one key principle — what’s best for the kids. Instead, it’s been about what’s best for everyone else, including liberal politicians that would rather turn their backs on the children they are supposed to serve than muster the courage to stand up to their union bosses,” SGLF Executive Director Dee Duncan said in a press release.
Duncan is also president of the Republican State Leadership Committee, which helps elect GOP lawmakers around the country.
Cooper weighs NC school bill
The ad campaign is starting just as the Republican-controlled General Assembly passed legislation this week that requires North Carolina school districts — but not charter schools — to offer in-person learning. Senate Bill 37 would also require school districts to offer daily in-person classes to special-education students.
Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper criticized the bill on Wednesday, saying it falls short of following state Department of Health and Human Services guidance and in giving state and local leaders the ability to respond to emergencies.
But Cooper didn’t say he would veto the bill. Enough Democratic lawmakers voted for the legislation to override a potential veto, unless they change their votes.
Cooper could also allow the bill to become law in 10 days without his signature.
Most North Carolina school districts have reopened for in-person instruction, such as the Wake County school system this week. But Durham Public Schools had planned to stay virtual for the rest of the school year due to COVID-19 concerns.
In North Carolina, child abuse reports and foster care placements have dropped during the pandemic, the News & Observer previously reported.
Safe to reopen school?
The first campaign ad began airing Thursday on cable television. The 30-second spot emphasizes the negative impacts of school closure, citing how grades are falling and students are missing meals and feeling isolated.
The ad also cites how groups such as the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say schools can safely reopen if proper safety measures are taken.
“Those on the left have repeatedly argued that science must be trusted when it comes to our pandemic response, and as they continue to backtrack on those words, conservative policymakers in the states will keep leading the effort to reopen schools and provide children the opportunity to get the educational experience they deserve,” Duncan said.
But groups such as the North Carolina Association of Educators say that teachers and other school employees should be vaccinated first before schools are required to reopen for in-person instruction. The state is opening up vaccinations for school employees starting on Wednesday.
Nationally, Democratic President Joe Biden has removed high schools from his pledge to get most U.S. public schools reopened during his first 100 days in office. the Associated Press reported. Biden said Tuesday that his 100-day goal now is to have most elementary schools open five days a week, the Associated Press reported.
This story was originally published February 18, 2021 at 12:08 PM with the headline "‘Let kids learn’ — Conservative groups’ new ad campaign targets NC for school reopening."
