DeSantis spokesman and Deputy Press Secretary Jeremy Redfern took the media to task for their dishonest reporting during the Covid-19 pandemic on Thursday.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis became an object of the media’s ire after he opened schools early during the pandemic.
Ron DeSantis is withholding the salaries of school board members that mandate masks — defying a judge’s order calling this unconstitutional. The GQP is officially defunding schools in the middle of a pandemic.
— MeidasTouch (@MeidasTouch) August 31, 2021
DeSantis ordered public schools to reopen in August of 2020, while most of the country’s schools did not reopen until part way into 2021, with some waiting until 2022.
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The left-leaning Daily Beast wrote that Florida schools were ‘feeling the heat’ after DeSantis decided to reopen schools in 2020.
“SCOOP: The DeSantis admin forced these two counties into reopening schools for in-person learning after they’d approved plans to implement virtual education,” she said. “Hendry Country has one of the highest infection rates in the state.”
The Superintendent of a Hendry County school district, Paul Puletti, said that he felt forced to reopen his school district because he didn’t want to lose state funding.
“I made the choice because I didn’t want to risk losing funding for this district,” then-Superintendent Paul Puletti said to The Daily Beast. “It’s all very stressful.”
Jeremy Redfern decided to hold the Daily Beast accountable today by asking that the journalist who wrote the article, Erin Banco, provide an ‘updated story.’
“The “heat” from [DeSantis] that forced county school boards to open schools was the right policy decision, and it was in the best interest of Florida’s students,” he said. “Maybe @ErinBanco can provide an updated story.”
The “heat” from @GovRonDeSantis that forced county school boards to open schools was the right policy decision, and it was in the best interest of Florida’s students.
Maybe @ErinBanco can provide an updated story. pic.twitter.com/rHrlosSB13
— Jeremy Redfern (@JeremyRedfernFL) September 1, 2022
A report released in May by the New York Times vindicated DeSantis’ stance on reopening schools early.
The report surveyed hundreds of school counselors and therapists and found that prolonged school closures severely impacted learning outcomes and students’ mental well-being.
‘Kids have the highest level of anxiety I’ve ever seen: anxiety about basic safety and fear of what could happen.’ Said one school counselor in Longmont, Colorado.
Another counselor said that they saw more fights in school.
‘I’ve seen more physical fights this year than in my 15 years combined.’ Another school counselor in Portland, Oregon, said.
A stunning 94 percent of school counselors surveyed said their students showed more anxiety and depression than before the pandemic.
Additional stories you may want to read:
DeSantis vindicated: Reopening schools quickly during pandemic saved FL children
Palm Beach Post school board article proves it’s not a newspaper
