Ron DeSantis warns of ‘longterm damage’ from shuttered schools

Ron DeSantis takes credit for school gains.

Florida’s Governor finds himself vindicated in making decisions to open brick and mortar schools, but noted Friday in Jacksonville that children in other states will suffer “longterm consequences.”

Gov. Ron DeSantis, highlighting the expansion of the Federal Pharmacy Program at a Walgreens in Jacksonville, soliloquized about the difference between schooling in Florida and in other states. He also defended his stance that in-person schools must be open despite contrary guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“We’re really proud of having kids in school in Florida. We think it’s really important. And to look around the country and see places where it’s like they’ve been out of school for a year, and it’s like there’s no end in sight, that’s going to have a whole lot of longterm damage,” DeSantis warned.

DeSantis highlighted US News and World Report ranking Florida third overall for Pre-K through university, noting that major gains for younger students happened during his anti-lockdown watch.

“The great news is that when I became Governor, we were ranked 40 in Pre-K through 12 by US News. In 2020, we got it down to 27. In March 2021 with the new rankings, we’re down to 16, in terms of the top Pre-K through 12,” DeSantis said.

“As all the dust settles from all this, the fact that our kids had the option to go to school, that’s going to benefit them. Some of these other areas where they haven’t been to school in person, they’re going to see big achievement gaps, and it’s unfortunate,” DeSantis added.

“I want Florida to do well, not necessarily on the backs of states that mishandled it, because those kids I think are going to suffer,” DeSantis added.

The Governor has railed against the prospect of school closures, offering unsolicited commentary consistent with that from many Florida Republicans on the subject.

“The fact that you’re going to have schools that are going to be closed for this entire school year and probably even into the fall is a national disgrace,” DeSantis said last month. “I watch what is going on in our country and it’s like ‘oh, well, after 100 days we will have — maybe — half the kids can go to school for one day’ and I’m like ‘we’ve been open the whole time for schools.'”