Madison Reporter

Rep. Bryan Steil is cosponsoring the Open Schools Act with Rep. Rodney Davis.

“We must keep our schools OPEN,” Steil tweeted.

This would provide up to a $10,000 grant to students if their local public school is closed to in-person learning for COVID-related reasons.

According to the press release from Davis, “A closed or shut down school means any school that is partially or temporarily closed, is partially in-person, fully shut down or is operating in any manner in which less than 100% of the school’s students are learning in-person on a given day due to COVID.”

The grant can be used for tuition, transportation, school meals or any other education-related expenses. 

“Teachers unions are failing our kids. School closures rob our nation’s children of an education beyond just what they learn in the classroom. Countless children, many of whom are from poor and minority neighborhoods, have had no option when their schools fail them. America’s laptop class is blind to the challenges facing working families, and it’s time we put the needs of our children first. Power in the hands of parents, not teachers unions,” Davis said.

The Chicago Teachers Union members did a walkout after the move from Steil and Davis. There have been several school closures in Wisconsin that some Republicans have heavily criticized, including Rep. Mike Gallagher. Gallagher even said that the whole decision of not engaging in in-person learning is based on “outdated science.”

“In Milwaukee, 66% of kids tested in the lowest category of math. They’re now falling further behind. We have to keep schools open,” Gallagher said.