With a normal president, an obvious question to be asked of Donald Trump at any point would be, “Will you be sending your son to school on campus this fall …” or even “Will you be in favor of sending your grandchildren to school on campus this fall …” but Trump does such a good and convincing job of not caring about his children – at least not until they’re old enough to help him make money – the question loses some of its power. Still. it needed to be asked, and according to People Magazine,

Trump sort of answered:

The president told reporters Wednesday that he would be “comfortable” with sending Barron and his grandchildren back to school, while the COVID-19 respiratory illness continues to impact the United States and the world. “I would like to see the schools open, 100 percent,” the president, 74, said. “And we’ll do it safely. We’ll do it carefully.”

Notice that the answer doesn’t include any reference to his child or grandchildren.

Regardless, Barron Trump’s school isn’t opening for normal on-campus instruction this fall:

Despite President Donald Trump’s push to have schools reopen their classrooms in the fall, his son Barron Trump won’t be sitting in class full-time anytime soon.

The private St. Andrew’s Episcopal School in Maryland — which the 14-year-old began attending after moving to Washington, D.C. — announced this week that while a final decision has yet to be made, it is planning not to fully reopen its campus in the fall because of novel coronavirus concerns.

In a letter to parents this week, St. Andrew’s said it is preparing either to continue with online classes or to implement a hybrid plan for the next school year, which would use both e-learning and in-person classes by allowing groups of its students to return to campus in cycles, along with social distancing. “We are hopeful that public health conditions will support our implementation of the hybrid model in the fall,” the school’s letter says.

Of course, that is what they are doing. That is what every responsible institution without a political agenda is doing, making the best of it while acknowledging that there is no good answer. Acting like the virus doesn’t exist – as Trump would prefer us all to do – is not a “good answer.” In this matter, most Americans are happy to follow the example set by Barron’s school, rather than Barron’s father.

And Barron’s school could open as normal. Maryland Governor Larry Hogan overruled Montgomery County and stated that private schools could open to in-person classes this fall. But St. Andrew’s has decided to stick with the County’s order, which states private schools have to wait until at least October 1st to reopen fully.

Which is a good thing. The school is doing what is best for their students. Now if only Trump would allow other school systems to do the same.

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Peace, y’all
Jason
[email protected] and on Twitter @MiciakZoom