COMMENTARY: Congress can help get schools open

As everyone knows, the COVID-19 pandemic has altered our way of life. While we start to adapt to this new normal, we need to take steps now to ensure America and Nevada can get back on their feet. Just as reopening our local businesses is essential to getting our economy up and running, it is equally essential that we reopen our classrooms. And the key to doing that starts with responsible reform by Congress that will protect Nevada’s schools so they can promptly get back to educating our students.

As a former legislator and member of Nevada’s State Board of Education, I’ve seen firsthand the number of sacrifices our educators make to ensure our students are taught in a safe environment that allows them to learn. I’ve recently heard from many of them who are eager to get back to teaching in person but are wary of what that will entail. If we make the necessary preparations now to support and protect our schools and teachers, we can reopen our classrooms in a safe and responsible manner that works for everyone.

Despite the Nevada Legislature’s failure in the recent special session to offer liability protections to our schools, it turns out there’s proposed federal legislation that will accomplish just that, and it can easily be included in the next round of coronavirus aid.

Senate Republicans, led by Mitch McConnell of Kentucky and John Cornyn of Texas, recently unveiled legislation as part of the HEALS Act that would temporarily offer legal protections to help protect schools when individuals potentially exposed to the coronavirus on campus sue them. These protections would limit frivolous lawsuits and allow classrooms to open quickly and stay open.

This proposal is not a call for blanket immunity. Schools would still be required to follow proper safety guidelines from states and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and make every effort to offer our students the ability to learn in a safe, clean and healthy environment — and would be held liable when they do not. These protections would begin immediately and last at least through the end of 2024, providing the ample time needed to adjust.

A recent survey revealed that 80 percent of voters favor coronavirus lawsuit reform that will allow for the protection of our schools. I’ve spent my entire career working closely with members of both parties, and these results show that liability protection is not a Republican issue or Democrat issue. It’s an American issue that appeals across the political spectrum. It’s a win for Nevada and a win for America’s teachers.

When the time is right, our children will return to the classroom — but let’s do it the right way by protecting our schools and teachers. It’s time for Congress to act and get behind these common-sense, responsible reforms.

Pat Hickey, executive director of Advocates for Charter School Options, is a former member of the Nevada State Board of Education and a former Republican member of the Nevada Assembly.