Braun Tells Schools "Take a Little Risk" in Reopening

Mike Braun
Official Senate Photo

Mike Braun wants teachers, students, parents and school leaders to, "Take a little risk," and reopen schools for full in-person instruction. 

Anything less, Braun apparently thinks, is a "head in the sand" approach.

Citing Notre Dame and Purdue University as examples, Braun criticized Arizona education leaders casting doubt on the August 17 mandated start. Ironically, he also encouraged schools to mitigate risks and, "Be safe." Braun made his comments on Stuart Varney's program on Fox Business.

That's your Senator, Indiana. 

Braun, of course, loves nothing more than attempting to please Donald Trump at all times. He showed a little independence earlier this year in pushing qualified immunity reform, but he snapped back into line when he received a little pushback. 

This seat is the same seat once occupied by Richard Lugar and Joe Donnelly. Can you imagine either of them telling parents to risk the lives of their students? Can you imagine them asking teachers to risk their lives so brazenly?

All of these comments come as the CDC and the United States Government have provided confusing and constantly changing guidance for schools on how to open safely. At first, the CDC provided clear guidelines, but Vice President Mike Pence and President Trump pushed back and undermined the agency who revised the plan making the guidance less strict.

I guess the question for Senator Braun is to define what a "little risk" is. After he defines it, he needs to tell us if he's prepared for the possibility that opening schools for in-person full instruction could add to the nearly 3,000 Hoosiers who have already died and all the horrible scenarios that come with that.

Indiana schools lack any guidance from Governor Holcomb on what to do right now in day-to-day operation. He's pushed that off on local communities. On the surface, that makes a lot of sense. What's appropriate in Benton County may not be the same as what's appropriate in Marion County. In practice, it's created a lot of confusion among administrators and school boards about whether to open fully in person, use some hybrid of in person and online learning or moving totally online. 

In the absence of any guidance from the state, Marion County created an easy-to-follow protocol and communicated it last week. It remains to be seen as to why the state can't copy Virginia Caine's homework on this. I predict that eventually, Governor Holcomb and the Indiana State Department of Health will follow Marion County's lead because that is essentially what has happened often since March.

But, back to Mike Braun. Using a higher education model to somehow shame local school boards is ridiculous. Purdue, Notre Dame and Indiana are all requiring COVID-19 tests for students returning to campus in some form. There is no such requirement or funding for K-12 students and staff as schools reopen. I'd argue that with a rising statewide positivity rate in testing that it's impossible to know what exactly we're risking.

Arizona's Hayden-Winkleman Unified District Superintendent Jeff Gregorich was more blunt about what's at risk in talking about his rural Arizona district. He told the Washington Post that he's been working hard to open, but he sees no way that his district can safely provide in-person instruction. Gregorich wrote, "Kids will get sick, or worse. Family members will die. Teachers will die."

Hopefully Hoosier voters will remember Braun's callous position on this when he stands for reelection. For a former member of a school board, Braun seems ready to put Hoosier students, teachers, administrators and school staff in danger so he can look good in President Trump's eyes.

In the leadership vacuum that exists in Indiana, Braun should be empowering each local school board to make the best decision for their local district based on the guidance and information they are receiving from local health officials. He shouldn't be telling them to essentially head to the COVID-19 Casino and keep the rabbit's foot nearby for luck.

Spartz Campaign Releases Photo with Unmasked Candidate on Trail

Victoria Spartz
Official Indiana Senate Photo

Indiana State Senator Victoria Spartz is in a neck-and-neck battle with, in the interest of full disclosure, my friend, former State Rep. Christina Hale in Indiana's 5th Congressional District.

Because the race is so tight, it's no wonder that the candidates are out and about knocking doors and talking to voters even in the middle of this pandemic. In that vein, Spartz released a photo on Twitter of a particular moment from her campaigning on Saturday.

The photo, which I'll link here, shows Spartz with one of her daughters campaigning on the doorstep of a voter. The Republican and her daughter both have masks, but they are not wearing them. The voter is also unmasked. None of them are demonstrating social distancing.

First off, let's be fair. I don't know the voter. It's possible Spartz may have known the voter and the woman may have been screened somehow before the photo. I also don't know where the photo was taken. It could have been in Hamilton County or maybe even somewhere else in the expansive district, but, if the candidate was in Marion County, she was in violation of the mask mandate put into effect July 9 by Mayor Joe Hogsett.

Plus, it's just not safe to be going around these days knocking doors without a mask. After all, you're coming into contact with a wide variety of people on your journey knocking doors. If you're going to stop and get up close with people, the least you can do, under CDC recommendations, is to mask up when social distancing isn't possible.

City-County Councillor Ali Brown, who represents part of the 5th District, stated in a tweet that Spartz's behavior was unwelcome in her part of Marion County. "Please don't knock in my district if you aren't going to do the most basic thing to protect constituents. I care about the people who live here," Brown tweeted.

COVID-19 is no joke, and it's something candidates and campaigns are going to have to deal with in every action they take not only to keep themselves and their families safe but to keep the people they come into contact with safe. In the same way that candidates take great care to make sure their image is cultivated in the most positive light, candidates are going to have to demonstrate that they are willing to take steps like masking up.

Of course, there's also the possibility that Spartz may not care about masking up and being safe while door knocking. I think it's fair for reporters to ask her that question now given the photo her official campaign Twitter account sent out.