Alexis I. du Pont High School in Wilmington, Delaware is apparently safe enough to host a Joe Biden campaign rally, but not safe enough for its students to attend school.
Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden and his recently announced running mate, Sen. Kamala Harris, appeared at a campaign rally at the high school on Wednesday, where up to several hundred people awaited them. “There’s little social distancing,” Delaware Online reported. Photos and videos posted to Twitter confirm how closely people stood together.
In any normal year, the first big formal VP nominee event would be in front of a giant crowd. But because of coronavirus, the Biden-Harris event today is not open to the public. That said, this crowd has gathered outside a school in Wilmington just hoping for a glimpse of them. pic.twitter.com/o4h0YtlrIW
— Kailani Koenig (@kailanikm) August 12, 2020
Crowd is predominantly @JoeBiden and @KamalaHarris supporters, though there’s the guy with the infanticide sign. pic.twitter.com/GoDveH8bK3
— Nikki Schwab (@NikkiSchwab) August 12, 2020
Crowd awaiting Biden and Harris outside the school where they’ll be speaking soon. pic.twitter.com/T1eVfLNBFP
— Jennifer Epstein (@jeneps) August 12, 2020
Supporters of Biden have arrived at a high school in Wilmington to see him and Kamala Harris arrive for today’s event. pic.twitter.com/LEckObn2ZT
— Mark Remillard (@MarkJRemillard) August 12, 2020
While Biden can use the taxpayer-funded facilities for a campaign rally, local students are still prohibited from using those facilities for their intended purpose of publicly educating the next generation. Any visitor to the high school’s website immediately meets an alert warning that students will begin the fall semester remotely. That’s because, the district says, it is taking a “‘safety first’ approach to learning this fall.” It will include no in-person instruction for at least the first six weeks of school, or until nearly the end of October.
The message redirects to the Red Clay school district’s page about reopening (or not reopening). “After much deliberation, consultation and synthesis of state guidance, we have decided to continue embracing a ‘safety first’ approach to learning this fall,” a message from Superintendent Dorrell Green says. “All Red Clay students will start the 2020-21 school year in a remote learning environment for the first six weeks.”
