Gov. Cooper vetoes NC school reopening bill

RALEIGH, NC (WWAY/WTVD) — Gov. Roy Cooper said Friday that he has vetoed Senate Bill 37: In-Person Learning Choice for Families.

“Students learn best in the classroom, and I have strongly urged all schools to open safely to in-person instruction and the vast majority of local school systems have done just that,” Cooper said. “However, Senate Bill 37 falls short in two critical areas. First, it allows students in middle and high school to go back into the classroom in violation of NC Department of Health and Human Services and CDC health guidelines. Second, it hinders local and state officials from protecting students and teachers during an emergency.”

Cooper said he told the Legislature that he would sign the bill if these two problems are fixed.

State House Speaker Tim Moore (R-Cleveland) to Governor Cooper’s veto of legislation.

“With this veto the Governor ignored desperate parents, policy experts, and students who are suffering from his refusal to let them return to the classroom,” Speaker Moore said. “The legislature has worked hard to find common ground with the Governor, but we have a constitutional duty to provide education access to our students and will pursue a veto override on behalf of North Carolina families.”

Cooper contended that the bill threatens public health just as North Carolina strives to emerge from the pandemic.

Republicans said the North Carolina Association of Educators opposed the bill, saying teachers’ unions are “flexing their political muscle” to withhold or minimize in-person education.

“At the same time the Governor boasts of teacher vaccinations after giving them a higher priority than cancer patients, he vetoes this school reopening bill because it offers school districts the flexibility to operate under the plan that best suits their on-the-ground needs,” said Sen. Deanna Ballard, R-Watauga, who co-chairs the Senate Education Committee and sponsored Senate Bill 37.

“With teacher vaccinations in full swing, there is no legitimate excuse for Gov. Cooper and the far-left NCAE to oppose the broad reopening flexibility this bill grants to school districts,” Ballard added. “The far-left NCAE owns the Governor’s mansion. Thankfully, Senate Bill 37 passed with enough bipartisan support to override Gov. Cooper’s veto, and we expect to bring it up for an override vote.”