Statement on Gov. Cooper’s Veto of Bill to Reopen Schools

Cooper vetoes school reopening bill that passed with bipartisan supermajorities

Gov puts fealty to far-left NCAE ahead of parents and children desperate for certainty

Raleigh, N.C. — Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper today vetoed a school reopening bill that passed the legislature with bipartisan supermajorities.

The legislation, Senate Bill 37, requires all school districts to offer students in-person instruction while adhering to public health protocols.

Parents, some of whom have never before been politically active, have signaled their overwhelming support for the measure. Some have even purchased giant billboards imploring leaders to act.

But the far-left N.C. Association of Educators (NCAE) opposes the bill, mirroring a nationwide trend: Health and education experts say schools should be reopened immediately, but teachers’ unions are flexing their political muscle to withhold or minimize in-person education.

Sen. Deanna Ballard (R-Watauga), who co-chairs the Senate Education Committee and sponsored Senate Bill 37, said, “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.

“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.

“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.”