Education Department Creates Task Force to Help Parents, Schools Respond to Coronavirus

Education Secretary Betsy DeVos testifies during a Senate Committee discussing proposed budget estimates and justification for FY2020 for the Education Department in Washington on March 28, 2019. Zach Gibson/Getty Images

U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos announced Thursday that her department is assembling a task force to respond to the potential impact of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) on American schools.

DeVos made the announcement during a House Appropriations subcommittee hearing on President Donald Trump’s proposed education budget for fiscal year 2021. When asked by Rep. Cheri Bustos (D-Ill.) if there is any coordination between the Department of Education and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that would allow parents and schools to obtain the resources and information they need, DeVos responded that a task force has been set up.