(Patriot.Buzz) – After overseeing the biggest case of federal overreach in history, Dr. Anthony Fauci dropped a bombshell admission that is bound to enrage parents across the country.
Speaking on “CBS Mornings,” Fauci discussed his new memoir, “On Call: A Doctor’s Journey in Public Service” and shifted his stance on the prolonged school closures during the pandemic.
He acknowledged that keeping schools closed for over a year was a misstep, although he initially supported the closures.
“Keeping it for a year was not a good idea,” Fauci shared with co-host Tony Dokoupil, who then asked if this reflection meant that it was a mistake that would not be repeated. Fauci affirmed, “Absolutely, yeah.”
Previously, Fauci defended the shift to remote learning, both in sworn congressional testimony and public statements.
Amid discussions on reopening schools during the summer of 2020, Fauci highlighted CDC guidelines that recommended closures based on local virus spread.
He warned against reopening schools in areas with high infection rates and noted the potential for an “insidious increase” in cases as the school year approached.
On “PBS NewsHour,” Fauci suggested that extended virtual learning could become the norm in certain regions.
Despite his initial caution, Fauci consistently mentioned that reopening schools should be the primary goal only if local transmission rates were under control.
By September 2020, data from Brown University indicated that less than 1% of schools that reopened experienced COVID-19 cases.
However, a CDC study in January 2021 showed minimal evidence that schools significantly contributed to community virus spread.
Even then, many schools remained closed for the remainder of the academic year in part due to pressure from teachers’ unions.
In an October 2022 interview with ABC News’ Jonathan Karl and after announcing his retirement, Fauci hesitated to label the school closures a “mistake” due to concerns that he would be misinterpreted.
He discussed the unintended negative impacts of such decisions and said he was frustrated over being blamed for the school closures. “I had nothing to do [with it]. I mean, let’s get down to the facts,” he told Karl.
Amid these debates, the U.S. Department of Education reported in September 2022 that reading and math scores among nine-year-olds had significantly dropped.
This marks the steepest decline in reading in 30 years and the first-ever fall in math scores in the survey’s 50-year history.
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