‘The house is on fire and the children are trapped’

PHILADELPHIA – Swing-state stumping this week, Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) sounded the alarm for children trapped in America’s failing public schools, calling wholeheartedly on more leaders to Support school-choice measures,

“The house is on fire and there are children trapped at the top of the stairs,” Scott said Thursday. “To save the children, someone has to be willing to go into the fire to get as many children out as possible.”

The senator continued, “We can’t get them all out, but I think we have a responsibility to save as many children as possible in a burning house in our country.” He described “anything less” as an “abject failure”.

Scott made the comments while campaigning with Pennsylvania GOP Senate candidate Dave McCormick at a public forum at Philadelphia’s Liguori Academy, a private high school in the city’s Old Richmond neighborhood.

Scott said of his potential future Senate colleague, “There’s someone who understands that education should be about kids, not adults, and that’s Dave McCormick.”

McCormick told dozens of people attending Thursday’s roundtable that the new enthusiasm for school choice was a silver lining of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“In this one area, COVID was a blessing,” McCormick said. “Because our parents were looking over our kids’ shoulders on these Zoom calls. “They became more engaged in what was happening in education.”

Scott – who recalled his experience attending multiple public schools growing up in South Carolina – said the issue of school choice could be one the entire country can get behind.

“This shouldn’t be a partisan issue, but it is,” Scott said, adding that strong majorities of Americans across all demographic groups supported measures aimed at allowing parents to pull their children out of failing public schools. .

Scott argued that public sector teacher unions pose the greatest obstacle to progress.

Amanda Greenberg, who teaches at a private school in suburban Delaware County, came out to see Scott and McCormick on Thursday. He told The Post that the lack of support from his union influenced his move from public to private education — even though he had to take a pay cut.

“I didn’t feel that the teachers union was representing me, my interests, and my students,” Greenberg said.

“I knew I wanted to continue teaching and I wanted to work with kids,” she said. “But I also knew it needed to work for us as a family.”

Greenberg, who is Jewish, also said she had pulled her children out of Philadelphia public schools following the Hamas terrorist attack on Israel on Oct. 7 — a culture of antisemitism It had become widespread in the district.

Scott also targeted President Biden Calling Donald Trump’s supporters “trash” In an interview with The Post after Thursday’s incident.

“Call me trash for supporting low unemployment, low inflation, high spirits, respect on the world stage,” Scott said. “I expect to see a lot of trash at the polls between now and Tuesday!”