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Schools near Reopening in Arizona; Texas Schools Can Stay Online-only Longer; Charleston Implements Mask Mandate. Aired 9:30-10a ET

Aired July 15, 2020 - 09:30   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[09:30:00]

JIM SCIUTTO, CNN ANCHOR: Spiking for weeks now in Arizona. Now school is set to start there in just weeks. One district in Rio Rico, Arizona, set to misters (ph) like those used on NFL sidelines and set them up to spray disinfect in hopes of keeping classrooms safe.

CNN's Evan McMorris-Santoro, he takes us inside such a classroom right now.

How does this work, Evan?

EVAN MCMORRIS-SANTORO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, good morning, Jim.

The first thing that you should probably know is that in some places in America, there's a question about whether or not schools will open to students in the fall. In Arizona, there is no question, because the governor has tied public school budgets to reopening to students in the fall. So if the school wants its -- wants money, it has to get students back in.

So here at Coatimundi Middle School in Rio Rico, they're trying to plan for the fall. And with only a few weeks away in Arizona, because school starts early. So one of the things that they've done is they've purchased these Power Breezer machines. I've got Eric over here from Power Breezer showing me how it works. And as you can see, it's kind of a machine like you're used to on the sidelines of the NFL, as you mentioned.

What this thing does, usually it cools down football players. But what it's doing now is it -- they put disinfectant inside the water tank and the idea is that when students aren't in class they're going to blast disinfectant around the classroom, coat everything in disinfectant, let it sit for a few minutes and then the theory is then the classroom will be safe.

Now, I want to show you the rest of what it looks like because this classroom is set up for classes which will begin here August 30th. This is usually a 28-person classroom, 28 students. You can see it's down to 14 desks. So this is the kind of thing they've having to do. They're going to have to go to a hybrid schedule. Kids will come to school just a couple days a week.

I talked to the superintendent about this and what he's -- how his plans are affecting the future of the school here.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MCMORRIS-SANTORO: So looking at the classroom, down from 28 desks to 14 desks, you've got an NFL Power Breezer in the corner.

DAVID VERDUGO, SUPERINTENDENT, SANTA CRUZ VALLEY UNITED SCHOOL DISTRICT: Yes.

MCMORRIS-SANTORO: Is this going to be safe?

VERDUGO: We hope. You know, that's a -- I can't guarantee. You know, that's one of those things that this pandemic has really showing us, that it's -- there's no 100 percent answer and our goal is to provide as much opportunity for our students and our families and our staff to stay safe.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MCMORRIS-SANTORO: So, Jim, keeping schools safe, obviously a high priority. And here in Arizona, getting them open also a priority.

SCIUTTO: (INAUDIBLE) for a lot of parents around the country too if they could do so safely.

Evan McMorris-Santoro, thanks very much.

POPPY HARLOW, CNN ANCHOR: All right, so let's go to Texas now and the greater Houston area where school officials are grappling with the start of school around the corner. Houston's mayor is suggesting a two-week shutdown, sort of reverting back as this crisis grows more dire. Two thousand new cases of coronavirus were reported in that area yesterday alone.

I'm glad we have with us LaTonya Goffney. She's the superintendent of Aldine Independent School District, just north of Houston.

It's really good to have you.

The governor of Texas yesterday sort of loosened control and basically said it's more up to school districts to decide what you guys want to do. I'm sure that's welcome news.

You're supposed to open your doors August 17th. What's going to happen? Is it any kids can go to school that want to and the rest can learn at home?

LATONYA GOFFNEY, SUPERINTENDENT, ALDINE INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT: I'm glad to be here and glad to have this conversation.

If it's OK, I'd like to sight the context. We know that Aldine Independent School District is located in Houston. If you're ever flown into Bush Intercontinental Airport, you were in the middle of -- in the middle of Aldine. Aldine, we're very diverse. We have 73 percent Hispanic, 23 percent African-American and over 67,000 students and 9,000 employees. I tell you that context because as everything's spiking, when you look

at the subgroups who make up our district, those are some of our families who are suffering the most. And so as we think about the spike and we think about the safety, what's top of mind for our team is our teachers. When we started the process of looking at how we were going to return to learn, our priority was going as fast as we could, but as slow as we must.

HARLOW: Do they --

GOFFNEY: And with all of the spikes, we have to go slowly.

HARLOW: Do your teachers want -- do the majority of your teachers want to be physically in the classroom? And, Superintendent, do they have a choice, meaning if they don't report to school and choose to stay home, will they lose their jobs?

GOFFNEY: What I know -- what I know for sure is our teachers love teaching and they love our kids and they miss our kids. But I also know that safety is a top priority. We want to provide choices for our parents and our families. And so there are going to be two choices, to learn at home or to learn at school.

HARLOW: Right.

GOFFNEY: And in the event that you choose to learn at school, then our teachers are going to have to prepare for that. And so that's top of mind right now.

HARLOW: It sounds like because of that they -- they don't have a choice. I mean will they keep their job if they don't --

GOFFNEY: Oh, absolutely. Absolutely.

HARLOW: If they -- if they don't -- if they don't go to school?

[09:35:02]

GOFFNEY: What I can say about Aldine ISD and the teachers that we have, they're eager to make a difference for our students. We set out an agenda of strategic priorities and we want to make sure and meet the needs of our students. But right now, while education is important, safety is important.

HARLOW: Sure.

GOFFNEY: And in order for us to accomplish any of our goals, we need our teachers. And we need our best teachers to put their best foot forward as we make the difference during this pandemic.

HARLOW: Yes.

GOFFNEY: So no teacher is going to lose their job in Aldine.

HARLOW: OK.

GOFFNEY: We need all the teachers that we can get, yes, ma'am.

HARLOW: I'm sure that's really welcome news for them.

I'm glad you set the context of the demographic and what makes up your school district because one thing I also want people to know is that 89 percent of the 67,000 students that you serve receive free lunch. And that means they come from low income families. And we also know that in those -- in low income areas, there is, from the data less -- often less access to their own computer to use, less broadband. I wonder if you can guarantee those children that they will have a truly equal shot at an education if a majority of it is online.

GOFFNEY: What I know for sure is the guarantee or the great equalizer for education in the classroom with a highly effective teacher. And, unfortunately, during this pandemic, we can't guarantee that we're going to be able to bring our students back. As a matter of fact, in Aldine we know we will not be bringing our students back on August 17th. But we are going to do everything that we can to provide equipment, to provide access for our students.

In March, when we had to pivot quickly and set up an at home learning opportunities for all of our students, we immediately began to partner with our legislatures, as well as the mayor and county and many others to provide devices for our families. In addition, it was a priority for our board and so we purchased additional hot spots.

You may not think it because Aldine is urban, that we have spots where there's no connectivity.

HARLOW: Yes.

GOFFNEY: And we've had to work around that. And so that's the priority. We know that in order to have learning at home, we have to have devices at home so that our students can have access at home. And so that's certainly a priority for us.

HARLOW: One teacher, finally, Candace Houston (ph), whose president of the Aldine's Federation of Teachers, you know she expressed a lot of concern about PPEs. She thinks there won't be enough for teachers. They'll have to buy it themselves.

Can you guarantee that for any teacher that is in the school building teaching, they will have adequate PPE, protective gear, paid for and provided by the district?

GOFFNEY: What I can guarantee you is that safety is going to be the ultimate priority. Anyone who enters our buildings is going to be required to wear a mask. We're going to provide our teachers with a mask, in addition T.A. provided us with some additional PPE equipment. And so while teachers may opt to purchase their own, they will be provided with a mask to wear in the event that they're selected to teach at school.

HARLOW: OK.

Well, Superintendent Goffney, thank you and good luck to you. GOFFNEY: Thank you.

HARLOW: Jim.

SCIUTTO: A real challenge for communities across the country.

As South Carolina watches coronavirus cases, their surge as well, the city of Charleston is now mandating masks as well as implementing other new restrictions. We're going to speak to the mayor there, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:42:30]

SCIUTTO: Welcome back.

This morning, new coronavirus restrictions are going into effect in Charleston, South Carolina. Masks, which have been shown by the science to prevent the spread of this disease, are now required in all parts of the city. Bars and restaurants will be limited to 50 percent capacity.

This comes as the state recorded more than 2,000 new cases yesterday. That is the second highest number of cases recorded in a day in two weeks.

With me now to talk about this, Charleston, South Carolina, Mayor John Tecklenburg.

Mayor, thanks for taking the time this morning.

MAYOR JOHN TECKLENBURG, (D) CHARLESTON, SOUTH CAROLINA: Good morning, Jim. How are you?

SCIUTTO: So -- I'm good. I'm good. And we do appreciate you taking the time. We know you have a lot on your plate.

I want to ask you, so you've done what health experts really have been recommending for some time, which is get people to wear masks, right? That stops the spread of this.

I just wonder, in your view, do localized mandates work if the state, more broadly, has not instituted a similar mandate, as is the case in South Carolina?

TECKLENBURG: Well, here in South Carolina, the state has left it up to local jurisdictions. And that's why we need to move forward. And Charleston, just last night, passed the toughest requirements and put some restrictions, further restrictions, on gatherings and bars and restaurants where people have been congregating, socializing and the -- and the virus has been spreading.

So we did this a couple of months ago when Charleston was the first to put a stay at home and restrict non-essential businesses and we didn't even have a curve at first. We kept it flat. But, unfortunately, the whole country has seen this, when we've reopened and really got ahead of the reopening guidelines, the numbers have gone off the chart.

SCIUTTO: Yes, I mean, you mentioned the guidelines. And that's one of the amazing things here, right, isn't it? I mean the CDC, they've been issued for months, right? You got to have 14 days downward trend in cases. And so on.

I wonder if you could talk about what has been presented as something of a false choice, right? Well, you can't shut down because you need the economy to reopen, but from your standpoint, can Charleston's economy reopen sustainably if the outbreak is not under control?

TECKLENBURG: Well, no. And not for a sustained period of time. And we're seeing that now. Our health care system is challenged. It's not overwhelmed yet, but if it gets to the point that it's overwhelmed, then we'll have to head back to those closing business measures.

[09:45:01]

We really don't want to do this.

So our last-ditch effort is to increase their requirements and preach the three w's, to wear a mask, to watch your distance and to wash your hands. And we've added some enforcement and some fines so that we add a little extra push to the compliance.

SCIUTTO: Interesting.

I wonder, as a representative there, interested in doing the best you can for your constituents, are you amazed at all, disappointed, that all these months into the pandemic, that this is still a subject of debate? You know, the wisdom of wearing masks, et cetera, given that the data in this country and every other country that's been through this has shown it helps, it saves lives.

Are you just amazed we are where we are today?

TECKLENBURG: Well, the data is clear and we've all been preaching it. I hate to admit that Americans and -- some Americans, you know, didn't really take the pandemic seriously when things started opening up. They just figured we're back to normal again and Katie unbar the door and we're back socializing and things are happening and there -- you've seen it all over the country, the numbers spreading.

So we've got to take this seriously. The measures that we can take now, shy of closing down, are wearing a mask and being safe. I urge not only the citizens of Charleston, but all over this country, from folks to follow these simple practices. It matters to all of our citizens and it matters to our economy going forward.

SCIUTTO: Yes.

Do you still get pushback to the argument? Do you find people who say, hey, this is my constitutional right not to wear a mask?

TECKLENBURG: We had almost a unanimous vote last night. There's a little pushback out there, but really not much. It's time, folks. We need to wear the masks. We need to take this seriously, get this curve under control so that we can keep our businesses and economy open.

SCIUTTO: Mayor, you're doing God's work. We wish you, we wish the people of Charleston the best of luck.

TECKLENBURG: Thank you. We're a beautiful and historic city and fun too, but we've just got to wear that mask. Thanks.

SCIUTTO: I hear you. I hear you.

HARLOW: I can't wait to get to Charleston after all of this, that is for sure. Thanks so much to the mayor.

All right, well, this morning, Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is in a Maryland hospital. We have the latest on her condition.

SCIUTTO: And from the farms of Oklahoma to the beaches of Miami, W. Kamau Bell is taking on injustice and inequality across America. It's an all-new season of "United Shades of America with W. Kamau Bell." It starts Sunday night, 10:00 Eastern Time. It's a great series, really revealing about this country on a lot of levels, only on CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:52:16]

HARLOW: Welcome back.

While Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg is in the hospital this morning. She's battling what they believe is a potential infection. She's 87 years old and, as you know, she is a leader of the high court's liberal minority. This is another health scare for her after she has survived four bouts with cancer.

SCIUTTO: CNN's Supreme Court analyst Joan Biskupic joins us now from Washington.

So, Joan, she's had health problems a number of times. It's -- tell us what we're learning about her condition today.

JOAN BISKUPIC, CNN SUPREME COURT ANALYST: Sure.

Good morning, Jim.

She is in Baltimore at Johns Hopkins Hospital being treated for potential infection in a stent in her bile duct. It was a stent that was put in about a year ago because of some pancreatic treatment she was undergoing. And what we've been told is that she experienced some chills and fever the night before. She was treated, examined at a local hospital here in Washington, D.C., and then brought up to Johns Hopkins, which is a kind of precaution that she's almost always taking. And so they administered some antibiotics through an IV feed and we've been told that she could go home soon. We're not sure whether it's today or later in the week, but apparently all signals are that they've been able to address the problem and treat her sufficiently. And the reason, you know, when one individual in America gets chills

and fevers we all pay attention, it's because it is the notorious RBG. If she at age 87 felt any kind of need to leave the bench, it would give Donald Trump a third appointment to this court --

HARLOW: Right.

BISKUPIC: A court that is so tightly divided right now.

HARLOW: Yes. Which, to your point, Joan, I mean there -- there were those, even big RBG fans, who were pushing her during the Obama administration to retire, you know, to give him ample time, before the Merrick Garland -- ample time to nominate someone. And she hung on and she has a personal trainer and she talks about eating a lot of kale, really believing she can continue to do this job for years.

BISKUPIC: You know, that's right. I used to interview her during those years in her chambers, when people from the -- not just in the Obama administration, but liberals outside were suggesting maybe it was time for her to step down and give somebody else a chance. And she said to me, who are they going to get who's as liberal as I am in these -- in these polarized times?

HARLOW: Yes.

BISKUPIC: And her attitude was, you -- you folks, you deal with what you need to do. Maybe get someone elected in 2016. Maybe now get someone elected in 2020. But she was in it for the long haul and, look it, she's made it. She's at least made it this far and she is quite resilient and she's vigilant about her health and I think that's what we're experiencing and seeing with these trips to the hospital.

[09:55:00]

She gets something taken care of immediately.

HARLOW: OK. We wish her well, of course, as did the president yesterday.

BISKUPIC: Yes.

HARLOW: Joan, thanks very much.

BISKUPIC: Thank you, Poppy.

HARLOW: Well, this morning the president's niece, Mary Trump, is speaking out for the first time since that release of her tell-all book on Donald Trump. She's doubling down on her accusation that the president paid a friend named Joe Shapiro to take his SATs in high school. Listen to what she is claiming.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARY TRUMP, PRESIDENT TRUMP'S NIECE: I am absolutely confident that it's true. I'm happy to -- finally to be able to speak about it. I also know that it was not the Joe Shapiro people have been focusing on.

I think the only people other than me who can address it are other people in my family, and I look forward to hearing their response to that question.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCIUTTO: President Trump, we should note, has denied this claim. He also made an effort to block -- to sue to block the publication of the book that failed. Mary Trump also says her uncle should resign and claims he is, quote, utterly incapable of leading the country.

Coronavirus cases are climbing nationwide. Several states are breaking records on a daily basis and one of the nation's top doctors say the worst of this outbreak is yet to come.

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