Dear Mr. President-elect

Text by SEBASTIAN BONNARD Art by EMMA WU Dear Mr. President-elect AN OPEN LETTER TO OUR NEW PRESIDENT DEAR PRESIDENT-ELECT JOE BIDEN, I want to begin this letter by congratulating you on a victory that I hope will serve as a moment of unification and progress for our country. You and Online education simply does not foster the same learning environment that in-person learning does. My experiences of online learning consist of people apprehensive to turn on their cameras or to speak when called upon, and utterly silent Zoom Vice President-elect Kamala Harris will make a formidable duo in breakout rooms. Few students, if any at all, are motivated to learn confronting one of the most challenging in this environment. periods in American history. During the past four years, A country cannot call itself Regardless of the pandemic, the current education system is critically President Donald Trump fueled division the “greatest country in undersupported. And though Palo with incessant, hateful rhetoric. And while your predecessor the world” when it spends Alto Unified School District students benefit from one of the best public certainly made his mark, you have the 10 times more money on school districts in the country, we must unique opportunity to rectify his actions as president. “defense” than education. continue to advocate for improvement in educational standards all around.

As a French-American, this Of the many ways this country has pandemic brought me many moments of regressed since Trump’s election is in the reflection about the differences between the two countries –– one Department of Education’s efforts to weaken public schools by being the perception of education in both countries. cutting funds and undermining protective federal education laws.

France endured a series of lockdowns –– like many The duty to promote the safe reopening of schools European countries –– in efforts to combat the and the (overdue) development of the American seemingly incessant surges in COVID-19 cases. education system now falls on you. Despite France’s third wave, schools have Your promise to fiscally support schools remained open; a testament to France’s during the pandemic should extend well prioritization of schools over gyms and beyond the burdens of COVID-19. other non-essential businesses. A country cannot call itself the “greatest

Protective guidelines such as country in the world” when it spends 10 mask mandates, social distancing times more money on “defense” than and air ventilation in schools have education. proven to be adequate measures in You have the chance to remedy the keeping transmission rates down mistakes of your predecessor and I look once the COVID-19 caseload has forward to seeing you make this country declined to a lower risk level. a more perfect union.

While cases skyrocket, I urge you to close the non-essential businesses and Sincerely, prioritize the schooling of the tens of millions of young Americans. Imposing Sebastian Bonnard nation-wide restrictions –– or even a lockdown –– will undoubtedly be unpopular, but it is the right thing to do.