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Rep. Robinson holds Virtual Town Hall on Reopening Schools

Says digital event gives constituents opportunity to ask questions, offer input concerns about upcoming school year
July 22, 2020
Phillip M. Robinson, Jr. News

COLUMBUS –State Rep. Phil Robinson (D-Solon) Monday evening held a virtual community town hall as part of the 2nd Ohio Promise Virtual Town Hall Tour, a series of digital events this summer where local lawmakers provide a Statehouse update on issues including COVID-19, police reform, education, jobs and the economy, election reform, racial justice and systemic racism, and gun safety.

“This was my first town hall with a panel discussion. I felt it was important for the pressing issue of reopening schools to bring in the view points of education leaders and those who will be on the frontlines of administering our children’s education this fall,” said Rep. Robinson. “One of my clear takeaways from the event was that teachers and parents have a lot of concerns about the health and safety of reopening schools, and that there isn’t enough support for students and schools to have either in-person or virtual class options, regardless of what school districts decide. The Ohio House needs to reconvene as soon as possible to address these issues and support schools and families this year.”

The focus of this virtual town hall was a panel discussion on the upcoming fall reopening of schools for the 2020-2021 school year and other struggles schools and parents are facing during the pandemic.

The panel included:

  • Melissa Cropper, President of the Ohio Federation of Teachers (OFT)
  • Scott DiMauro, President of the Ohio Education Association (OEA)
  • Jackie Arendt, President-Elect of the Ohio Parent Teacher Association (Ohio PTA) and North Royalton City School Board member
  • Joelle Magyar, Superintendent of Brecksville-Broadview Heights City School District
  • Suzanne Hrusch, MPH, RS, and School Environment Program Manager with the Cuyahoga County Board of Health (CCBH)

This town hall and upcoming digital events allow constituents to hear from lawmakers, ask questions, and offer input on ways to address the issues facing their communities.

Rep. Robinson will be holding two more town halls as part of 2nd Ohio Promise Tour. Details on the other town halls will come in future announcements, but the current tentative schedule for the summer series of town halls include:

  • August 23, 2020 – 6:30-8:00 PM
  • September 7, 2020 – 6:30-8:00 PM

The 2nd Ohio Promise Virtual Town Hall Tour is a follow-up to the more than 25 in-person events Democratic lawmakers held in the summer of 2019. Rep. Robinson continued to hold town halls in his District 6 Town Hall Tour, which work to the representative’s goal to have a town hall event in each of the district’s 17 communities. To date, Rep. Robinson has held 14 town halls in 11 communities and three district-wide, virtual events.

Democrats say the uncertainty felt by many in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, economic recession, and civil unrest makes now the right time to get out and listen to what everyday Ohioans have to say.

Link to watch full virtual town hall event: https://www.facebook.com/RepPhilRobinson/videos/1954247438208178/

For the latest information on the Ohio Promise Virtual Town Hall Tour, dates and more, visit www.ohiohousedemocrats.org/ohiopromise.

Rep. Robinson represents Ohio’s 6th House District, which includes Bentleyville, Brecksville, Broadview Heights, Chagrin Falls & Chagrin Falls Township, Gates Mills, Glenwillow, Highland Heights, Hunting Valley, Independence, Lyndhurst, Mayfield Village, Moreland Hills, Oakwood Village, Seven Hills, Solon, Valley View, and Walton Hills.

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