White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki disputed Fox News correspondent Peter Doocy after he claimed that President Joe Biden's administration believes that school boards should have "more of a say" than parents when it comes to children.
At Monday's White House briefing, Doocy noted that seven Virginia school districts have sued Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) over his ban on mask mandates.
"So who does the president think knows best for students? School board members or parents?" Doocy asked.
"The president believes that public health officials have the best guidance on what we can all do to protect ourselves," Psaki replied. "Studies show that masks reduce transmissions in school. They are a proven tool that helps keep teachers safe from Covid and they can thus help keep schools open and safe."
Doocy continued to fixate on the issue of parental rights.
"So if a parent wants to send their kid to school with no mask, should that child be allowed to go to school and be in class?" Doocy wondered.
"Again, what we're advising school districts on is to abide by public health guidelines and follow public health guidelines," Psaki explained. "It's about keeping an entire community safe and those are the decisions that people should focus on making."
Unhappy with Psaki's response, Doocy attempted to answer his own question.
"Just so it's crystal clear for anybody watching, you guys think that ultimately in this conflict between school board members and parents, the school board members should have more of a say," the Fox News correspondent stated.
"That's actually not what I said," Psaki observed. "I think everybody should abide by public health guidelines, not just to keep their own kids safe, but keep their school community safe, whether it's teachers, classmates, administrators or others in schools."
Watch the video below from Fox News.
Jen Psaki corrects misinformation from Peter Doocy on 'school boards'www.youtube.com
