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San Diego first-time voters weigh-in on politics in education amid coronavirus pandemic

One student believes classroom instruction should be gotten rid of all together while others said teaching needs to be brought to campus.

SAN DIEGO COUNTY, Calif. — Politics is rearing its head in education and several first-time voters say it has no place in it. News 8 has been following a group of first-time voters in San Diego since last fall tackling a number of issues. 

News 8's first-time voters will be starting their first or second year of college online. One student believes classroom instruction should be gotten rid of all together while others said teaching needs to be brought to campus. They wholeheartedly believe politics has a lot to do with it and decisions made now will play a role in the November election.

Fresh out of high school or starting their second year of college, first-time voters are keeping tabs on education and the impact it’s having on the current climate. 

“The biggest question that nobody is asking is 'why?' Why do we need to bring students back into the classroom to do everything that they could do online and that we know for a fact isn't really helping them,” said Mithil Pujar, Del Norte High School graduate.  

Pujar will be an incoming freshman at highly selective Minerva Schools which uses remote learning.  

Jack Roper, who was homeschooled and also graduated with credits from Palomar College believes teaching belongs back in the classroom. 

“So I think having the in-person learning is vital to have in some situations for some different people,” said Roper.  

Madeline Austin, an incoming sophomore at MiraCosta College, said she has more concern with safety. 

“I don't think it's a student-only thing that we need to take into account here. I think it has to do with staff, has to do with janitorial, has to do with administration and obviously teachers as well,” said Austin.  

News 8's first-time voters are students across San Diego County who come from different socio-economic backgrounds and political views. 

Since October, News 8's Abbie Alford has met with the voters for Democratic presidential debates and education has come up a few times but now with the pandemic, it's in the front row. 

“Politics are playing, I think, almost an even bigger role in education today because everybody's trying to chime in about what education means or what education we're supposed to open. We're supposed to [open] all these types of things and not really asking the question, 'why?'” said Pujar.  

Money has also become an issue school districts blame. President Donald Trump has threatened to withhold federal funds if schools don't reopen on campus.  

“Correct me if I'm wrong, but wouldn't that harm schools in more impoverished communities?" said Hurao Pablo-Cook, a School of Creative and Performing Arts (SEPA) graduate. 

Higher education is a topic also impacting first-time voters. Diego Estrada graduated from Morse High School in southeast San Diego and has been accepted to the Ivy League school Cornell University which is starting online in the fall. 

He's torn between staying home to be safe and to save money or moving to the New York campus for the experience. 

“[There will be] masks everywhere, assigned seats, no orientation week - it's gonna be online. So... I don't know yet. I have to weigh the benefits of going back,” said Estrada.  

Whether schools are going back to the classroom or teaching online, students say education will matter when they vote Nov. 3. 

At the end of each meetup News 8 asks the students if they had to vote today who would they vote for: 

Mithil Pujar: Biden 

Jack Roper: Trump  

Madeline Austin: Biden  

Hurao Pablo-Cook: Biden 

Diego Estrada: Biden (He was undecided in May).  

View News 8's The Learning Curve special in its entirety here:

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