WASHINGTON, D.C.—Today, Rep. Grijalva led a letter signed by 31 other Members of Congress to Puerto Rico Governor Ricardo Rosselló expressing their opposition to current plans to close 280 public schools across the island. This comes less than one year after the closure of 167 schools, bringing the total number of schools to nearly 450. As Puerto Rico still struggles to recover from Hurricane Maria and the debt crisis, the negative impacts on Puerto Rico’s people will be harsh. The latest wave of school closures will affect over 66,000 students. The letter read in part:

“Puerto Rico’s public schools have been the institutions that offer children stability in the aftermath of a disaster and continue to function as centers of community. We call on your Administration to institute a moratorium on all school closing until a full, fair, and transparent needs assessment is conducted and determines how to best provide Puerto Rico’s students with an equal opportunity to education. The long term health and recovery of Puerto Rico depends on it.”

Click here to view the full text of the letter.