Whoopi Goldberg says Kamala Harris' school hours plan could be like 'institutionalizing' kids

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Kamala Harris pitches $100 billion plan to fight Trump's 'war on rural America'

Reaction from Dear America podcast host Graham Allen.

"The View" co-host Whoopi Goldberg panned Sen. Kamala Harris' proposal for school districts to extend school hours, arguing it was wrong to keep kids in school until 6 p.m.

"I think keeping a kid in school until 6:00 is like institutionalizing them because ... a lot of these buildings do not have gymnasiums. A lot of these buildings do not have a place to have after school programs," she said.

She was referring to Harris' legislation that would incentivize school districts to extend school days as a way of accommodating parents' work schedules.

The program, announced by the Democratic presidential hopeful on Wednesday, would offer five-year, $5 million grants for schools to "develop high-quality, culturally relevant, linguistically accessible, developmentally appropriate academic, athletic or enrichment opportunities for students."

KAMALA HARRIS PROPOSES INCENTIVES FOR SCHOOLS TO EXTEND SCHOOL DAYS BY THREE HOURS

Harris' office indicated to Fox News that the legislation would not mandate that school districts keep students in school during the extended hours.

"Our bill does not mandate how schools implement the program so long as they stay open until 6 p.m.," press secretary Meaghan Lynch said when asked about the issue.

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"Schools have the flexibility to determine what works best for their community and the students and their families," she said.

Co-host Joy Behar was in favor of the idea, arguing that kids wasted their time on video games when they went home. "Because you're letting them out early — all they're doing is going home, playing video games, and going on their phones," she said.