The Secretary of Education, Miguel Cardona, would not say whether the administration would support mandatory vaccinations for educators before they could return to work.
“At the moment vaccination is available for educators. I am proud that the president is giving priority to vaccinating educators, because we know that when this is not the case, schools are more likely to close because of quarantine, ”he told reporters on Wednesday.
In statements earlier this month, President Joe Biden announced that his administration would order states to prioritize educators in vaccination efforts, and announced that he “used all the authority of the federal government” to direct states to move teachers and school staff to the front of the line. .
“We want all educators, school staff and daycare workers to receive at least one shot by the end of March,” Biden said two weeks ago.
“It is vitally important to vaccinate as much as possible and promote the benefits of vaccination to make sure we have safe school communities,” Cardona said. “So the message is, if you can get a chance, do it, and you know, it’s a strategy to help keep our schools open.”
When returning children to the classroom: Cardona said Wednesday that if U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated its guide to allow for less social distancing, it would potentially get more students into school.
“If it gets to three feet, it will provide more opportunities, possibly for students to get into our schools, which is the goal,” Cardona said at a White House briefing.
CDC principal Dr. Rochelle Walensky said earlier Wednesday that the CDC plans to issue new guidelines that allow for less social distancing in schools. Walensky said the agency is studying studies that indicate that 3-foot physical distance is enough to keep students and teachers safe in school.