President Biden’s selection, led by Department of Education Miguel Cardona, was confirmed on Monday amid growing pressure on the administration to stand with teacher unions and bring children back into the classroom.
The Senate voted 64-33 to confirm Cardona, a former public school teacher and principal who became Connecticut’s head of education.
Cardona, 45, has already vowed to bring the children back to classrooms.
At his Senate confirmation hearing last month, he said that “our schools have great examples nationwide that are able to safely reopen” amid the coronovirus epidemic.
While his position holds limited authority to force schools to reopen, Cardona achieves Biden’s stated goal of reopening the majority of K-8 schools five days a week within his first 100 days in office Will play an important role in
They will be tasked to establish reopening guidelines for local school districts and share best practices for how to teach during an epidemic.
Cardona will also be tasked to help with the loss of school that distance education has made on student learning.
He has previously called for schools to expand summer educational programs and appoint more counselors to help students with mental health issues.
Biden is under increasing pressure to use his influence to get children back into the classroom, while also facing pushback from powerful teacher unions that helped bring him to the White House.
The president said his goal is possible if Congress approves its massive relief bill, which includes $ 130 billion for the nation’s schools.
The administration has sought to reduce Biden’s role in both, setting federal guidelines for the reopening of the school and forcing pressure on teachers’ unions to bring their members back to classrooms.
“The role that the president can play is to work closely with the Congress. It is a role he can actually play, ”Press Secretary Jane Saki said last month.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last week released a guide for schools to reopen in a phased manner. The agency said that wearing masks and social disturbances should be used, but vaccinating teachers was not a pre-requisite.
With post wires
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