Biden Administration Releasing Plans On How To Safely Reopen Schools

This week, the Centers for Disease Control is expected to release guidelines on what schools need to reopen, but we may be getting a hint of what will be in that plan thanks to The House Committee on Education and Labor. Tuesday the committee worked through an “urgent” reconciliation package aimed at helping “students get back to the classroom safely, support workers, and provide aid to struggling people and families.” A statement from the committee reads, in part:

The reconciliation bill invests in helping K-12 schools safely reopen and address lost time in the classroom. The bill:

• Provides nearly $130 billion to help schools take the steps recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to ensure students and educators can return to the classroom safely. This includes repairing ventilation systems, reducing class sizes and implementing social distancing guidelines, purchasing personal protective equipment, and hiring support staff to care for students’ health and well-being.

CBS News adds:

The Biden administration will be advising that teacher vaccinations are supplementary, suggesting that if school districts adhere to the recommended mitigation practices, mandatory vaccination of all teachers isn’t a precondition for reopening schools. There was already a strong hint that this would be the stance adopted by the administration, since CDC Director Rochelle Walensky had already said as much last week.

The AP points out, “Biden has made reopening most of the nation’s K-8 schools within his first 100 days in office a key goal. The issue has become increasingly heated as some school districts face gridlock with teachers who have refused to support reopening until their demands are met.”

Philadelphia is one of the cities that may not be able to open in Biden’s first 100 days. CBS News takes a look at why the union there is fighting a partial reopening. Watch above.