Education Secretary Miguel Cardona on Sunday said the expectation is that schools will do everything they can to remain open for in-person learning amid the Omicron surge.
“There’s a level of urgency that we shouldn’t lose in making sure our children learn in person,” he said to host Trace Gallagher on “Fox News Sunday,” saying the pandemic has proved how difficult remote learning was for all concerned.
“We’ve been very clear: Our expectation is for schools to be open full-time for students for in-person learning,” Cardona told Gallagher. “We remember the impact of school closures on students last year, and our science is better.“
The Omicron variant has led to a surge in Covid cases throughout the nation. Cardona acknowledged that in the coming weeks, last-minute staffing shortages caused by the pandemic could cause some short-term school closures.
“I do think there will be bumps in the road, especially tomorrow,” he said.
Cardona said vaccination and testing remain the best safeguards for school-age children.
“Where vaccination numbers are high, there’s less disruption,” he said.
The Education secretary said that the children are not the only ones who benefit from in-person learning.
“Keeping them in school is critical for them, for our communities, for our parents,” he said.
