Biden Wants Schools Open 5 Days A Week By May — And Suggested Summer School - Forbes

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Topline

President Joe Biden said Tuesday he’s pushing for many U.S. elementary and middle schools to reopen full-time by the end of his first 100 days in office, and he raised the idea of keeping schools open over the summer, a tonal change after the White House was criticized for suggesting schools could offer as little as one day per week of in-person classes by springtime.

Key Facts

During a town hall on CNN, Biden said his administration is pushing for the majority of K-8 schools to be open by May, and he wants “many” of those schools to offer in-person instruction five days a week rather than a hybrid of virtual and in-person classes.

It’s a shift from White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki, who said last week Biden’s pledge to reopen schools in 100 days could initially include some districts that are open just one day a week, a message Biden called a “mistake in the communication” on Tuesday.

Biden also predicted some schools will stay open during the summer, an idea floated by some education experts to help students catch up after months of virtual classes.

He said schools should reopen with proper social distancing and protective equipment, and pushed for teachers to get priority for coronavirus vaccine shots, though states decide priority levels (the CDC says vaccination shouldn’t be a precondition for reopening schools).

High schools could take somewhat longer to reopen, Biden acknowledged, because older students are more likely to transmit Covid-19.

Crucial Quote

“The goal will be five days a week,” Biden said.

Key Background

Biden has pledged to reopen classrooms after a coronavirus-imposed hiatus, phasing out the months of hybrid or fully virtual instruction some students have endured, but many critics and parents worry his plan is too slow. Psaki called the administration’s goal of offering some in-person learning at more than 50% of K-8 schools “bold and ambitious,” but some Republicans have called it a “low, low bar” and urged a more rapid return to full in-person learning.

Tangent

Research from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows Covid-19 transmission can be kept low in schools if people wear masks, socially distance and take other precautions. As a result, new CDC guidelines from last week said schools should be the last places in a community to close and the first to reopen, though that policy is not mandatory.