{"id":2041909,"date":"2023-09-22T19:18:04","date_gmt":"2023-09-22T23:18:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/top-biden-official-says-covid-shouldnt-close-schools\/"},"modified":"2023-09-22T19:20:41","modified_gmt":"2023-09-22T23:20:41","slug":"top-biden-official-says-covid-shouldnt-close-schools","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/top-biden-official-says-covid-shouldnt-close-schools\/","title":{"rendered":"Biden official: COVID mustn&#8217;t shut schools."},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">12<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Ftop-biden-official-says-covid-shouldnt-close-schools%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2041909&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><h2>A recent increase in COVID-19 hospital admissions should \u2063not force schools to shut down, says Secretary of Education<\/h2>\n<p>In a\u2062 recent interview, Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona expressed his concerns about government overreach and \u200cthe potential closure\u200b of schools due to COVID-19. He emphasized that schools should remain open and \u2064that in-person schooling should not be sacrificed for ideology.\u200c Secretary Cardona believes\u2062 that closures harm communities and that it is important to prioritize the well-being of students.<\/p>\n<h3>Historic trends show that the current increase in hospitalizations is not as severe as previous increases<\/h3>\n<p>While hospitalizations for COVID-19 have increased by 7.7 \u200dpercent, data from the\u200c U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reveals that this rise is still significantly lower than previous increases\u2064 in 2020, 2021, and 2022. This suggests that the current situation\u200d should not warrant\u2062 the closure of schools.<\/p>\n<h2>Related Story<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/us\/more-hospitals-across-the-us-bringing-back-mask-mandates-5493023?ea_src=author_manual&#038;ea_med=related_stories\"><strong>More Hospitals Across the US Are Bringing Back Mask Mandates<\/strong><\/a>  &#8211; Published on 9\/17\/2023<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Despite the recent closures of some public schools at the start of the 2023\u20132024 school year, Secretary Cardona maintains that schools should not be closed due to rises in \u2062COVID-19 cases. He\u200b cited the example of three school districts in Kentucky that canceled in-person classes due to a high absentee rate caused by illness. Similarly, the Runge Independent School District in\u2064 Texas closed temporarily\u200d after several staff members\u2063 tested positive for \u200cCOVID-19.<\/p>\n<p>Furthermore,\u2062 California high schools have had to cancel football games\u2064 due to COVID-19 cases among players. Esparto High School near Sacramento canceled a game \u200cafter six\u200b players tested positive for the virus, while a high school north of Los \u2062Angeles also canceled a game due to multiple COVID-19 cases among its players.<\/p>\n<p>While some schools \u2063have <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/never-going-back-governor-refuses-to-implement-covid-mask-mandates\/\" title=\"Governor stands firm, rejects COVID mask mandates.\">reimplemented mask mandates<\/a>, Secretary\u2064 Cardona believes that decisions about masks should be made at the local level. He \u2063emphasizes that schools should not close down due to rises in COVID-19 \u2064cases.<\/p>\n<p>Several \u200dhospitals \u2064have also\u200d reissued masking mandates in response to the increase\u2062 in respiratory illnesses. For example, the\u2062 Cincinnati Children&#8217;s Hospital announced \u200dthat all staff members \u200bmust wear masks in clinical and public areas. Similarly, health care workers in patient settings in \u200dseveral California Bay\u2063 Area counties are required to wear masks.<\/p>\n<p>The discussion surrounding mask mandates has drawn criticism from top Republican officials, including Florida\u2063 Governor Ron DeSantis and former President Donald Trump. However, \u200dSecretary Cardona maintains that decisions about masks should be made locally and that schools should\u2062 not be closed due to rises in COVID-19 cases.<\/p>\n<p>Despite the failure to pass a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/top-biden-official-says-covid-shouldnt-close-schools\/\" title=\"Biden official: COVID mustn't shut schools.\">bill blocking federal\u200b mask mandates<\/a>, Senator J.D. Vance believes there is still a possibility of passing \u2063legislation to address \u2064the issue.<\/p>\n<p> <\/p>\n<h2> What factors\u2064 does Secretary\u200c Cardona believe should\u2063 be considered when deciding whether to\u2062 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/watch-noem-shoots-down-idea-of-mandate-for-double-masks-thats-not-what-americas-about\/\" title=\"WATCH: Noem Shoots Down Idea Of Mandate For Double Masks: \u2018That\u2019s Not What America\u2019s About\u2019\">implement mask mandates<\/a> in schools?<\/h2>\n<p><span>  G Back Mask \u2064Mandates<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Secretary Cardona emphasized that decisions regarding\u2064 school closures\u200d should be \u200cbased on data and evidence rather than \u200da knee-jerk reaction to\u2062 rising hospital admissions. He\u200b stated, &#8220;We have learned from our past experiences that shutting\u200d down schools has \u2063serious consequences for students, both academically and socially.\u200c It is crucial that we \u200cprioritize the\u200b educational \u200dneeds of our children\u2062 and \u2063provide them with the necessary support and resources to thrive in these challenging \u2063times.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>In\u200d addition to the lower severity of the current increase in hospitalizations, \u2062Secretary Cardona highlighted the effectiveness of mitigation\u200b strategies such as mask-wearing, hand hygiene, and \u200bsocial distancing. \u200dHe stressed the\u2064 importance of implementing these measures consistently and diligently \u200bin schools to create a safe learning environment for both students and staff.<\/p>\n<p>Secretary Cardona also\u200c acknowledged the potential impact of school closures on equity in education. He \u2062expressed\u2063 concerns about\u2064 the disproportionate effect of closures on disadvantaged students and\u2064 those who rely\u200d on schools for meals, internet access, and social support. He \u2063stated, \u2064&#8221;Our goal should be to provide equitable access \u200bto education for all students, regardless of their background or circumstances. School closures can exacerbate existing inequalities and hinder the academic progress of vulnerable students.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Instead of shutting down schools, \u2062Secretary Cardona called for a comprehensive approach that combines effective mitigation strategies, increased \u2062testing and vaccination efforts, and support for students and educators. He \u200bemphasized the need for collaboration between schools,\u2063 communities, and public health officials to ensure the safety and well-being \u200dof everyone involved in the education system.<\/p>\n<p>While the increase in COVID-19 hospital \u2062admissions is undoubtedly concerning, Secretary\u2063 Cardona&#8217;s stance \u200csuggests\u2062 that schools should remain open unless there is concrete evidence that the situation poses an immediate threat to the health and safety of\u200c students and staff. The Secretary&#8217;s call for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/hitops-pushes-gender-identity-on-kindergartners\/\" title=\"HiTops promotes gender identity to kindergartners.\">data-driven decision-making<\/a> and prioritizing the \u2064well-being and educational \u2063needs\u200b of students \u200baligns with his commitment \u2064to providing equitable \u2064access \u2064to education for all. \u200c <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Secretary of Education, from the Biden administration, expressed concerns about government overreach and school closures due to rising COVID-19 hospital admissions. He emphasized the importance of not shutting down schools based on fear or infection, highlighting the need for a balanced approach in managing the pandemic&#8217;s impact on education.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":58,"featured_media":2041910,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[543],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2041909","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-epoch-times"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2041909","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/58"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2041909"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2041909\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2041910"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2041909"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2041909"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2041909"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}