Cardona pushes school safety
Backs vaccine, mask mandates — but calls it a local decision
During a visit to a Waterbury school Friday, U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona spoke in support of Connecticut’s policies requiring teacher vaccinations and mask-wearing for students and staff inside school buildings, but said the federal education department cannot — and would not — institute similar rules on a national level.
“We don’t have the authority to mandate masks or vaccines, nor is that our intent,” said Cardona, who grew up in Meriden and previously served as Connecticut’s education commissioner before joining the Biden administration in March. “Our intent is to ensure that local leaders and local health officials are driving the decisions about safe reopening.”
He added: “Unfortunately, when politics gets involved, it’s sad. You see children in hospitals when they don’t have to be. This is preventable.”
U.S. Rep. Jahana Hayes, D-5th District, and Gov. Ned Lamont joined Cardona on a tour of the Dual Language International School in Waterbury, where about 112 students in pre-k through first grade are educated in both Spanish and English. The school opened last month and is expected to expand up to eighth grade in the coming years.
The visit took place just days after the federal education department opened civil rights investigations into Iowa, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee and Utah, which have banned or limited mask requirements in schools. The department said such policies could amount to discrimination against students with disabilities or health conditions.
Cardona said in a statement Monday the states were “putting politics over the health and education of the students they took an oath to serve,” and “the department will fight to protect every student’s right to access in-person learning safely.”
During a press conference held outside the building, Cardona said he supported Lamont’s school staff vaccination policy. Like other state employees, teachers and school staff members must be vaccinated by Sept. 27 or undergo weekly COVID-19 testing. School employees may apply for religious and medical vaccine exemptions.
“Anything you can do to safely reopen schools I support, so I support efforts to make sure everyone in front of our students has the vaccine,” the education secretary said. “We know it’s safe, it has approval now from the FDA. There’s no reason why we shouldn’t be using that as our primary tool to safely reopen schools . ... We cannot risk students going back to remote learning when we know we have the tools to get them to the classroom safely.”
Cardona, like Lamont, has remained a staunch supporter of in-person education throughout the pandemic. Under their guidance, Connecticut schools reopened last year with remote, hybrid, and in-person learning models, but they continued to strongly recommend students return to school buildings throughout the school year. This year, most Connecticut school districts are no longer offering consistent remote or hybrid learning options, as they are no longer required by the state.
When asked whether schools should have to offer remote education
options for immunocompromised children, Cardona said: “Educators across the country are leading with health and safety. We also know children learn best in the classroom.”
“I believe every child across the country should be in the classroom,” he said. “In rare cases where it’s not possible, I know districts are working with families, but the goal is to get children back in the classroom where they learn best.”
Lamont said he thinks vaccinations and mask-wearing will help Connecticut avoid the COVID-19 outbreaks that led to districtwide school closures last year. Students and staff were required to wear masks during the 2020-2021 school year, but the Pfizer vaccine did not become available for children 12 and up until mid-may.
As of Friday afternoon, the state reported that about 54% of children ages 12-15 were fully vaccinated
against COVID-19, along with about 59% of residents ages 16-24. No vaccines have been approved yet for children under age 12.
Regarding masks and other mitigation strategies, Cardona thanked Lamont for making “the right decisions to put health and safety first,” “even when it’s not popular.”
“We’re requiring masks in Connecticut. It’s non-negotiable. We’re not talking about it, we’re moving forward, and as soon as we’re ready to remove the masks, we will,” said Cardona. “Believe me, I’m not a big fan of masks
either. But if it means my children have access to a safe school environment — where they belong —
I’m going to wear them.”