Education Secretary Miguel Cardona is sending a warning to governors who are banning schools from requiring students to wear masks.
During a press conference at the White House on Thursday, Cardona was asked, “What is your message to governors like Gov. DeSantis of Florida and Gov. Abbott of Texas who have banned mask mandates?”
“Don’t be the reason our schools are interrupted. Our kids have suffered enough,” he responded. “Let’s do what we know works across the country. Politics doesn’t have a role in this. Educators know what to do. We did it last year.”
Finally, the education secretary said, “At the end of the day, we’re talking about students being in classrooms. They’ve suffered enough. It’s time for them to be in the classroom without disruption to their learning.”
Watch the video below:
Education Secretary Miguel Cardona to Govs. DeSantis and Abbott: “Don’t be the reason our schools are interrupted. Our students have suffered enough … politics doesn't have a role in this" pic.twitter.com/CTWHddyhZO
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) August 5, 2021
In July, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Rochelle Walensky recommended that “everyone in K through 12 schools wear a mask indoors, including teachers, staff, students and visitors, regardless of vaccination status.”
“Children should return to full-time in-person learning in the fall with proper prevention strategies in place,” she added.
In May, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) said that schools could not require that students wear masks.
Last month, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) also banned schools from issuing mask mandates.
The discussion comes as the country is recording an average of 96,036 new COVID-19 cases per day, a 131% increase from the previous 14 days.
President Joe Biden rebuked governors who were not following public health guidelines during an event at the White House on Tuesday, as he said, “I say to these governors: Please help. But if you aren’t going to help, at least get out of the way.”
“The people are trying to do the right thing. Use your power to save lives,” he added.