Then came a walk-back from White House press secretary Jen Psaki, who said the administration’s goal was only to have the majority of schools back in classrooms “at least one day a week.”
And finally came Biden’s walk-back of the walk-back in a CNN town hall, where he described the one-day-a-week standard as a “mistake in the communication,” and said he still expected to be “close” to opening the majority of K-8 schools five days a week by April 30 — the end of his first 100 days in office.
The shifting messages on school reopenings illustrate the administration’s ongoing struggle to meet one of Biden’s central promises — and to get as many of the nation’s children as possible back in classrooms, as soon as possible.
Unlike many of his other vows and directives — pledging 100 million coronavirus vaccine doses in his first 100 days or mandating that all Americans wear masks on federal property — reopening schools is a daunting task over which the federal government has little authority. Local and district leaders, and sometimes state officials, control how and when schools reopen, with guidance from Biden and his team on the margins. CONTINUE READING: Inside Biden’s struggle to meet his school reopening promises - The Washington Post
