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President Joe Biden is accused of backtracking on his promise to reopen schools nationwide after the White House added fine print to his pledge and made it clear that a full reopening was still far from being seen .
Biden’s initial pledge in December was to reopen “the majority of our schools” during his first 100 days in office. In January, he clarified that the target only applied to schools that teach through eighth grade. And this week, the White House said schools will be considered open as long as they teach in person at least one day a week.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki defended the goal on Wednesday, calling it “a bold and ambitious program.” But she also said it was a bar the administration hopes to overtake.
“Certainly, we don’t plan to celebrate at 100 days if we achieve this goal,” she said. “We certainly hope to go from there.”
The White House had faced increasing pressure to explain the goal as the reopening debate gained urgency. Biden had never detailed what it meant to be reopened or how he would define success. Pressed on the issue Tuesday, Psaki clarified that one day per week of in-person learning would meet the target.
“His goal that he has set for himself is to have the majority of schools – so over 50% – open on the 100th day of his presidency,” she said. “And that means a little bit of teaching in the classrooms. So at least one day a week. Hope it is more.
The goal drew criticism from Republicans who said Biden was setting the bar too low. Minority House Leader Kevin McCarthy called it unacceptable and said schools were ready to open now. Representative Vicky Hartzler, R-Mo., Former teacher, said the goal did not meet the needs of the students.
“The fact that only 51% of our schools reopen for as little as one day a week is not a ‘success’,” she said. “We should be working so that all of our children can return to full-time in-person learning”
With the new caveat, the engagement looks a lot less ambitious than what Biden signaled when he first made it. In December, it appeared his promise was to reopen half of the country’s more than 130,000 schools. When narrowed down to K-8 schools only, the scope shrunk to include the approximately 90,000 schools below high school.
Now, critics say, the target has been moved so low that it may have already been met. Data from Burbio, a service that tracks plans to open schools, recently reported that 58% of K-12 students are learning to some extent in person.
“The administration doesn’t have to put in a lot of effort to achieve this goal,” said Jonathan Butcher, education researcher at the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank.
Tracking progress against the target has been difficult due to the lack of federal data on the subject. Last week, the Biden administration announced that it would start collecting data from 7,000 schools indicating whether they were operating online, in person, or in combination. The Trump administration refused to collect this data, saying it was not the responsibility of the federal government.
Some companies and researchers have sought to collect the data on their own, including Burbio, who reported recent progress in returning schools to in-person classes. About 42% of students were learning entirely online by the end of last month, the company found, up from 55% in the first week of the year.
Biden’s pledge is part of his larger plan to fight COVID-19 and revive the economy. Its $ 1.9 trillion plan includes $ 130 billion to help schools fix ventilation systems, stock up on protective gear and take other steps to open. Reintegrating students into the classroom is seen as a key step in bringing parents back to work.
But reopening efforts have encountered obstacles due in part to the slow rollout of vaccines and clashes with teachers. While schools in some areas teach in person, many stay primarily or entirely online. In cities like Chicago and San Francisco, districts have faced resistance from teachers who refuse to return until their demands are met.
Before Biden’s goal was clarified this week, even some of his top health officials expressed doubts it would be achieved. Speaking to teachers last month, Dr Anthony Fauci said the target to reopen Biden’s school “may not happen as there may be extenuating circumstances” including new strains of COVID -19.
The delays frustrated many parents, including some whose children have been learning at home for almost a year. In Congress, the reopening debate has grown increasingly heated as Republicans oppose new school assistance and say there is evidence schools can safely reopen now.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention published a study last month finding that with wearing a mask and other precautions, it is generally safe to attend school in person. CDC director Dr Rochelle Walensky later added that vaccinating teachers “is not a prerequisite for the safe reopening of schools.”
Republicans saw the statement as further support for the reopening, but the White House declined to take a firm stance on the issue, saying Walensky made the comment “in a personal capacity.” Psaki said the White House would wait for the updated school guidelines Biden requested from the CDC.
The CDC’s guidelines, which are likely to recommend safety measures and indicate when it is safe to operate in person, are expected to be released shortly.
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