Biden tells education secretary to take on governors blocking masks in schools

3 years ago 284

States banning mandates could look civilian rights probes

President Joe Biden speaks from the East Room of the White House successful Washington, Wednesday, Aug 18, 2021, connected the COVID-19 effect and vaccination program. U.S. wellness officials Wednesday announced plans to connection COVID-19 booster shots to each Americans to enactment up their extortion amid the surging delta variant and signs that the vaccines' effectiveness is falling. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

During a Wednesday afternoon quality league connected the COVID-19 crisis successful America, President Joe Biden said helium is directing the caput of acquisition to instrumentality enactment against governors who effort to artifact schoolhouse disguise mandates.

“I’m directing the caput of acquisition to instrumentality further steps to support our children,” Biden said during the quality conference. “This includes utilizing each of his oversight authorities, and ineligible enactment if appropriate, against governors who are trying to artifact and intimidate section schools officials and educators.”

The president said he’s spoken with region schoolhouse superintendents successful states -- including Florida -- who person gone guardant with imposing disguise requirements successful the classroom.

“Last week, I called schoolhouse superintendents successful Florida and Arizona to convey them for doing the close happening and requiring masks successful their schools. One of them said, ‘We thatch science, truthful we travel the science.’ The different said they person a guiding principle: Students first,” Biden said.

Biden further said immoderate politicians are trying to “turn nationalist information measures into governmental disputes for their ain governmental gain.” He stated that immoderate person utilized “intimidation and threats,” which helium called, ‘unacceptable.”

In an announcement connected its website, the Education Department said policies that prohibition disguise mandates could magnitude to favoritism if they pb to unsafe conditions that forestall students from attending school. The bureau tin motorboat its ain investigations into imaginable violations, and it besides responds to civilian rights complaints from parents and the public.

“The section has the authorization to analyse immoderate authorities acquisition bureau whose policies oregon actions whitethorn infringe connected the rights of each pupil to entree nationalist acquisition equally,” Cardona said successful a statement. He added that states banning disguise mandates are “needlessly placing students, families and educators astatine risk.”

The agency’s Office for Civil Rights tin contented a scope of sanctions up to a full nonaccomplishment of national acquisition backing successful cases of civilian rights violations.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has pressed up with a prohibition connected schoolhouse disguise requirements, and the state’s acquisition officials are present weighing whether to withhold salaries of immoderate superintendents that person defied the order.

On Wednesday, the Miami-Dade County schoolhouse territory joined Alachua and Broward counties successful mandating that students deterioration masks successful schools, with a aesculapian opt-out possible. The ballot was 5-2 successful favour of adopting a 30-day policy.