President Joe Biden is being accused of backing down on his promise to reopen schools in the country after the White House added fine print to his promise and made it clear that a full reopening is still far from being seen.
Biden’s initial promise in December was to reopen “most of our schools” in his first 100 days in office. In January, he specified that the target applies only to schools that teach up to eighth grade. And this week the White House said that 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 part of a “bold and ambitious agenda”. But she also said it is a barrier that the government hopes to overcome.
“We certainly don’t plan to celebrate in 100 days if we reach that goal,” she said. “We certainly hope to build on that.”
The White House faced increasing pressure to explain the objective as the debate over the reopening took on urgency. Biden never detailed what it meant to be reopened or how he would define success. Pressed on the issue on Tuesday, Psaki clarified that one day a week of personal learning would be enough.
“The goal he set is that most schools – that is, more than 50% – are open by the 100th day of his presidency,” she said. “And that means some teaching in the classroom. So, at least one day a week. Hopefully, it is more. “
The goal drew criticism from Republicans, who said Biden was setting the bar too low. Minority leader in the House, Kevin McCarthy, found this unacceptable and said the schools are ready to open now. Congresswoman Vicky Hartzler, R-Mo., A former teacher, said the goal is short of what students need.
“Having only 51% of our schools reopened for just one day a week is not a ‘success’,” she said. “We must work so that all our children can safely return to full-time learning, in person”
With the new caveat, the promise seems much less ambitious than what Biden signaled when he first did it. In December, it looked like his promise was to reopen half of the country’s more than 130,000 schools. When it was reduced to K-8 schools only, the scope narrowed to include about 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 monitors school opening plans, recently reported that 58% of elementary and high school students are learning personally to some degree.
“The government does not have to work hard to achieve that goal,” said Jonathan Butcher, an education fellow at the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank.
Tracking progress on the goal has been difficult due to the lack of federal data on the subject. Last week, the Biden administration said it would begin collecting data from 7,000 schools, showing whether they are 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, which reported some recent progress in returning schools to face-to-face classes. About 42% of students were learning entirely online at the end of last month, the company found, up from 55% during the first week of the year.
Biden’s promise is part of his broader plan to combat COVID-19 and boost the economy. Its $ 1.9 trillion plan includes $ 130 billion to help schools repair ventilation systems, store protective equipment and take other steps to open. Bringing students back to the classroom is seen as a key step in getting parents back to work.
But reopening efforts have faced roadblocks, partly due to the slow release of vaccines and deadlocks with teachers. Although schools in some areas are teaching in person, many remain mostly 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 workers expressed doubts that it would be achieved. In a conversation with teachers last month, Dr. Anthony Fauci said that the goal of reopening the Biden school “may not happen because there may be mitigating 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 debate over the reopening has become increasingly heated as Republicans oppose new school relief measures and say there is evidence that schools can be reopened safely now.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released a study last month finding that, with the use of masks and other precautions, it is generally safe to take face-to-face classes. The director of the CDC, Dr. Rochelle Walensky, later added that vaccinating teachers “is not a prerequisite for the safe reopening of schools”.
Republicans saw the statement as more support for the reopening, but the White House refused to take a firm stand on the matter, saying that Walensky made the comment “in his personal capacity”. Psaki said the White House will await the updated school guidelines that Biden requested from the CDC.
The CDC guidance, which is likely to recommend security measures and indicate when it is safe to operate in person, is expected to be released soon.