Biden and lifelong Meriden resident Miguel Cardona, the former Connecticut Education Commissioner, were back in his hometown on Wednesday, March 3 to take a tour of Benjamin Franklin School.
According to the White House, the visit was to inspect and evaluate what safety and COVID-19 mitigation measures have been put in place in Connecticut schools as the Biden administration seeks to return all students to in-person learning in the president’s first 100 days in office.
During the visit to Benjamin Franklin School, the pair spoke to teachers about the impact of COVID-19 during the school year, as well as strategies to help avoid any potential spread when students return to full in-person learning.
“Teachers want to be back,” Biden said. “We want to be back. I’m a teacher. I am teaching virtually. But we have to get back safely.
“I think once we get our teachers vaccinated and the American Rescue Plan passed, schools like this will have the money to be back safely,” the First Lady added, referring to her husband's proposed $1.9 trillion relief plan. “The biggest thing is we’re going to do this together.”
Following their time in Meriden, Cardona and Biden took off to Pennsylvania to visit another elementary school.
“Brighter days are ahead. We are making progress. More schools across the country are reopening for in-person learning, and they're doing so with the help of clear, science-based guidance from experts in the field,” Cardona said on his first day on the job. “Our first priority is to return students to the classroom for in-person learning, but we know there's more work to be done once we've achieved that goal.”
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