President Joe Biden has directed the Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights to use its authority against governors attempting to ban mask mandates in classrooms.
"I'm directing the Secretary of Education … to take additional steps to protect our children," the president said Wednesday. "The additional steps include using all of the agency's oversight authority and legal action if appropriate against governors who are trying to block and intimidate local school officials and educators."
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"I've made it clear that I'll stand with those who are trying to do the right thing," Biden asserted.
"Unfortunately, as we've seen throughout the pandemic, some politicians are trying to turn public safety measures -- that is children wearing masks in schools -- into political disputes for their own political gain," Biden continued. "Some are even trying to take power away from local educators by banning masks in school. They're setting a dangerous tone."
President Biden said federal funds already allocated by Congress would reimburse any educators penalized for implementing mask mandates.
"If a governor wants to cut the pay of a hardworking education leader who requires masks in the classroom, the money from the American Rescue Plan can be used to pay that person's salary -- 100 percent," the president declared.
Biden also mentioned calls he made to superintendents in Florida and Arizona this week to thank them for requiring masks in schools.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has encouraged mask-wearing for everyone attending or working at schools in-person regardless of vaccination status.
White House officials said the Education Department would evaluate parental feedback, the New York Times reported. Then, if necessary, the department will argue that barring public health mitigation efforts -- like mask mandates -- violates students' rights by depriving them of the right to be educated in a safe environment.
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The Secretary of Education, Dr. Miguel Cardona, pointed to the need for children with autism or compromised immune conditions to socialize in school safely.
"I've heard those parents, saying 'Miguel, because of these policies, my child cannot access their school, I would be putting them in harm's way,'" Dr. Cardona said. "And to me, that goes against a free, appropriate public education."
Cardona said his department sent memos to Texas Gov. Gregg Abbott and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, rebuking their bans on mask mandates and supporting defiant school districts. The D.O.E. said it would send similar communications to Arizona, Oklahoma, Utah, Iowa, Tennessee, and South Carolina.
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