REALIZE HOW IMPORTANT TEACHERS
ARE, BUT LET ME TAKE THIS MOMENT
TO SAY THANK YOU.
AND WITH REGARD TO THE
SEPTEMBER, YES, I EXPECT ALL
SCHOOLS TO BE OPEN FULL-TIME IN
PERSON FOR ALL STUDENTS.
WE REALLY NEED TO MAKE SURE
STUDENTS HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO
LEARN IN THE CLASSROOM.
AND QUITE FRANKLY, I WOULD
RATHER HAVE IT THIS SPRING.
STUDENTS DONT LEARN AS WELL
REMOTELY.
THERE IS NO SUBSTITUTE FOR
IN-PERSON LEARNING.
AND IM PLEASED, AS YOU
MENTIONED, WE HAVE 54% OF OUR
PRE-K THROUGH 8th SCHOOLS IN
CLASS EVERY DAY.
ABOUT 90% ARE OFFERING IN-PERSON
LEARNING FOR STUDENTS.
UNTIL WERE AT 100%, WE MUST
KEEP OUR FOOT ON THE GAS PEDAL.
>> YEAH, I BETTER GIVE A
SHOUT-OUT TO MY TEACHER THAT I
APPRECIATE, KAY CORDLIOU IN HIGH
SCHOOL, I THINK I TOOK ALGEBRA I
AND ALGEBRA II TWICE AND SHE SAT
WITH ME FOR HOURS AND HOURS
ALONE TRYING TO MAKE IT HAPPEN.
I BARELY GOT THROUGH, THANKS TO
HER IN ALL OF MY CLASSES.
BUT IM HEARING ABOUT COLLEGES,
GRADUATE PROGRAMS, THEYRE STILL
REMOTE.
THIS IS GOING TO BE SEVERAL --
MAYBE A GENERATION OF STUDENTS,
FOR AT LEAST A FOUR-YEAR SPAN
THAT IS INTERRUPTED TERRIBLY BY
THIS PANDEMIC.
NOT BLAMING THE ADMINISTRATION,
BUT SHOULD WE BE BACK IN SCHOOL
NOW, BEFORE WE SEE THE LONG-TERM
RAMIFICATIONS ON THESE KIDS
RIGHT NOW.
>> ABSOLUTELY.
WHAT WERE DOING RIGHT NOW IS
MONITORING MORE CLOSELY.
WE HAVE DATA SYSTEMS THAT WE SET
UP.
AND WERE REACHING OUT TO MAKE
SURE IN THAT PLACES WHERE
THEYRE NOT OFFERING IN-PERSON
LEARNING OR FULL-TIME IN-PERSON
LEARNING, WE WANT TO MAKE SURE
WERE SUPPORTING THOSE STATES
AND DISTRICTS TO FIND OUT WHY
THEYRE NOT.
WE HAVE A CLEARINGHOUSE WE
RELEASED LAST WEEK OF HUNDREDS
OF EXAMPLES WHERE ITS WORKING
AND STRATEGIES WE CAN USE.
WE NEED TO MAKE SURE WE KEEP
THAT LEVEL OF URGENCY.
OUR KIDS CANT WAIT.
AND THE SAME IS TRUE FOR
COLLEGES.
WHILE I EXPECT BLENDED LEARNING
OR SOME FORM OF REMOTE LEARNING
BEING THE NEW LANDSCAPE, IT
DOESNT SUBSTITUTE IN-PERSON
LEARNING.
SO THATS WHY WERE PUSHING HARD
TO MAKE SURE ALL STUDENTS HAVE
AN OPPORTUNITY TO GET BACK INTO
THE CLASSROOM AS SOON AS
POSSIBLE THIS SPRING.
>> MR. SECRETARY, ITS WILLIE
GEIST.
THANKS FOR BEING ON WITH US.
BY SOME MEASURE, 3 MILLION
STUDENTS HAVE LOST TOUCH WITH
THEIR SCHOOL SINCE THE PANDEMIC
BEGAN.
MEANING THEY HAVENT CHECKED IN
FOR REMOTE LEARNING, SOMETIMES
THE SCHOOL DOESNT EVEN KNOW
WHERE THOSE STUDENTS ARE.
THAT HAS HUGE IMPLICATIONS FOR
THOSE SCHOOLS, THOSE STUDENTS,
THEIR FUTURES.
WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT 3 MILLION
YOUNG KIDS WHO HAVENT EVEN BEEN
TO SCHOOL IN ALMOST A YEAR AND A
HALF NOW, WHAT DO YOU DO ABOUT
THAT?
>> SURE.
SO WHEN I WAS A COMMISSIONER OF
EDUCATION IN CONNECTICUT, WE
REALIZED THAT MANY OF OUR
STUDENTS WHO WERE EXPERIENCING
THE TRAUMA OF THE PANDEMIC, THEY
HAD TO MOVE.
THEIR FAMILIES HAD TO RELOCATE
TO DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE
COUNTRY FOR VARIOUS REASONS.
SO WE HAVE TO MAKE SURE WERE
USING THE AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN
FUNDS TO MAKE SURE WERE DOING
MORE TO DO OUTREACH, TO GET
FOLKS OUT INTO THE COMMUNITY.
TO RECONNECT THOSE STUDENTS AND
PROVIDE THEM NOT ONLY THE
ACADEMIC SUPPORT THEYRE GOING
TO NEED, BUT THAT
SOCIAL/EMOTIONAL EMBRACE THAT WE
KNOW OUR STUDENTS WILL NEED TO
BE SUCCESS.
THE AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN DOES
PROVIDE UNPRECEDENTED FUNDS FOR
SCHOOLS TO THINK OUTSIDE OF THE
BOX, RECONNECT WITH OUR
FAMILIES, WORKING WITH OUTSIDE
AGENCIES.
THE AMERICAN FAMILY PLAN
PROPOSES COMMUNITY SCHOOL FUNDS
SO WE CAN MAKE SURE WERE
CONNECTING OUR STUDENTS INTO THE
CLASSROOM AND OUR FAMILIES BACK
INTO THE CLASSROOM WHERE THEY
BELONG.
>> MR. SECRETARY, WHEN YOU LOOK
AT THE STATE OF OUR SCHOOLS, IN
NEW YORK CITY, FOR EXAMPLE, THEY
HAVE BEEN SINCE THE PANDEMIC
BEGAN, AMONG THE SAFEST PLACES
IN THIS ENTIRE CITY.
WE KNOW THAT TRANSMISSION IS
LOWER WITH KIDS.
WE KNOW THEY DO BETTER IF THEY
DO GET THE DISEASE.
WE KNOW THEY NEED TO BE IN
SCHOOL.
YOUVE SAID ALL OF THAT.
AS YOU LOOK BACK ON IT NOW, HAS
THIS COUNTRY BEEN TOO SLOW TO
REOPEN THE SCHOOLS.
AND IS THERE ANY DEFENSE NOW FOR
NOT HAVING ALL THE SCHOOLS OPEN?
>> ONE OF THE EXPERIENCES
THAT -- ONE OF THE THINGS I
LEARNED FROM MY EXPERIENCE IS
THAT ONE SIZE DOES NOT FIT ALL.
I WENT ON A HELP IS HERE TOUR
AND VISITED ABOUT NINE STATES,
ABOUT TEN DIFFERENT SCHOOLS.
AND WHAT I NOTICED IS THAT THE
DIFFERENCES IN WHY FOLKS WERENT
COMING BACK IN, IN SOME PLACES,
WE HAD BUILDINGS THAT WERE 11303
YEARS OLD AND THE VENTILATION
HADNT BEEN TOUCHED IN YEARS.
I SEE THAT IN MANY PLACES ACROSS
THE COUNTRY, SCHOOL HAS BEEN IN
SESSION SINCE AUGUST.
MY CHILDREN HAVE BEEN IN SCHOOL
SINCE AUGUST.
THERE ARE EXAMPLES WHERE ITS
WORKING.
IN THOSE PLACES WHERE THEYRE
SPUTTERING ALONG, I WANT TO MAKE
SURE THAT THIS AGENCY THAT IM A
PART OF IS THERE ON THE GROUND
SUPPORTING THEM, PUSHING.
OUR STUDENTS NEED US MORE THAN
EVER NOW.
WE NEED THEM TO BE IN THE
CLASSROOM.
>> KNOWING ALL THE IMPACTS OF
HAVING THE SCHOOLS CLOSED AND
KNOWING THAT THE DISEASE ISNT
TRANSMITTED ON SURFACES, WE
DONT HAVE TO GO THROUGH ALL OF
THIS DEEP CLEANING THAT WE
THOUGHT WE DID, DO YOU THINK THE
SCHOOL SHOULD HAVE OPEN EARLIER?
>> WITHOUT LOOKING AT THE
CONTEXT, ITS DIFFICULT TO
ANSWER THAT.
WE DO RELY VERY HEAVILY ON CDC
GUIDANCE.
ITS CRITICALLY IMPORTANT THAT
WERE LISTENING TO OUR HEALTH
EXPERTS, BECAUSE THIS IS A
HEALTH PANDEMIC.
IN MANY CASES, AS WE LEARN NEW
INFORMATION, PLANS CHANGE.
AND IVE SEEN SCHOOL SYSTEMS
CHANGE PLANS MID-COURSE BASED ON
NEW DATA.
IM PLEASED TO SEE THAT THOSE
DISTRICTS WERE ABLE TO BRING
STUDENTS ALSO DID IT IN A WAY
THATS SAFE.
YOU DONT WANT TO SKIP THE
MITIGATION STRATEGIES, BUT
DISTRICTS THAT ARE NEARING THE
END OF THE YEAR ARE NOT TAKING
THEIR FOOT OFF THE GAS PEDAL.
DO EVERYTHING YOU CAN TO GET
STUDENTS IN NOW.
BECAUSE THAT EMOTIONAL
CONNECTION THAT OUR STUDENTS
NEED IS CRITICALLY IMPORTANT
NOW.
THINK ABOUT SUMMER LEARNING
EXPERIENCES, THINK ABOUT HOW THE
FALL LOOKS BETTER AND DIFFERENT.
I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT OUR
FOLKS ARE STILL TRYING TO GET
OUR STUDENTS IN THIS YEAR.
>> MR. SECRETARY, I WOULD LIKE
YOU TO DISCUSS A SPECIFIC GROUP
OF STUDENTS.
AND I KNOW YOURE FAMILIAR WITH
THEM FROM YOUR HISTORY IN
CONNECTICUT.
AND THIS WOULD BE K-8 STUDENTS,
KBRUNG PEOPLE, OBVIOUSLY, WHO
HAVE BASICALLY MISSED TWO YEARS
OF EDUCATION, A YEAR AND A HALF
AT LEAST OF SOCIALIZATION.
THESE CHILDREN COME FROM HOMES
WHERE THEIR PARENTS CANT AFFORD
TUTORS, WHERE PERHAPS THERES NO
LAPTOP OR INTERNET OR BROADBAND
READY TO ROLL FOR THEM.
WHAT SPECIFICALLY CAN BE DONE TO
HELP THESE STUDENTS WHO HAVE
ALREADY LOST SO MUCH IN TERMS OF
MAKING SURE THAT THEY DONT LOSE
EVEN MORE?
>> THATS GOING TO BE OUR WORK
MOVING FORWARD.
THE PANDEMIC HAS REALLY
SHARPENED OUR SWORD FOR THE
FIGHT AHEAD, ADDRESSING
INEQUITIES THAT WERE EXACERBATED
BY THIS PANDEMIC.
WE NEED TO MAKE SURE WE NEVER
LOSE THAT SENSE OF URGENCY, FOR
THE NEXT SEVERAL YEARS, PROVIDES
SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL SUPPORT FOR
THOSE STUDENTS, MAKE SURE THE
CLASS SIZES FOR THOSE STUDENTS
ARE MUCH SMALLER.
MAKE SURE WERE DOING WRAPAROUND
SERVICES FOR THOSE STUDENTS.
I SPOKE TO A SIXTH GRADER
RECENTLY WHO TOLD ME, WHEN I
KBANLG
CAME BACK TO SCHOOL, I FOUND IT
DIFFICULT TO SOCIALIZE AGAIN
BECAUSE I WAS IN FRONT OF MY
COMPUTER FOR A GOOD PART OF A
YEAR.
WE NEED TO MAKE SURE OUR SCHOOLS
ARE PREPARED TO PROVIDE THAT
SOCIAL/EMOTIONAL SUPPORT AND WE
HAVE TO REALIZE, THIS IS NOT
JUST ABOUT TURNING ON THE
LIGHTS, PROVIDING FACE MASKS.
THIS IS ABOUT MAKING SURE WERE
PROVIDING MENTAL HEALTH SUPPORT.
ALL OF THESE STUDENTS FACED
TRAUMA IN THEIR LIVES.
WE HAVE TO BE PREPARED TO WORK
WITH THAT, BUT ALSO THE ACADEMIC
NEEDS.
I EXPECT SUMMER LEARNING
OPPORTUNITIES FOR STUDENTS TO BE
HANDS-ON, OUTDOORS, ENGAGING
WITH ONE ANOTHER.
LIKE A CAMP ALMOST.
WE NEED TO DOUBLE DOWN FOR OUR
STUDENTS.
THIS IS A ONCE IN A LIFETIME
OPPORTUNITY TO HIT THE RESET
BUTTON ON THINGS WE KNOW DIDNT
WORK AND GIVE OUR STUDENTS THE
ATTENTION THAT THEY DESERVE.
THE AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN
PROVIDES THE FUNDS FOR THAT, SO