MEMORANDUM:
TO: Interested Parties
FROM: DNC War Room
DATE: September 2, 2021
RE: President Biden Took Action To Ensure Students Can Get Back To School Safely In Person

Students are heading back to school thanks to the leadership and dedication of President Biden and his administration. At the direction of President Biden, the Department of Education is utilizing all resources at its disposal and working tirelessly to ensure states and localities can use funds from the American Rescue Plan, which passed no thanks to a single Republican in Congress, to get students back to school in person. President Biden and the Department of Education are also committed to make sure that everyone knows: The best way to keep students safe is to wear masks and get vaccinated.

While Republican leaders have made it clear that they are okay playing politics with the lives of children, teachers, faculty, staff, and their families, President Biden has taken action to help ensure schools can safely reopen and continues to work to keep them safe for learning.

Since taking office, President Biden has prioritized making sure schools had the resources to reopen safely and help get students back in classrooms:

• President Biden has focused on ensuring schools can reopen safely full time.
• President Biden made school reopening a major priority in his first 100 days and secured resources to help schools reopen safely.
• President Biden exceeded his goal of getting the majority of K-8 schools open in person in his first 100 days.

President Biden ensured that schools have the resources they need to allow children to be safely back in the classrooms this fall: 

• President Biden ensured that schools have the resources they need to allow children to be back in the classroom.
• President Biden and Democrats’ American Rescue Plan provided tens of billions of dollars to get students safely back in the classroom and help make up for lost learning.
• The American Rescue Plan included more than $10 billion to help connect more students to the internet, support students with disabilities, and expand tutoring programs.

The Biden administration has issued health guidance to ensure students can safely go to school in person this fall:

• President Biden and his administration have provided guidance and support so schools could safely open full time in the fall.
• The Biden administration emphasized the basic risk-mitigation measures schools could take to allow full in-person reopening this fall.

The Biden administration has mounted a robust campaign to get students and teachers vaccinated: 

• The Biden administration helped schools host pop-up vaccination clinics for students and worked with pediatricians to get students vaccinated through sports physicals.
• Thanks to the efforts of the Biden administration, the rate of vaccinations for 12- to 15-year-olds accelerated ahead of the start of the school year.
• President Biden prioritized vaccines for teachers to help accelerate school reopening.

While President Biden is fighting to keep kids safe in schools, Republican governors continue to put them in harm’s way: 

• The Biden administration is taking action to keep students safe in states where Republican governors are defying CDC guidance and blocking risk-mitigation strategies.
• Republican Governors Ducey, DeSantis, and Abbott are fighting school mask mandates despite the recommendations of public health experts even as COVID cases spike in their states.