Washington (CNN) US Education Secretary Miguel Cardona on Wednesday projected optimism that the fall will bring a school year that looks "more like what it was before Covid," but stressed that his focus remains on resuming in-person learning this spring. "My focus really right now is getting as many schools open -- pre-K through eight schools -- in the first 100 days, but also trying to get those high schools open so that we can get all students back in safely, and engaging with their friends and learning in the classroom, where they learn best," Cardona told NBC News' Lester Holt in an interview. The secretary added that students across the country have shown an "inspiring" level of resilience during the pandemic and maintained that there would be a renewed focus on mental health following the passage of President Joe Biden's Covid-19 relief plan"We need to make sure that through this American Rescue Plan we utilize those resources to provide intervention and support, not only with the academic but almost more importantly the social and emotional needs that our students are going to come to school with," Cardona said. The comments build on his confirmation hearing vow to do everything in his power to reopen schools safely, an issue that has become a national flashpoint in recent weeks as US vaccine distribution ramps up. The President has set a goal of reopening a majority of schools in the US for in-person learning within his first 100 days in office, and earlier this month he urged the states to prioritize teachers and school staff to get at least initial immunizations by the end of March.

Source: CNN March 18, 2021 01:30 UTC