Clyburn Commends CDC’s New Science-Based School Reopening Guidance

Washington, D.C. (Feb. 12, 2021) — Today, Rep. James E. Clyburn, Chairman of the Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis, issued the following statement praising the school reopening guidance released today by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC):

"I applaud the Biden-Harris Administration for bringing science to the forefront of school reopening. The rigorous guidance CDC released today provides a clear roadmap for local communities to evaluate the risks they face from the virus and identify the specific layers of mitigation needed to safely operate schools in person. Today's guidance represents a sharp break from the Trump Administration, which tried to bully schools to reopen by threatening to withhold federal funds but failed to provide data-driven guidance and adequate resources to ensure schools could reopen safely. Now Congress needs to do our part by passing the American Rescue Plan to provide schools and communities the funding they need to implement the measures recommended by today's guidance to protect students, teachers, and staff from the virus."

In August 2020, the Select Subcommittee held a hearing to examine the challenge of safely reopening K-12 schools. In his opening statement, Chairman Clyburn stated that reopening schools was critically important for children and families, but warned: "Schools must reopen based on science and the safety of our children and teachers—not politics and wishful thinking."

In September 2020, the Select Subcommittee wrote to the Trump Administration to urge them to withdraw confusing and misleading guidance to schools and to ensure that all CDC guidance on school reopening "faithfully reflects the science."

In response to the Select Subcommittee's letter, CDC agreed in November 2020 to remove guidance it conceded was "out of date."

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