Vaccinations for teachers will likely not be mandatory to reopen schools

COVID-19 vaccines will likely not be mandatory for teachers in order to reopen schools, Education Secretary Miguel Cardona said.

Cardona, who made the admission on Wednesday evening, during an interview with NBC Nightly News, discussed that the mandate was not needed.

“I think we’ve seen examples where schools can open safely and be effective. But we know that prioritizing vaccinations will only assist with that,” the newly-confirmed education secretary said.

Cardona went on to tout how important the vaccine was to keeping schools open, despite the administration’s insistence that it would not require educators to be vaccinated.

“My experience was when schools had to close, it wasn’t because COVID-19 spread within the schools. It was because we had to quarantine educators. We had to quarantine teachers,” he explained, “Having the vaccination will help keep those doors open. Not only about opening schools, but it’s also really about making sure they stay open.”