Senator Murray: CDC Guidelines Will “Chart the Path Forward” on Schools Reopening, But More Funding is Needed

Senator Murray: “These guidelines will help us chart the path forward in getting students back in the classroom safely by helping educators and school officials make science-based decisions in coordination with public health officials.”

Senator Murray: “However, implementing these important public health measures to enable schools to safely reopen and remain open will still require a significant investment. That’s why it’s so critical that we pass the funding President Biden has called for in his COVID relief plan.”  

(Washington, D.C.) – Today, Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, released the following statement on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) updated guidelines on schools reopening for in-person instruction. Senator Murray emphasized that in order for schools to properly implement important public health measures included in the guidelines, they will need the critical funding that President Biden has proposed in his COVID relief package.

“We’ve still got a lot of challenges ahead, but the CDC’s new school reopening guidelines are an important step in the right direction. These guidelines will help us chart the path forward in getting students back in the classroom safely by helping educators and school officials make science-based decisions in coordination with public health officials. However, implementing these important public health measures to enable schools to safely reopen and remain open will still require a significant investment. That’s why it’s so critical that we pass the funding President Biden has called for in his COVID relief plan.”  

Senator Murray has been vocal about the importance of providing students, educators and schools with more funding to help them reopen for in-person instruction, address learning loss due to COVID, and address the longstanding inequities in our education system that have been exacerbated by the pandemic. Additionally, this funding would ensure higher education students receive emergency financial aid and can afford housing, food, child care, and access to broadband. At a recent HELP hearing, Senator Murray stressed the urgent need to pass President Biden’s COVID relief proposal saying “we desperately need more funding and resources for schools—like education relief that President Biden called for in his American Rescue Plan.”

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