The pressure from the Biden administration comes as roughly two-thirds of children head back to school this week. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona said, “We. Must. Protect. Children," when he announced his plan. The White House is using what little authority it has when it comes to K-12 education to support school district leaders who are defying state orders that bar them from requiring students and school staff to mask. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona announced recently that the administration plans to make federal aid available to school superintendents, educators and school board members who face financial penalties for challenging executive orders and state laws by mandating masks.

The pressure from the Biden administration comes as roughly two-thirds of children head back to school this week against the backdrop of an ongoing pandemic that's already caused thousands of students and educators to quarantine in the wake of COVID-19 outbreaks, forced schools to return to virtual learning or delay the start of the school year and further politicized the already contentious school reopening debate – mostly in school districts and states were masks are optional and vaccine rates remain low.

In letters sent last week to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, both Republicans, Cardona said he was "deeply concerned" by the governors' continued efforts to block district leaders from implementing mask mandates, including a threat from DeSantis that he planned to revoke state funding and dock the salaries of educators who defied his executive order. Cardona didn't mince words in announcing the plan: "We. Must. Protect. Children."

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