President Joe Biden has set new planning in motion to reopen college campuses to in-person learning.
Biden, by executive order, directed the secretary of education to work with the Department of Health and Human Services to provide colleges and universities with “evidence-based guidance” to safely reopen their facilities.
This planning should account for “the institution’s setting, resources, and the population it serves,” Biden’s order says.
Biden also directed the Department of Education’s assistant secretary for civil rights to study COVID‘s disparate impacts on college students, including those attending historically black colleges and universities, tribal colleges and universities, Hispanic-serving institutions, and other minority-serving institutions.
The agencies also will provide more guidance and technical assistance on distance and online learning. Also, a new Safer Schools and Campuses Best Practices Clearinghouse will enable colleges and universities to share lessons learned and best practices for operating safely during the pandemic.
Biden also asked The Federal Communications Commission to increase connectivity options for students lacking reliable home broadband.
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