White House reiterates support for open schools after Chicago Teachers Union votes for remote learning

The White House on Wednesday maintained its support for keeping schools opened across the nation as cases of the highly-transmissible omicron variant of COVID-19 continue to rise.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki on Wednesday doubled down on the Biden administration's efforts to aid schools in their plans to maintain in-person learning, as the Chicago Teachers Union voted late Tuesday to return to full-time remote learning amid the surge in COVID-19 cases.

The Biden administration is in "regular contact" with a range of stakeholders on the issue of school reopenings and closures, Psaki said Wednesday, noting that includes school superintendents, state leaders, principals, teachers, parents and other school staff.

"The president is working, and we are all working, to keep schools opened," Psaki said, reiterating President Biden's remarks Tuesday that officials know that schools "can be opened safely."

"We are here to help make that happen," Psaki said, noting that the president agrees with "medical, scientific and education experts that because of the historic work we've done, we are more than equipped to ensure schools are opened."

"We are here to keep our children and educators, who selflessly serve their communities, safe, but ensure children are not enduring the mental health impact of not being in school, that there are not gaps in learning, and this includes schools everywhere – including Chicago," Psaki said Wednesday.

Psaki's comments come after the Chicago Teachers Union voted to return to remote learning, which forced classes as early as Wednesday to be canceled. The vote was approved by 73% of the union's members, who voted for no in-class learning until cases of COVID-19 "substantially subside," or until union leaders approve an agreement for safety protocols with the district.