Education Secretary Miguel Cardona said Sunday that he is "prepared to launch investigations" into red states that have banned schools from requiring students to wear face coverings.
"We are prepared to launch investigations with our Office for Civil Rights to ensure that all students have access to this fundamental right of education, and it's sad that we're talking about this now," Cardona told Chuck Todd on NBC’s "Meet the Press."
"We're gonna use our Office for Civil Rights to investigate any claims that come forward to make sure that students’ rights are kept," he continued.
Last week, Cardona told The New York Times that the Education Department would turn to its civil rights enforcement branch to investigate states with policies that prevent the enforcement of masks.
Florida, Texas, Tennessee and other Republican states have recently signed executive orders barring schools from reimposing mask mandates because they want parents to be able to decide what is best for their children.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) even announced earlier this month that superintendents and school board members could see pay cuts if they implement mask mandates in their school districts. The Florida DOE also said they would strip funding of school districts with mask requirements.
During the NBC interview, Cardona reiterated President Joe Biden's assurance that the administration will reimburse school districts that lose state funding for refusing to abide by governor orders and instead choose to impose mask mandates.
Let me be clear: We will do everything we can to support local school districts in safely reopening schools. American Rescue Plan funds can be used to backfill the salaries of the brave Florida school board members, superintendents, and other educators keeping our children safe. https://t.co/sDoZHm3MMH
— President Biden (@POTUS) August 20, 2021
Cardona announced the support for defiant school districts in a statement last week, writing that "we've also made clear to district leaders that any financial penalties imposed by the state can be addressed immediately using CARES, CRRSA, or American Rescue Plan funds."
Cardona's remarks come as preparations are being made for students to return to classrooms this fall amid a rise in COVID-19 cases across the country due to the highly infectious delta variant.