Education secretary nominee Miguel Cardona appears for confirmation hearing.
President Joe Biden’s choice to serve as education secretary, Connecticut Education Commissioner Miguel Cardona, was confirmed to the post by the Senate on Monday.
The vote came to 64 yays to 33 nays in the chamber on Monday evening.
Cardona, 45, has experience as both a public school educator and an administrator, and has supported Biden’s goal of reopening schools safely as many parents remain concerned about students and the challenges dealt by the pandemic.
Biden’s plan to reopen schools has been a source of debate, as the president pledged to return most children to schools for in-person learning by the end of first 100 days in office. His administration later clarified that he was referring to grades K through 8, since younger children appear to be at a lower risk of catching the virus.