Congressman Mike Garcia, R-Santa Clarita, joined dozens of members of Congress in sending a letter to President Joe Biden encouraging state and local leaders to reopen schools statewide and across the country.

On Friday, Garcia joined Congressman Jason Smith, R-MO, and 66 other members of Congress to send a letter to President Biden urging him to “listen to the science” and to encourage state and local leaders to reopen schools across both California and the United States. 

“We must reopen schools as soon as possible, and I don’t mean just one day a week as the Biden Administration ridiculously proposed,” Garcia said in a statement Friday. “We are depriving children of the education and support that they need. It is time for President Biden and Governor Newsom to listen to the science and open our schools and communities back up.”

This letter comes after Rochelle Walenksy, the Biden administration’s Centers for Disease Control Director, said that there was “increasing data to suggest that schools can safely reopen and that safe reopening does not suggest that teachers need to be vaccinated.” 

In the letter, the lawmakers requested that Biden follow through with the pledge he made during his campaign and inauguration to “follow the science” when it comes to COVID-19.

“Approximately six percent of children in the United States struggle with some form of emotional or behavioral difficulties, including autism, depression, and trauma-related mental health conditions,” the letter reads. “Many of those children depend upon their schools for access to the therapies they need.” 

See Related: Castaic Union School District Votes On Reopening Schools

The lawmakers go on to point out in the letter that there are currently nearly ten million fewer jobs in the U.S. than before the pandemic, and that case numbers and hospitalizations continue to drop countrywide. 

“By allowing our nation’s schools to remain shuttered, you are depriving these children of the people and support systems they depend on,” the lawmakers wrote. “In addition to the impact of the youth mental health crisis, school closures are increasing education inequality in the United States.”

Santa Clarita has made its first steps in an attempt to reopen schools, beginning with the Castaic Union School District (CUSD), which voted to reopen their in-person classes after both state and county health orders allowed it Thursday. 

During their regularly scheduled meeting Thursday, the governing board for the CUSD voted three to two to reopen their four school campuses one week after the county allows it. CUSD is the second district to confirm with KHTS a plan to return younger age classes to resume in-person learning.

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