This article was published on the Council for Exceptional Children on January 8, 2021.

On December 29, President-Elect Joe Biden delivered pandemic-related remarks that included a call to action for most K-8 schools to reopen by the end of his first 100 days in office. Biden called on Congress to provide additional funding for states and school districts to reopen so they may obtain necessary resources that “aren’t in their already tight budgets.”

The President-elect specifically identified funding areas that will enable the safe functioning of schools throughout the country, including funding for testing, transportation, school buildings, additional cleaning services, protective equipment, and ventilation systems.

He estimated that the cost of these necessary funding measures will amount to an additional tens of billions of dollars.