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Statement by CCSA President and CEO Myrna Castrejón Regarding Selection of Miguel Cardona as U.S. Secretary of Education

December 23, 2020

SACRAMENTO, CA  Today, California Charter Schools Association President and CEO Myrna Castrejón issued the following statement regarding President-elect Joe Biden’s selection of Miguel Cardona as the next U.S Secretary of Education:

“We share Miguel Cardona’s belief that public education is the great equalizer in our society and offers every child, no matter what their zip code, the opportunity to achieve the American Dream. 

"Now more than ever, the education community at the state and federal levels must partner to achieve our shared goal: to ensure that our kids are OK through this pandemic – that they are kept safe and healthy, both physically and emotionally. Our children are the ones that have lost out on a significant period of their schooling and all that surrounds it. We have to work together to re-open schools safely and as quickly as possible, while prioritizing the learning loss and emotional stress our students face.

"We need a leader that will unite us and works towards the overall educational health and wellbeing of our students, and work together with urgency at all levels, from the classroom to the White House and across all states to support kids through this crisis.

"Families are increasingly concerned about their child’s learning loss during the pandemic, but that is just part of the problem. For too many families, distance learning has created unforeseen challenges, particularly for the most vulnerable and historically underserved student populations. Not only do we need to protect the health and safety of students and staff, CCSA recognizes the importance of children’s social and emotional well-being.

"Our nation’s education system continues to endure a crisis that is unprecedented, and we have many more obstacles ahead. This pandemic has exposed gaps in our education system that need to be addressed immediately and permanently.

"The California Charter Schools Association looks forward to working with Mr. Cardona to help erase those achievement gaps for our most vulnerable students."