U.S. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona is hopping a purple bus for his "Return-to-School Road Trip." His message to students and educators: It's good to be back.

Transcript

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

The U.S. secretary of education, Miguel Cardona, is leading the Biden administration's effort to keep children in classrooms safely. When several states blocked schools from requiring masks, he said the Education Department would investigate them for potentially violating children's civil rights. Now his message is going to travel for a back-to-school bus tour, and NPR's Cory Turner has been traveling along. He's in Milwaukee. Good morning, Cory.

CORY TURNER, BYLINE: Good morning, Steve.

INSKEEP: Good to talk with you once again. I understand the secretary is visiting five states. What are you hearing as he gets started?

TURNER: Yeah, so we started yesterday - the first leg, we're in Wisconsin. And, you know, I'm hearing something a little different this time. I'm hearing a lot of kids, including this fourth-grader named Aaron.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

AARON: As fourth-graders, we've been talking about respect. The No. 1 thing was say something nice to others. Secretary Cardona, you look very nice today.

(LAUGHTER)

TURNER: Aaron goes to Locust Lane Elementary School in Eau Claire, Wis. It's a district of about 11,000 students, where Cardona started his tour. The secretary popped in and out of classrooms, laughing, making jokes with the kids. You got to remember, Steve, he is a lifelong educator who started as a fourth-grade teacher.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

MIGUEL CARDONA: I'm glad you're back in school, and I heard you're having Rice Krispie Treats for lunch.

(CROSSTALK)

CARDONA: That's amazing.

TURNER: He also handed out chocolate coins. He talked to Pokemon with Aaron, who we heard earlier. And he read the morning announcements. And then after the tour, the kids gathered for a pep rally.

INSKEEP: Which was like what?

TURNER: Well, so it was outdoors, obviously. Eau Claire has a mask mandate, so all the kids were still wearing masks. And, you know, sometimes these events can feel really staged. You end up getting a kind of speech about policy surrounded by kids who are wondering why they're there. But this speech was clearly for the kids. Even when Cardona talked about President Biden's efforts to increase school funding, he asked them what would they like to see.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

CARDONA: Better nets on the soccer goals. Yes? Yes. All right, I'll write that down. Adrian (ph) wrote this one. And, Adrian, thank you for writing this one 'cause I agree with you - more art.

TURNER: Even the secretary's mode of transportation was somewhat playful. It was a giant purple bus with the words honk if you love teachers on the bumper.

INSKEEP: OK, so I'm taking a note here - better nets. I don't know if the administration can help with that or not.

TURNER: (Laughter).

INSKEEP: What is the substantive purpose of this trip?

TURNER: Well, this is where we get serious, Steve, because this is the third school year that has now been affected by COVID. And according to the American Academy of Pediatrics, 226,000 children tested positive for COVID in the past week, and that is the third-highest number of child cases in a week since the pandemic began.

INSKEEP: Wow.

TURNER: Cardona knows all of this. And he also knows that the politics around masking and vaccinations have become essentially toxic, at least for the grown-ups. So he's trying to find creative ways of gently selling his message, about which he's been pretty relentless - the kids should be back in school. The best way to keep them there is by following the science. That means wearing masks. Cardona also told me yesterday he fully supports mandating vaccines, even for kids.

INSKEEP: I suppose that all of this gives a stronger political edge to this bus tour than might normally be the case.

TURNER: Yeah, this definitely stands out from previous tours. And, you know, it's just - it's because of the pandemic. It raises the stakes. You know, I - when I was walking into the school yesterday, I heard a staff member on the phone with a parent explaining the district's quarantine policy. So I asked the superintendent later about it. He said, sure enough, in spite of the mask mandate, they've had several students having to quarantine at the school and elsewhere in the district. And, you know, in places where students are not wearing masks and where vaccination rates are much lower, even more kids are being sent home. And this is why Cardona is out there this week.

INSKEEP: Cory, thanks.

TURNER: You're welcome, Steve.

INSKEEP: NPR's Cory Turner is in Milwaukee. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.

Tags: Series: The Coronavirus Crisis