Biden on school closures: "It is a national emergency"

Where it stands: Biden has pledged to reopen schools within his first 100 days, but Anthony Fauci — Biden's chief medical adviser — recently told teachers unions that the administration's goal may not be reached that quickly due to "mitigating circumstances."

• Current mitigating circumstances include new, more transmissible strains of the coronavirus spreading through the country.

What he's saying: "It is a national emergency. It genuinely is a national emergency," Biden said. "I think it's time for schools to reopen safely. Safely. You have to have fewer people in the classroom, you have to have ventilation systems that have been reworked."

• "Our CDC commissioner is going to be coming out with science-based judgement within, I think as early as Wednesday, to lay out what the minimum requirements are."
• "I think about the price. So many of my grandkids and your kids are going to pay for not having had the chance to finish whatever it was. That graduation, where you didn't get to walk across the stage — I think they're going through a lot, these kids."

The bottom line: "Currently, there is not enough data to understand the status of school re-opening and how students are learning nationwide," the Department of Education said on Friday.

Go deeper: Schools face an uphill battle to reopen during the pandemic