[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 85 (Wednesday, May 5, 2021)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 23855-23856]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-09592]


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  Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 85 / Wednesday, May 5, 2021 / 
Presidential Documents  

[[Page 23855]]


                Proclamation 10195 of April 30, 2021

                
National Teacher Appreciation Day and National 
                Teacher Appreciation Week, 2021

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                As the proud husband of an educator who continues, as 
                First Lady, to teach writing at a community college, I 
                have seen firsthand the dedication, selflessness, and 
                vision of our Nation's educators. They play so many 
                different roles: They are mentors who guide with 
                creativity and care; advocates who fight for students' 
                needs; role models who help students dream and dare 
                more boldly; and leaders who tirelessly support the 
                families and communities that depend on them. Every 
                day, with every student they reach, educators build the 
                future of our country, and we are grateful for their 
                commitment to our shared future. This National Teacher 
                Appreciation Day and National Teacher Appreciation 
                Week, we honor the service and passion and celebrate 
                the immeasurable contributions of our Nation's 
                educators in schools from coast to coast.

                Throughout history, America's educators have risen to 
                unprecedented challenges. Over the past year, with our 
                country facing a cascade of crises, educators have 
                risen to this challenge with care and creativity: 
                overcoming disruptions in their own lives while 
                offering unwavering support for their students' 
                wellbeing and academic progress.

                Educators served both as facilitators of learning and 
                as the technology support for their students, getting 
                them up and running with access to fully remote 
                learning. They often worked late into the day to 
                support hard-to-reach children, and took the 
                extracurriculars their students love and adapted them 
                for remote and hybrid learning. Our teachers even found 
                new ways to leverage technology platforms to coordinate 
                with parents as partners in learning, keep a close eye 
                on the development of their students, and build 
                community by moving music rehearsals and sports 
                practices online.

                As this pandemic has shined a bright light on the 
                inequities that persist in our schools, educators have 
                also fought for the tools and resources their schools 
                need to bridge gaps and ensure all children have what 
                they need to succeed. Other school staff and 
                administrators have also stepped up in our time of 
                need, with bus drivers bringing hotspots to areas with 
                no wireless internet, food service staff preparing 
                meals for students who might otherwise go hungry, and 
                counselors helping students and parents cope with 
                trauma.

                When I took office, I vowed to support our educators by 
                giving them the pay and dignity they deserve. I made a 
                promise that they would not only have a voice as we 
                work to rebuild and reimagine our education system, 
                they would help us lead this effort. That is why my 
                Administration is partnering with State and local 
                leaders, educators and their unions, and families to 
                ensure high-quality instruction, overcome the 
                challenges of the instructional time we lost in the 
                pandemic, address educational inequities, and meet 
                students' physical, social, and emotional needs.

                In early March, I prioritized early childhood through 
                12th grade educators and staff for vaccination, and I 
                set a goal of getting all of these frontline essential 
                workers at least one shot by the end of the month. On 
                April

[[Page 23856]]

                2nd, I announced that 80 percent of all teachers, 
                school staff, and childcare workers across the country 
                had received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. 
                Since then, we have made even more progress in 
                protecting our educators.

                The American Rescue Plan is providing critical relief, 
                including $122 billion in relief for K-12 schools to 
                get students back in the classroom quickly and safely 
                and address the needs of students. In addition, the 
                American Rescue Plan includes $7.6 billion for special 
                education, children and youth experiencing 
                homelessness, Tribal educational agencies, Native 
                Hawaiians, and Alaska Natives, emergency assistance to 
                non-public schools, and the outlying areas of American 
                Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana 
                Islands, Guam, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, as well as 
                $40 billion for higher education.

                Education is the one field that makes all others 
                possible. Every one of us has been shaped by someone 
                who inspired our curiosity and helped us find our 
                confidence, who guided us to think more clearly and 
                pushed us to strive for better. On National Teacher 
                Appreciation Day and during National Teacher 
                Appreciation Week, we remember the tremendous debt of 
                gratitude owed to educators everywhere who helped 
                define us as individuals and as a country, and to all 
                that they are doing to light the way forward for our 
                families and our communities.

                NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of 
                the United States of America, by virtue of the 
                authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws 
                of the United States, do hereby proclaim May 4, 2021, 
                as National Teacher Appreciation Day and May 2 through 
                May 8, 2021, as National Teacher Appreciation Week. I 
                call upon all Americans to recognize the hard work and 
                dedication of our Nation's teachers and to observe this 
                day and this week by supporting teachers through 
                appropriate activities, events, and programs.

                IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this 
                thirtieth day of April, in the year of our Lord two 
                thousand twenty-one, and of the Independence of the 
                United States of America the two hundred and forty-
                fifth.
                
                
                    (Presidential Sig.)

[FR Doc. 2021-09592
Filed 5-4-21; 8:45 am]
Billing code 3295-F1-P