Education Secretary Miguel Cardona said on "Face the Nation" there "should be no need for remote or hybrid learning" given increases in vaccinations and treatment against COVID-19, according to CBS.
"We're going to continue to serve our parents and work in partnership with them," Cardona told host Margaret Brennan.
The comments come after the White House unveiled its latest operational plan to vaccinate children between the ages of 5 and 11, which is currently awaiting authorization from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Last week, the director of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Rochelle Walensky endorsed the White House's operational plan to approve a two-dose series of Pfizer-BioNTech's COVID-19 for kids.
"We know that in this rollout for the younger students, it's really important, more so than ever before, that our schools connect with our pediatricians, with our children's hospitals so that our medical experts are providing the information," Cardona said to the network.
Cardona previously recommended that all schools be in-person by September in an interview with MSNBC. However, that early return plan got thwarted by a fall-season spike in COVID cases among children.
"I'm really pleased with the role of our medical partners in speaking to parents and communicating very effectively that this is the best thing they can do to protect their children," he added.
Under the released operational plan, the White House also encouraged schools to offer vaccine clinics.
"The Administration will work with states and local partners to make vaccination sites available at schools and other trusted community-based sites across the country. The Administration, through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), is providing full funding to states to support vaccination operations and outreach," the plan reads.
Cardona acknowledged on "Face the Nation" that some parents may remain hesitant about the plan, saying that it is the Department of Education's "role to ... help them feel comfortable with having their children vaccinated."
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