Joe Biden Apologizes After Plexiglass Desk Frame Crashes Down in School

US President Joe Biden(C) and First Lady Jill Biden(R) visit the classroom of fifth-grade
MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images

President Joe Biden visited a Virginia elementary school on Monday, where masked students sat behind plexiglass framed desks to protect them from the coronavirus.

The president and first lady visited Yorktown Elementary School to highlight students returning safely to in-person learning.

During the visit, President Biden, wearing a mask, walked around the classroom asking the students what they wanted to be when they grew up.

When he returned to the front of the room, one of the plexiglass frames crashed off of one of the child’s desks.

“That was probably my fault,” Biden apologized. “I probably walked by too closely.”

First lady Jill Biden helped the teacher of the classroom put the plexiglass back on the desk in front of the child.

The teacher said students were still working together, building relationships, and engaging with hands-on learning, even while masked and kept behind plexiglass at their desks.

Some students said they enjoyed doing school online at home, despite some early frustrations with technology glitches.

One student said doing classes over the internet was “terrible.”

One student commented that it was nice to eat during the day, while doing school at home. Another student said it was nice to take a nap during the day if they were tired.

“Yeah, you turn off the camera,” the first lady replied. “I’ve seen that.”

Several students told Biden what they wanted to be, including the choices of music artist, fashion designer, barista, chef, or hairstylist.

“I could use some,” Biden said to the child who said she wanted to style hair. “Some hair I mean.”

“Boy, I tell you what, you guys are impressive,” Biden continued, joking he felt he was talking to ninth-graders because they were so smart.

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