Childhood COVID-19 cases fall for second week, as experts say student quarantines, testing are curbing virus spread

U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona poses for a photo before boarding his “return to school” bus after speaking at Walter R. Sundling Junior High School in Palatine on Sept. 21, 2021. Cardona was on a tour of U.S. schools, celebrating the full return of in-person classroom this fall, despite the COVID-19 virus surging nationwide. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)