U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona begins 2-day tour of Southern California schools, colleges

U.S. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona started a two-day visit of Los Angeles County with stops at Rio Hondo College in Whittier and El Rancho High School in Pico Rivera.

Cardona was joined by Whittier Rep. Linda Sanchez at Rio Hondo College to talk to students about school-based support that can help meet basic needs such as housing and food security. They were later joined by Tony Thurmond, the state's superintendent of public instruction, on a tour of El Rancho High School, where students showed them aspects of their science, technology, engineering, arts and math, or STEAM, program.

Cardona continues his Tuesday visit in San Bernardino, where he will tour De Anza Middle School in Ontario and Chaffey College Industrial Technical Learning Center in Fontana.

Thurmond and LAUSD Superintendent Alberto Carvalho will join Cardona on Wednesday on a tour of the Los Angeles High School of the Arts, where they will also meet with parents to discuss efforts to support students' mental health as schools emerge from the pandemic.