SACRAMENTO, Calif — As the growing coronavirus pandemic consumes California, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced the "Safe Schools for All Plan," which encourages schools to reopen classrooms for in-person learning in Spring 2021.
The recommendation was driven by increasing evidence that there are lower risks and increased benefits from in-person instruction, particularly for the youngest students, Newsom said. The plan comes amid increased pressure on schools to reopen campuses based on those rationales.
Newsom called for a phased approach focusing first on those in transitional kindergarten through second grade, as well as children with disabilities, those who have limited access to technology at home, and those who, he said, "have struggled more than most with distance learning."
Other grades would be phased in during the spring, but remote learning would continue to be allowed if parents and students wish, and for those who have health vulnerabilities that make it risky to return to the classroom.
David Fisher, a president of the Sacramento City Teachers Association (SCTA), the union representing about 2,500 educators in the 43,000 student Sacramento Unified School District (SCUSD)
While union officials haven't had time to review the plan, Fisher said educators maintain that they want to go back to school when it is safe to do so. To them, that means science and health first decisions and not arbitrary timelines or political decisions, Fisher said.
Fisher does support a return to school in the Spring plan but must be contingent on a safety-focused plan.
"We want to go back to in-person instruction with students as soon as it's safe," Fisher said.
Teachers have faced challenges teaching through virtual instruction and are eager to be in the classroom with their students. Fisher said many remain concerned about how safe it would be for them and their students to return.
Jennifer Haag, 50, of Sacramento, was ecstatic to hear of plans that included in-person instruction. The mother of three San Juan Unified students, including a seventh, ninth, and 12th grader – said school this year has been incredibly challenging from home and says the best place for them to learn is in a classroom.
Haag said her children had faced many technical, communication and other issues that have adversely affected their education while attending classes through all distance learning.
Meanwhile, Aislinn Lachance is deeply concerned about sending her son back to school. Her 16-year-old is a junior in the Roseville Joint Union High School District. He also has asthma, a condition that is known to be exacerbated if a person contracts coronavirus.
The Roseville Joint Union High School has plans for students to return to in-person classes in January of 2021. The district will allow students to choose to return to the classroom or learn virtually from home.
Lachance also cares for her 64-year-old mother, who is battling cancer. Doctors have told the family to take extreme precautions since catching the coronavirus could prove dangerous to her health.
"Of course, I want my kid to go back to school, but I know with the numbers the way they are right now, I'm personally not comfortable with sending my kid back to school," Lachance said.
Lachance said she would like to see a more widely available vaccine, daily positive case rates, and ICU numbers going down before she would feel comfortable sending him back to school.
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