WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The same week a Washington Unified School District (WUSD) employee tested positive for the coronavirus, the district board held a virtual public meeting on Thursday on how it could reopen its West Sacramento schools amid the pandemic.
Teachers called in the meeting to let district board members know they do not support a plan that would have on-site instruction, especially after a school employee was infected by the disease.
WSUD officials said they learned Tuesday a River City High School (RCHS) employee tested positive for the coronavirus. All RCHS staff were sent home and the school is closed for at least 48 hours.
"I feel like this is a wake-up call for the real health risk that will face our students, teachers and staff if they are asked to return to on-site learning," said Tiffany McFadden, a parent who called into the meeting.
McFadden said she was upset RCHS was accepting students' Chromebooks even though school officials knew an employee tested positive for the coronavirus that morning.
WUSD is considering two options for reopening schools. A blended learning model would have both in-person and distance learning. Or the district could continue with teaching students virtually.
During public comment Tessa Heavlin-Martinez said teachers' roles have expanded since the Columbine High School shooting in 1999 to also have educators be students' "human shields and bodyguards."
"When we die protecting our students, we are herald with praise as heroes," Heavlin-Martinez said. "I come today to tell you I am not your hero. I want nothing more than to be in my classroom, but I refused to be praised in a preventable death."
WUSD board gave itself a deadline of July 23 to finalize a plan on how to reopen schools before the fall semester.
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Education Secretary Betsy DeVos said schools must be "fully operational" during a call on Tuesday with governors. The Associated Press obtained the audio of the call.
"Ultimately, it's not a matter of if schools need to open, it's a matter of how. School must reopen, they must be fully operational. And how that happens is best left to education and community leaders," DeVos said.
President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that he would withhold federal funding from schools if they choose not to reopen in the fall. Trump also criticized federal health officials' guidelines.
The CDC's guidance for schools is that students and teachers should wear masks whenever it is feasible, spread out desk, stagger schedules, eat meals in classrooms and add barriers between bathroom sinks.
Gov. Gavin Newsom said on Wednesday school districts would decide whether it is safe to reopen. He added he hopes the school year is not delayed due to the pandemic.
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