Coronavirus: Gov. Newsom, lawmakers in talks on school reopening path

MSN ^ | 02-02-2021 | John Woolfolk

[Vendome]

Gov. Gavin Newsom and state lawmakers are in talks on a new path for getting more public schools to reopen as the governor’s late-December plan offering money and aid for those that move quickly to bring students back on campus comes under withering fire from districts, teacher unions and legislators.

Monday was the deadline in Newsom’s $2 billion Safe Schools for All Plan announced Dec. 30 for schools to file reopening plans and qualify for the funding, but the Legislature has yet to act on it, leaving its status in doubt.

And last week, a bill was pulled from committee that would set a requirement for schools to reopen within two weeks of case rates falling to the level state and local health orders say is safe to resume in-person instruction

The push to reopen campuses comes amid mounting evidence that kids are falling behind and suffering emotionally with remote online “distance learning” at home, and that the schools that have reopened have not driven outbreaks or seen significant transmission of the coronavirus.

“Keeping schools closed poses a major risk to kids’ health and wellbeing,” said Megan Bacigalupi, an Oakland parent of two elementary school children

All but four of California’s 58 counties are now in the most restrictive purple tier for widespread outbreaks, which prohibits schools that hadn’t already opened from doing so.

Los Angeles Unified Superintendent Austin Beutner said Monday that city schools won’t reopen while infection rates remain high in local communities and teachers remain unvaccinated, the Los Angeles Times reported.

[Vendome]

The nation’s second-largest district is instead weighing a mandatory summer session and an extended academic year in 2021-22, the Times said.

The California Teachers Association in a letter to Newsom last week suggested his plan was a reopening “shortcut” lacking “clarity and common sense.” The teacher union opposed its allowance for schools to reopen while their counties are in the purple tier. And it said that worrisome new strains of the virus now circulating in the state are cause for greater concern and highlight the need for more thorough testing on campuses and effective vaccination of teachers, staff and others in the school community.

“If we wait for the perfect,” Newsom said in the discussion, which has since been removed from YouTube, “we might as well just pack it up and just be honest with folks that we’re not going to open for in-person instruction this school year.”

[2aProtectsTheRest]

"Los Angeles Unified Superintendent Austin Beutner said Monday that city schools won’t reopen while infection rates remain high in local communities and teachers remain unvaccinated, the Los Angeles Times reported."

California is currently sitting on 2,213,266 unused doses of COVID-19 vaccines. Meanwhile, it has 266,255 teachers in the public schools. So what the hell's the problem, California? Send the vaccines to Walgreens and tell the teachers to go get their shots. Then open the schools so these kids can finally learn a thing. These kids have been out of school for nearly a YEAR!

[chuckb87]

” Send the vaccines to Walgreens and tell the teachers to go get their shots.”

I take it you’re for forced/mandatory vaccines. You fit right in with the commies in power.

[2aProtectsTheRest]

"I take it you’re for forced/mandatory vaccines."

You are incorrect. I am against mandatory vaccines. And against mandatory motorcycle helmets. And against mandatory seat belts. I don't believe in use of unnecessary force. But if the objection is that the teachers haven't been vaccinated and California is sitting on 10 times more vaccine doses than are needed, then just make them available to the teachers.

"You fit right in with the commies in power."

Didn't we just have a post from Jim about knocking off the personal attacks and flame wars?