On Wednesday, Jan. 6 a group of the largest urban school districts in California have released a letter on which they collectively responded to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s recent release of a draft “Safe Schools for All Plan“.
The letter can be read in its entirety here.
On Wednesday, Dec. 30, Gov. Gavin Newsom unveiled a $2 billion plan to get young students back to in-person learning as early as spring, although it was unclear how quickly such a move would occur in Southern California, which is being particularly hard hit by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The proposal calls for a “phased-in, in-person learning strategy that would focus disproportionately on those youngest cohorts and those that are most in need — our high-risk children, special education, those populations — foster care, homeless children — and others that need that extra amount of support,” Newsom said.
The plan would include $2 billion to bankroll safety measures at schools that return to in-person instruction, including COVID-19 testing and protective equipment. It also calls for frequent testing of students and staff, masks for everyone on campus and prioritizing school staff for vaccinations.
The school districts addressed that while they are pleased that while “Safe Schools for All” prioritizes the reopening of public schools with substantial funding, “The plan fails to address the needs of the urban school districts that serve nearly a quarter of California students , almost all of whom live below the poverty level . The plan does not address the disproportionate impact the virus is having on low-income communities of color . It leaves the definition of a “safe school environment ” and the “standard for reopening classrooms ” up to the individual discretion of 1,037 school districts , creating a patchwork of safety standards in the face of a statewide health crisis.”
The letter also calls on the state to acknowledge the following needs and take the actions necessary to implement them so all California children can receive the education they deserve:
• An immediate, all – hands – on – deck, public health effort to reduce the spread of the virus in low-income communities.
• A clear state standard for COVID – related health issues in schools , with a requirement for in – classroom instruction to begin when the standard is met.
• Public health funds, not K- 2 educational funds from Prop. 98 , should be used for COVID testing and vaccinations.
• School-based health services should be integrated with COVID testing and vaccination plans.
• Learning – loss recovery plans, including funding for summer school, need to be established now.
• Reopening plans need to include specific funding for special education students.
• A timetable and plan for vaccinations of school staff should be made public by February 1.
• The state should begin to publish detailed information on school and district status in meeting COVID health standards, providing in – person instruction and school – based virus occurrences by February 1.
The letter states that the additional steps will ensure that “Safe Schools for All” lives up to its name, and lead to the reopening of schools in the safest way possible.
“As we requested in our November 2 letter on this topic, we would welcome the opportunity to discuss these issues with you or the appropriate designee at the earliest possible convenience. We are disappointed that discussion has not yet happened but hope the sharing of the proposed “ Safe Schools for All ” plan will provide the opportunity for the engagement we have been seeking.”
The letter was signed in support by the Superintendents of the Los Angeles Unified, San Diego Unified, Fresno Unified, Long Beach Unified, San Francisco Unified, Oakland Unified, and Sacramento City Unified.
