SAN FRANCISCO (AP) – The city of San Francisco took a dramatic step on Wednesday in its effort to bring children back to public school classrooms, suing its own school district to try to open its doors in the midst of the pandemic. of the coronavirus.
The process was the first of its kind in California and possibly in the country, as school systems are under increasing pressure from parents and politicians to end virtual learning. Teacher unions in many large school districts, including San Francisco, say they will not be returning to classrooms until they are vaccinated.
City Attorney Dennis Herrera, with the support of Mayor London Breed, announced that he sued the San Francisco Board of Education and the San Francisco Unified School District as a last resort to save what remains of the academic year. They say it is safe to reopen schools.
The school district did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Teachers are next in line for the COVID-19 vaccine, and some have started taking vaccines in rural areas.
“Not a single student at the public school in San Francisco set foot in his classroom in 347 days,” Herrera said at a news conference, calling it shameful and also illegal. “More than 54,000 students in San Francisco are suffering. They are being turned into Zoom-bies by the online school. Enough is enough. “
The lawsuit claims that school administrators are violating a state requirement that districts adopt a clear plan “to provide classroom instruction whenever possible” during the pandemic. The state says the plan should be implemented, especially for students who have experienced a significant learning loss due to school closures.
The lawsuit is seeking a court order to require schools to prepare to offer face-to-face education and to present an “appropriate plan to show that they are ready for it,” said Herrera.
San Francisco schools have been allowed to reopen since September, said a statement from Herrera, noting that nearly 90% of schools in neighboring Marin County, including public schools, have resumed on-site education and that 113 private and parish schools in San Francisco have also are open.
“This is not the path we would have chosen, but nothing matters more now than putting our children back in school,” said Breed in the statement. “Our teachers have done an incredible job in trying to support our children through distance learning, but this is not working for anyone. And we know that we can do this safely. “
Herrera said the district’s current plan “is an ambiguous and empty rhetoric. It is a plan to make a plan. It is legally insufficient. “
“So far, they have received an F,” said Herrera, referring to the school district and its Education Council.
He plans to file a motion on February 11 asking the San Francisco Superior Court to issue an emergency order. If granted, the order would require the district to formulate a reopening plan. The statement said that such emergency orders, also known as injunctions, can only come after a lawsuit has been filed.