This archive report was first published on 18 July 2020.
As the new academic year approaches, educators in California are expressing concerns about the safety of returning to schools amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. The California Teachers Association, with over 310,000 members, has urged state leaders to require districts to start the year under robust distance learning protocols, citing even a hybrid model as 'high-risk.'
On July 8, 2020, the president of the California Federation of Teachers, Jeff Freitas, stated that the state's new guidelines did not go far enough to protect school employees. He objected to the state's willingness to allow waivers for some schools in counties on the watchlist, as well as the lack of mandatory social distancing and testing for all students.
Freitas demanded that schools across California continue to provide remote learning until 'the governor can ensure adequate safety measures throughout the state.'
Erin Springer, a fifth-grade teacher at a charter school in Inglewood, expressed her frustration with the delayed decision, stating that she wished the call had been made sooner so that she and her colleagues could have prepared.
California Governor Gavin Newsom emphasized that education officials across the state would be working hard to ensure that all students would have access to 'rigorous distance learning,' including access to devices and connectivity and live interactions every day with teachers and other students.
Newsom added that the state has put $5.3 billion in additional money toward efforts to support students who are homeless, in the foster care system, or who are English language learners.
