SAN FRANCISCO (AP) – The city of San Francisco took a dramatic step on Wednesday in its attempt to get children back to public school classrooms by suing its own school district to try to break open its doors amidst the coronavirus pandemic.
The lawsuit was the first of its kind in California and possibly the country, as school systems come under increasing pressure from parents and politicians to end virtual learning. Teacher unions in many major school districts, including San Francisco, say they won’t return to class until they’ve been vaccinated.
City attorney Dennis Herrera, with support from Mayor London Breed, said he has sued the San Francisco Unified School District and the Board of Education as a last resort to save what’s left of the academic year. They say it is safe to reopen schools and keeping them closed was detrimental to the wellbeing of children.
“Not a single student from the San Francisco public school has set foot in their class in 327 days,” Herrera said at a news conference, calling it shameful and illegal. More than 54,000 school children in San Francisco are suffering. They are converted into Zoom bies by an online school. Enough is enough.”
The lawsuit highlights the growing tension and infighting across the country between politicians who insist it is safe to return to schools with proper safety precautions and teachers who are on the front lines who have not yet been able to get vaccinated.
While the vast majority of California public schools have been closed since March, San Francisco schools have been allowed to reopen since September. Herrera noted that nearly 90% of schools in neighboring Marin County, including public schools, have resumed personal education, and 113 private and parochial schools in San Francisco are also open.
The lawsuit says school administrators are violating the state’s requirement that districts adopt a clear plan “to provide classroom education where possible” during the pandemic. It calls for a court order to require schools to prepare to issue personal instructions and submit a detailed plan, Herrera said.
School administrators called the lawsuit shameful.
“This is not helping,” said Vincent Matthews, superintendent of the school district. “We’re all in this pandemic bubble in San Francisco together, and turning against us is definitely not going to help.”
He said at a news conference that the school board and the district have “worked feverishly and fought for and pushed for the return of students to personal learning” and that they “absolutely have a comprehensive plan” for reopening.
However, Matthews said he could not provide a timeline due to fluctuating virus numbers and a lack of vaccines, which California teachers are next for. Some have started taking pictures in rural areas.
In a recent study, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said there is little evidence that the virus is spreading in schools when precautions are taken, such as masks, distance, and good ventilation.
Race-cited data showing that black, Latino, Asian, and low-income students have lost significant academic ground during distance learning, compared to white and wealthier students.
“Our children are suffering, and the inequalities that existed before this pandemic have only gotten worse,” said the mayor.
Since the outbreak of the pandemic, San Francisco has been on the cutting edge of COVID-19 restrictions. It was one of the first US cities to order its closure as part of other aggressive measures and has the lowest infection rates of any metropolitan area in California.
“We have been a national leader in our response to COVID. Let’s be a national leader to get our kids back to school, ”said Breed.
She has repeatedly pushed for schools to reopen and has criticized the administration for focusing on less pressing issues, most recently its decision to rename 44 schools bearing the names of people associated with racism, slavery or sexism.
The chairman of the education board Gabriela Lopez says the board can multitask.
“Our efforts to dismantle racist symbols and white supremacist culture do not diminish the administration’s focus on other urgent matters,” said Lopez.
Herrera plans to file a motion on Feb. 11 asking the San Francisco Superior Court to issue an emergency warrant. If the order is granted, the district must prepare a detailed reopening plan. He said the district’s current plan is “ambiguous, empty rhetoric. It’s a plan to make a plan. It is legally insufficient. “
Gavin Newsom says he will not force schools to reopen, but wants to give them a boost. He has proposed a $ 2 billion plan to give schools that are reopening soon additional money for COVID-19 testing and other safety measures. It has received criticism from superintendents, unions and lawmakers, all of whom say the plan’s timeline and rules are unrealistic.
Newsom bypassed direct comments on the San Francisco lawsuit, saying everyone is on the same page and wants to reopen schools safely.
“We are just insisting on the details to do that, and I am confident we will get there,” Newsom said.
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Associated Press writer Janie Har contributed to this report.
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This story has been corrected to show that the city attorney said students have no classrooms for 327 days, not 347.