New proposed resolution from Commissioners Collins & Lopez could roll back school openings.
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We can’t believe we’re still having this problem in fall 2021, but Commissioner Alison Collins and President Gabriela Lopez introduced a proposed resolution this past Tuesday calling for a muddled list of safety measures for SFUSD schools. While the name of the resolution sounds great–because yes, all parents want safe schools–the devil is in the details. And they’re not good. We’ve broken it down here.
Should you be worried? Unfortunately, yes. These two commissioners appear absolutely determined to ram this legislation through, no matter what it costs our district or if it keeps kids out of classrooms.
- What students actually need right now? 1) Stricter adult vaccine mandate is still the #1 recommendation of the Department of Public Health/CDC, yet hasn’t made it into Lopez & Collins’s “health and safety” resolution; 2) Consistent implementation of the public health-recommended “Modified Quarantine” strategy to keep kids safe and in school; 3) Improvements to the Online Learning Program; 4) Real plans for addressing learning loss. These first two items are the ones our city’s health experts have emphasized are the key to keeping kids safe from COVID-19 and in school, and the second two are basic responsibilities of any school district. Why are they not the cornerstones of this resolution and the focus of the Board of Education’s work?
- TAKE ACTION: This proposed resolution is being fast tracked through the Board of Education Curriculum Committee (yes, we found that committee choice baffling as well). Commissioners Alexander, Boggess, Lam and Moliga asked for more time to make amendments, and Commissioner Lam asked for it to go through Budget Committee due to major fiscal implications of the resolution that could sink our district. 🙌 THANK YOU to those four commissioners for being mindful and thoughtful of the real impacts of this resolution. Unfortunately, Commissioner Collins and Lopez do not appear to be allowing these requests. Stay tuned for actions related to this resolution, and in the meantime, please email the Board of Education & Superintendent Matthews to ask them to ensure that SFUSD implements Modified Quarantine at every SFUSD school, stat.
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- Needed: Your feedback on the ideal qualifications of a San Francisco Board of Education commissioner. As we’ve seen over the last year+, the people on this body have tremendous impact on the welfare of the city’s public school children. Yet, there has historically been very little attention paid to the Board, and specifically, what makes a good commissioner. SF Parents wants to change that. So, we’re starting with asking a very basic question: What are the qualifications of an ideal Board of Education commissioner? We’ll use your feedback to develop a template by which we evaluate all potential Board of Education members going forward.
- Air purifier plan implementation details. Want to know more about the plan to get high grade air purifiers into every SFUSD school? Listen to this Q&A with Dawn Kamalanathan, SFUSD’s Chief Facilities Officer.
- Online Learning Program good news! SFUSD confirmed this week that families with kids in the Online Learning Program be able to keep their spot in your assigned school even if you applied in the second round! See all the details on the program here. We know this was important to many SFUSD families and we’re glad the district listened and responded.
- Delta on the wane–good riddance, Delta. It’s strangely hard to hear good news these days, almost unfamiliar. But even from our cautious perspective, it’s hard not to see these Delta numbers as very good news; the numbers for children in San Francisco are even better. Listening to Department of Public Health guidance has worked, once again. 🤛
- Sports are back on–woohoo! Last week, there was a surge of worry from families and youth about SFUSD sports being thwarted by last minute rule changes from SFUSD. The good news is that SFUSD has since rectified the problem and sports are back on!
- Enrollment dips by 5%. Preliminary numbers out of SFUSD suggest that enrollment in the school district is down by about 5% compared to end of 2019-2020. This will have significant budget impacts for years to come, and we need thoughtful Board of Education leadership more than ever. 🚨
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Gratefulness Meter: Very High 🥰
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Thank you to the many families of dedicated volunteers who joined us on August 21st at the Randall Museum for our volunteer appreciation event and launch. Our movement would be nowhere without the many parents who came together, and we can’t emphasize enough how much we appreciate everything you do, folks. Special thanks to Mayor Breed, Senator Wiener, members of the SF Board of Education and many other special guests for attending. Check out some more of the event photos here.
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