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San Francisco school officials unanimously approved a health and safety deal with unions allowing schools to reopen before the end of the school year.
The deal, approved at Tuesday’s school board meeting, is the first major hurdle to getting first students back to classrooms for in-person learning, though unions and the district still disagree on what to do. what the school day will look like when the classrooms reopen.
Any return to teaching in person – which is not a certainty – is likely at least two months off.
The district and council have faced increased pressure from parents and city officials to reopen schools – including a lawsuit and possible recall – and continue to face several hurdles before expelling students in class. They are now struggling to come to an agreement with teacher union officials, who have expressed both concerns about the loss of learning and possible outbreaks among staff and in the community when students return.
A key part of the deal approved Tuesday allows a return to classrooms once the city hits red, the second most restrictive level in California’s plan to reopen, if coronavirus vaccinations are lifted. the provision of school staff on site. San Francisco is expected to hit red within the next week.
If the city progresses to the orange level, a less restrictive category with “moderate” spread of the virus, teachers and other staff will return without requiring vaccinations.
The question now is what will the school day be like when schools reopen. The daily schedule for students and teachers is still pending, requiring agreement between the district and the teachers’ union. As negotiations continue on these issues, union leaders and district officials have expressed frustration at ongoing discussions over disagreements over how often students would be in classrooms.
District officials touted a proposal at a press conference on Tuesday – ahead of the board meeting – for younger students.
Superintendent Vince Matthews detailed the proposal to reopen the district for children in transition kindergarten to grade two, including students with disabilities, noting that the district is fighting for more hours and days than the teachers’ union .
The district wants five hours a day, five days a week in low demand schools for a return to in-person learning, and for kindergarten and special education students. In these cases, the children would be in school 25 hours per week.
The principal said the union’s proposal would only provide 12 hours of in-person instruction at these schools, with three hours a day for four days a week and one day of distance learning.
According to the union’s plan, “students and families would also spend much of the day making the transition” from home to school and back, Matthews said.
“We don’t just want to offer half days,” he added. “We want to offer consistency.”
In response, the United Educators of San Francisco released a statement that did not directly address the difference between the proposals, but said that after five days at the bargaining table to discuss how to reopen schools before June, the union wishes to call for outside help. .
“At this point, we believe there needs to be a trusted mediator to step in, as we have lost confidence in the superintendent to manage this process,” said Susan Solomon, union president.
Solomon said teachers believe the “fairest and most convenient” schedule is for students to attend school “at least four days a week, even though it’s half-days and families who choose to attend school. not returning will not be left behind ”.
The statement added that students should stay with the same teacher they’ve had all year.
Several teachers spoke in a public comment on Tuesday, saying it was imperative for students to stay with their current teacher given the importance of relationships already established during a tumultuous time.
“I urge the board to trust and value educators,” said teacher Betty Estrada.
Heavy pressure from the district for his plan was the latest in an increasingly intense battle to reopen schools. The city attorney, with the backing of the Mayor of London Breed, sued the district in early February, arguing he did not have a concrete plan to bring the students back.
District and union plans require students to sit 6 feet apart, meaning only 14 students could be in a single class.
The two plans divide elementary schools into two categories: those with more demands for face-to-face instruction and those with fewer.
Matthews said more than 80% of schools would likely be able to meet the 14-person limit.
As part of the district plan, children in schools with more demands for in-person instruction attended class twice a week all day and would learn at home the other three days. In all, there would be 16 hours of live instruction each week, Matthews said.
In contrast, he said the union’s proposal for the same schools would provide 14 hours of live instruction with four half-days in the classroom each week. The children would be home for distance education once a week.
District officials said in a reopening update to the school board that there was still no date set to bring students home due to uncertainty over vaccines and when the city will enter the red or orange level.
Additionally, all elementary schools must be cleared by the Department of Public Health for reopening, but only six of 64 elementary schools have completed requests for in-person instruction.
It is not planned to bring back students from middle and high schools.
Matthews said the district had heard from many families wanting more information, and school officials were trying to provide that.
“I know many families are eagerly awaiting clarity,” he said.
Nanette Asimov and Jill Tucker are editors of the San Francisco Chronicle. Email: [email protected] [email protected] Twitter: @nanetteasimov @jilltucker
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