“Safe schools” plan falls flat
Governor Gavin Newsom’s “Safe Schools for All” plan to reopen schools by February faces criticisms as teacher unions want their teachers to be vaccinated before returning to classrooms.
The “Safe Schools for All” plan called for $2 billion to reopen while school districts submitted a detailed plan on reopening by Feb. 1. No action was taken by the Legislature as the deadline passed.
Newsom has stated that it would not be possible to vaccinate all teachers and school employees as there are not enough vaccines to inoculate before the school year ends.
“It’s very unlikely that we’ll be able to accomplish that very idealistic goal before the end of the school year because of the scarcity of supply in vaccinations. That’s the unfortunate position we’re all in,” Newsom said at a press conference.
“The vaccination rollout has been frustrating,” says history teacher and union president Mark Mladinich. “Educators are going to be eligible for vaccinations starting Feb. 8, but the supply is limited, so there are no guarantees when Castro Valley staff will be able to receive the vaccinations.”
The current plan for CVUSD is to reopen elementary schools first after Alameda County remains in the red tier for two weeks.
“That is all we know as of now. In the meantime, we hope that everyone follows the safety guidelines and stays healthy,” said Mladinich.
I think teachers should be vaccinated before school opens and I’m hoping that they will be able to open up school soon because I want to be able to go to school at least for a little bit before I graduate. I know that teachers are already being vaccinated so I’m hopeful that schools will be able to open soon but the health of students and teachers is more important so we still have to be very careful.
I think it is unfair to expect teachers to go in before they are vaccinated. Many teachers and students want to stay safe and coming back to school unvaccinated is risky and they are scared. I don’t think teachers AND students need to be 100% vaccinated before we return but I do believe all teachers need to be and I think we should wait until Alameda is at least an orange zone.
I find it amazing that we closed schools at around 20 covid cases, but are now opening them now that we have a few thousand cases. Either schools shouldn’t have been closed in the first place, or they shouldn’t be even close to opening ATM. Let’s be real, so many kids came to school when they have a flu or a cold, now kids are going to come to school with covid.
It is important to get all the teachers vaccinated before putting them back into the classrooms as some are more at risk than the students would be however it is equally important to ensure the safety of the students if we are to go back. Many students who are exposed to the virus may spread it to their family who ,much like the teachers, are at risk.
I think that teachers should be the first thought of when it comes to reopening school, so overall I think this article is well said, however I find it very hard to believe we will even come to the red tier by the time we are all out of school.
I believe that teachers, as well as students, should be vaccinated before we go back on campus. Going back when only teachers are vaccinated still leaves students vulnerable and I don’t think that is a risk that people should be willing to take. I think the government and schools need to slow down and really prioritize people’s health. Clearly, they aren’t doing that right now because if they were we would not be planning on going back on campus unless everyone vaccinated.
It is not unreasonable for teachers to want to be vaccinated before we return to in-person school, I believe. Having many students cycle through their classroom every day would greatly increase their exposure to the virus, even with all students wearing masks and following proper social-distancing protocol. However, many CV teachers have been able to get their first vaccine this past week, so hopefully as many that want to can get a vaccine.
I think teachers should be prioritized for the vaccine if they want them to teach in person. It is unsafe and unfair to make them go back without it. I think they are, however giving out shots to teachers already. My mom, who is a teacher, just got her first dose in the past weekend! Hopefully teachers will be able to return safely.