Placer County teachers unions sound alarm on school reopenings. Will officials listen?
A dozen Placer County teachers union presidents sent a joint letter to county officials on Thursday urging them to follow new state guidance on COVID-19 safety measures to protect teachers and students as schools begin to plan for more in-person instruction.
Teachers unions in the Roseville, Rocklin and Dry Creek school districts requested a meeting with Placer County Office of Education and county health officials to provide input on how to move forward with instruction during the coronavirus pandemic.
“Our position from the beginning has been simple: California cannot physically open schools for in-person instruction until it is safe to do so,” read the letter.
The county, which includes cities and schools from Lake Tahoe to the suburbs around Roseville, reopened many of its campuses in the fall when infection rates were much lower, and some districts moved to five-day, full-day instruction in January.
Originally, state guidance recommended that schools space desks six feet apart.
Some students in Placer County sit with desks touching.
But the California Department of Public Health issued new guidelines on Jan. 14 for schools to implement in their open classrooms, requiring that “under no circumstances should distance between student chairs be less than 4 feet.”
Placer County teachers are concerned about how their school districts are expanding in-person instruction — in some cases resembling pre-pandemic schedules —when the county’s COVID-19 infection rate exceeds the state’s guidance of 25 daily cases per 100,000 residents.
Placer County is reporting 33 new daily cases per 100,000 residents.
“In your leadership positions leading Placer County’s public health and public education systems, we need you to ensure that all steps have been taken to comply with the new mandatory CDPH guidance, including schools that have prematurely reopened and before any other schools are allowed to reopen or expand in-person instruction,” read the letter.
The letter comes just days after the Roseville Joint Union High School District debated on whether or not to scale back its five-day, nearly full-day in-person instruction to abide by the new state rules on spacing desks out. Teachers in the district shared concerns that falling out of compliance with the new rules would mean the district could lose its liability coverage.
The Roseville high school district is still surveying families before it decides whether to revert high schools back to a hybrid model.
Some Placer County school districts, such as Granite Bay’s Eureka Union, are still operating in a hybrid model. Teachers unions in those districts shared concerns about slow vaccine distribution and keeping students and staff safe.
“There is no regular testing, we question whether the new CDPH mandate will be followed, and vaccinating educators seems to be a long way off in Placer County,” stated Granite Bay’s Eureka Union Teachers Association President Kelly Lewis. “A safe education setting has always been the primary goal of educators. Even if the buildings were or are closed, education continues. Working together with educators is the fastest route to returning to a safe classroom for educators and students.”
The California Teachers Association in a letter to Gov. Gavin Newsom this week reiterated that it wants school employees to have a COVID-19 vaccine before the state more widely reopens classrooms.
“The safety of our students, staff, and community must continue to be a priority. We are urging for collaboration with educators to ensure the safety of everyone is met,” said Dry Creek Teachers Association President Mona DeArcos.
This story was originally published January 30, 2021 at 5:00 AM.