SAN FRANCISCO—According to the San Francisco Chronicle, three members of the San Francisco Unified School District Board of Education are behind a motion to start reopening public schools as soon as January 25, 2021.
Since the start of virtual classes, concerns have been raised about drawbacks from in-person learning compared to virtual learning.
Mayor London Breed issued a statement on October 16 that read:
“As a city, we have provided the school district $15 million from a general fund for support during this pandemic, opened community hubs to help our students with learning under adult supervision, and our Department of Public Health has worked with the District and provided guidance on how to safely reopen.”
The school board could vote on the motion as soon as next week and district officials would be required to submit a plan for reopening elementary schools and a timeline by December 8. The proposal is asking the district to open schools for students with disabilities and students from pre-school to first grade. Others will be added on a rolling basis.
The SFUnified YouTube video featuring Superintendent of Schools Dr. Vincent Matthews and Chief Facilities Officer Dawn Kamalanathan, Kamalanathan expresses that plans and on-site workings are being made for a safe and easy move for in-person learning, such as assessing each elementary classroom to ensure safety, compiling lists of repairing and planning, and participating in meetings with principals to work out how they’ll work to maintain social distancing, stable cohorts, and various other important safety matters.
“We’re planning so that we can arrange all our equipment, supplies, staff resources so they can be deployed most efficiently and effectively,” stated Kamalanathan in the video.
