SAN FRANCISCO—The San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD) indicated they have tentatively negotiated with labor unions on health and safety standards to reopen schools in the region.
The San Francisco News reached out to the SFUSD to ask if a possible date has been determined to reopen, but did not hear back before print.
The agreement comes after Dennis Herrera, the attorney for the city of San Francisco, sued the school district for “failing to come up with a reopening plan that meets state requirements.”
“Per the tentative agreement, the unions and SFUSD agreed on baseline health and safety standards. This tentative agreement updates the district’s criteria, including new agreements for when it will begin in-person learning,” said the SFUSD in a statement.
All enrolled students will return to the classrooms when “San Francisco City and County are in the Red Tier as determined by the California Department of Public Health, and according to California’s Blueprint for a Safer Economy, and all staff reporting to District school or worksites have had the opportunity (eligibility and access) to be vaccinated at the recommended dosage,” the SFUSD stated.
Or, the school district added, when “San Francisco City and County is in the Orange or any lower Tier, as determined by the California Department of Public Health, regardless of the availability of vaccines.”
The SFUSD indicated they have been negotiating with labor unions since September 2020, but in December 2020, the labor unions “shared a new set of health and safety criteria they would like to see the district follow before any return to in-person learning and the groups have been negotiating to come to a shared set of standards.”
“SFUSD continues to prepare so that the District can safely resume in-person learning once bargaining is complete and the agreed upon baseline health and safety measures are all in place,” reads the statement.
Gabriela Lopez, the President of the San Francisco Board of Education said “Given the constant shift during this pandemic it’s important to do all we can for the health and safety of our students, families, staff, and community. I am excited we have found common ground on these baseline standards with our unions, paving the way for our gradual reopening of schools.”
The Tentative Agreement for ratification is scheduled for Tuesday, February 16, the SFUSD indicated.
