SAN FRANCISCO (AP) – The city of San Francisco took a dramatic step on Wednesday in its attempt to get children back to public school classrooms by suing its own school district to try to break open its doors amidst the coronavirus pandemic.
The lawsuit was the first of its kind in California and possibly the country, as school systems come under increasing pressure from parents and politicians to end virtual learning. Teacher unions in many major school districts, including San Francisco, say they won’t return to class until they’re vaccinated.
City attorney Dennis Herrera, with the support of Mayor London Breed, announced that he had sued the San Francisco Board of Education and the San Francisco Unified School District as a last resort to save the rest of the academic year. They say it is safe to reopen schools.
The school district did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Teachers are next in line for the COVID-19 vaccine, and some have started shooting in the countryside.
“Not a single student from the San Francisco public school has set foot in their class in 347 days,” Herrera said at a press conference, calling it shameful and also illegal. More than 54,000 school children in San Francisco are suffering. They are converted into Zoom bies by an online school. Enough is enough.”
The lawsuit says school administrators are violating the state’s requirement that districts adopt a clear plan “to provide classroom education where possible” during the pandemic. The state says the plan must be in place, especially for students who have experienced significant learning loss due to school closures.
The lawsuit focuses on a court order to require schools to prepare to provide face-to-face education and to submit a detailed “appropriate plan to demonstrate their willingness to do so,” Herrera said.
Schools in San Francisco have been allowed to reopen since September, according to a statement by Herrera, which notes that nearly 90% of schools in neighboring Marin County, including public schools, have resumed personal education and 113 private and parish schools in San Francisco have also are open.
“This is not the path we would have taken, but nothing is more important now than getting our children back to school,” Breed said in the statement. “Our teachers have done a fantastic job of trying to support our children through distance learning, but this is not working for anyone. And we know we can do this safely. “
Herrera said the district’s current plan is “ambiguous, empty rhetoric. It’s a plan to make a plan. It is legally insufficient. “
“So far they’ve earned an F,” Herrera said, referring to the school district and the education board.
He plans to file a motion on Feb. 11 asking the San Francisco Superior Court to issue an emergency warrant. If the order is granted, the district must prepare a reopening plan. The statement said such emergency warrants, also known as preliminary injunctions, can only come after a lawsuit has been filed.