Written by Urvi Sakurikar
The San Diego Unified School District has set April 12 as a target date for reopening, and the news has since been confirmed by President Richard Barrera multiple times.
Unsurprisingly, teacher’s unions wasted no time in sending an email to the district, claiming that the announcement of a date “diverts attention from the critically important work that must be done to create the conditions for a safe return and may set up false expectations….”
The email also gave the implication that the April 12 deadline was “a projection and not set in stone.”
Students have suffered through virtual learning long enough, and for the teacher’s unions of San Diego to even attempt to prolong their struggle is shameful and out of line.
In order for school reopening to move forward, teacher’s unions have ‘mandated’ that all teachers are fully vaccinated and immune before return, that San Diego County be in California’s red tier, and that all schools have “strict virus mitigation measures in place”.
For staff to return to school by April 5, many employees will have to receive the first round of vaccinations this week. After a week of training and preparation, students are scheduled to begin school.
If schools are ever to return to in-person instruction, the district needs to put the needs of their students before the unreasonable demands of powerful teacher’s unions who only want to slow things down.
