Parents, teachers, students, and community members from San Diego, surrounding counties, and the state will join forces and hold an in-person and livestreamed protest in response to San Diego Unified School District’s insufficient reopening plan.
Their message is simple: Follow Center for Disease Control guidelines and fully reopen San Diego Schools now. To date, the district’s partial reopening plan remains unclear and non- committal, leaving teachers and families to wonder when meaningful learning will resume.
“San Diego students and families deserve better than a constantly moving target,” said Yossa Ramirez, a parent of a Gompers Preparatory Academy student. “Everyone has been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, and now that we know kids and teachers can safely return to full, in- person learning, it’s up to us as parents and educators to make this happen. Kids have suffered long enough. They deserve a real opening.”
The San Diego Education Association (SDEA) continues to keep kids and teachers out of the classroom, rejecting the CDC guidelines and bipartisan calls by lawmakers to return to in-person teaching. Among the union’s chief demands is that all teachers who want a COVID-19 vaccine receive one prior to returning to the classroom, despite the CDC stating teacher vaccination is not necessary for a resumption of in-person learning. A recent email from the union calls the reopening date of April 12 as a “projection” and says a return date cannot be set.
“Every day, there is more scientific evidence showing children and educators can safely return to the classroom, which is a critical step not only to resuming learning, but restoring the deteriorating mental health of California students,” said Cecilia Iglesias, founder of the Parent Union. “Across the country, we see schools fully reopening without issue, but California children are being left behind thanks to unions like the San Diego Education Association that hold them hostage in exchange for unreasonable demands with no end in sight.”
Reopen San Diego, San Diego Education Justice Warriors, Open SDUSD, Parent Union, CA School Choice, California Local Elected Officials (CLEO), and the California Policy Center are among the
groups participating in the protest. Parents, students, and teachers will be in attendance and available to speak with media in English and Spanish.
When: 4:00 p.m., Tuesday, April 13, 2021
Where: San Diego Education Association (SDEA)
What to bring: Please bring a homemade sign with your message.
Parking: Do not park in the SDEA lot. Please utilize street parking.
Online: For those unable to attend in-person, California Policy Center will host a Facebook Live event beginning at 4:15 p.m. on its Facebook page. Follow the discussion at #ReopenCASchools #RealOpening
Safety measures: Supporters are asked to follow COVID-19 safety precautions while gathering.
Media: Contact Chantal Lovell, chantal@calpolicycenter.org or 989-251-8388 for more information or to be connected with a rally participant. Spanish speakers available.
