Double down on safety measures as guidelines shift in sprint to return to classrooms

SACRAMENTO – CTA President E. Toby Boyd issued this statement following the California Department of Public Health’s announcement of changes to state guidelines for K-12 schools:

“Since the pandemic began, safety has been, and continues to be, the priority for educators. Another shift in guidelines as a way to sprint back to classrooms sends another confusing message to students, parents and families. Research shows parents and families want schools to open thoughtfully and with all safety measures in place. California is a diverse state, and we should be cautious of making decisions based on one out-of-state study in one school district.

“Moving to three-feet distance for students in schools and cramming young adults into classrooms will pose myriad challenges for our large urban school districts and those that haven’t yet implemented the necessary, multilayered mitigation measures that the CDC says are essential, regardless of the spacing between students in classrooms. With the guidelines changing, once again, it is imperative that school districts follow through on implementing all those safety measures including adequate ventilation, vaccinations, wearing high-quality, well-fit masks, hand washing, sanitization, and testing and tracing. It’s also important to follow the guidelines on having small stable groups. Using these safety protocols, we can regain the confidence needed to teach and learn in classrooms.

“Opening and keeping our schools open for in-person instruction is going to take all of us, a community and statewide effort as national experts warn of a fourth surge and the concerning variants.”

Contact: CTA Communications News Dept.
Claudia Briggs or Lisa Gardiner
NewsDesk@cta.org

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The 310,000-member California Teachers Association is affiliated with the 3-million-member National Education Association.