BURLINGAME – California Teachers Association President E. Toby Boyd, a kindergarten educator, released the following statement applauding the agreement announced Tuesday that will provide much-needed supplemental paid COVID sick leave for California workers:

“We commend Governor Newsom, ProTem Toni Atkins and Speaker Anthony Rendon for hearing the pleas of workers throughout the state calling for much-needed supplemental paid sick leave. The fast-spreading Omicron COVID-19 variant has brought unprecedented challenges to our schools and colleges as thousands of students and educators have tested positive or fallen ill with COVID. This has put undue pressure on teachers and school employees faced with having to choose between going without pay or spreading the virus to their school communities. Most educators receive a finite number of sick days per school year. When those days are gone, they are gone. This leave will allow school employees to quarantine, recover, and return to their students and classrooms. The agreement announced today is the fruits of our collective labor as educators, labor partners and state leaders committed to the health and well-being of California workers.”

-E. Toby Boyd

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