NEWS RELEASE: San Diego Unified School District

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News Release
San Diego Unified, Educators Outline Plans for Safe Reopening Based on Vaccines, Lower Case Rates and Protective Measures at Every School

February 11, 2021

SAN DIEGO -- Following a joint announcement last week of new learning labs for at-risk students, San Diego Unified and local educators have announced plans for a full reopening as soon as declining case rates and increased vaccinations make it safe to do so.

The school leaders agreed on a reopening framework that centers on the availability of vaccines to all school staff who wish to be vaccinated and the continued reduction of case rates in the communities surrounding schools. They also agreed to continue working together to ensure all necessary safety measures are in place on every campus.

Educators and school leaders are re-engaging with UC San Diego health experts to guide their work to reach a collaborative formal agreement to ensure the safety of students, staff and the community.

Joint Statement from San Diego Unified School District and the San Diego Education Association:

We will continue to follow the science and take all measures to protect our community from this deadly disease. As many families have already begun to make plans for the fall, we also want to be clear that we are committed to returning to in-person learning in the fall with an online option still available to any families who do not feel comfortable coming on campus. We feel confident making that commitment, because we are confident the new Biden Administration is doing everything possible to vaccinate our workforce and provide the necessary resources for schools to operate safely. For those who continue to worry about our ability to operate safely in the middle of this pandemic, we have the latest safety measures in place in every school, and our testing program is expanding rapidly. We will not cut corners on safety, and our widespread testing program should give everyone confidence in our commitment to remain vigilant against the spread of the COVID-19 virus.

In stressing the importance of vaccinating educators and other school staff, school leaders said they hope to encourage California leaders to move more quickly on the vaccine rollout for teachers. While educators and school leaders also said lower case rates are critical to reopening safely, they plan to continue following research on how vaccine proliferation impacts the spread of the virus.

The framework announced today shows that in-person reopening for the fall is a shared commitment by both district leaders and educators, and could lead to a fuller reopening of some schools this year depending on the pace of the vaccine rollout and case-rates reductions.

MEDIA CONTACT: Communications Director Maureen Magee (619) 381-7930, mmagee@sandi.net<mailto:mmagee@sandi.net>

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