Rich Pedroncelli/AP Photo By MACKENZIE MAYS 10/28/2020 07:26 PM EDT SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California assemblymembers demanded on Tuesday more specific statewide guidelines for school reopening, emphasizing that equity gaps will otherwise grow as some students return to classrooms faster than others.
The concerns: Lawmakers during an Assembly education budget hearing called on Gov. Gavin Newsom and the California Department of Public Health to establish clear requirements for schools to reopen, including Covid-19 testing expectations for teachers and students. While the state issued guidelines for schools in June that included mask and temperature check requirements, reopening decisions are otherwise left up to local school districts.
That has resulted in private schools and schools in more affluent communities opening while large public districts continue to debate their return timeline and call for more support from the state. “We’re creating the perfect storm, where private schools can figure it out — they have enough money to figure it out — and we have some public school districts that are just going like the wild west and running into problems,” Assemblymember Lorena Gonzalez (D-San Diego) said. “We have spent more time and had clearer guidance on bars and movie theaters than we have […]
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