Opinion: Newsom’s plan to reopen schools is too weak to work. He owes California something bolder.

By Jeanne Noble

Jeanne Noble, a physician, is director of covid response at the University of California at San Francisco emergency department. California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) on Monday announced a $2 billion plan to entice the state’s schools to reopen this spring.

The plan was hailed by many as a breakthrough after nearly a year of children being barred from in-person learning at the behest of the state’s formidable teachers unions. But Newsom’s proposal, if approved by California’s legislators, won’t come close to achieving what he suggests.

Dangling money to schools to reopen — and counting even a few hours per week as “open” — won’t restore children’s access to real education. In the absence of leadership, the disaster of California’s school policy during the pandemic, which has been mirrored in many other states, is likely to continue through at least next fall and may haunt many children for a lifetime.

As a physician and director of covid response for the University of California at San Francisco’s emergency department, I have been part of the battle against this pandemic from the beginning. I have cared for covid patients in San Francisco and in the Navajo Nation, where I assisted the Indian […]

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