Members of the United Teachers Los Angeles union voted this week to demand three conditions before they would return to class to teach children. 91% of UTLA member teachers said in-person class room instruction cannot begin until Los Angeles County is in the “red” tier; all school staff returning to in-person work “are either fully vaccinated or provided access to full vaccination” and safety measures are in place at schools such as protective equipment, social distancing, ventilation and “a cleaning regimen.”
The California COVID “tier” system is based on a formula including case rate percentages, positivity percentages, and the “health equity quartile, ” which focuses on low-income, Black, Latino, Pacific Islander, and essential workers case rates and test positivity rates.
Governor Gavin Newsom signed a $6.6 billion legislative package Friday that incentivizes schools to return to in-person instruction for K-2nd grade students by April 1, and funds a possible push to extend the school year. The legislation does not order schools to reopen, but those that do not begin to lose 1% of the new funding for each day they don’t return to school after April 1.
What about the Los Angeles Unified School District? After UTLA members voted to not return, the future for Los Angeles children is unclear.
LAUSD Superintendent Austin Beutner had set a target date for reopening elementary schools for in-person instruction on April 9, but the labor union has not agreed.
UTLA President Cecily Myart-Cruz said 24,850 UTLA members cast ballots, and 91% of them supported the demands of the union. “That’s powerful,” she said. “UTLA members have voted overwhelmingly to resist a premature and unsafe physical return to school sites.”
LAUSD already has an approved “safety plan” with the state, and is among the districts cleared to reopen as soon as an agreement is reached with teachers.
This piece was written by Ray Dietrich on March 6, 2021. It originally appeared in RedVoiceMedia.com [1] and is used by permission.
Read more at RedVoiceMedia.com:
Trump Blasts McConnell – CPAC vs AFPAC Civil War Over Social Issues? | National File EXCLUSIVE! [2]
POTUS Stripped of ‘Commander-in-Chief’ Status? Drone Strikes on Trump Supporters? Patrick Howley Explains [3]
BREAKING! Judge Strips Child From Mother After She Posts Picture With No Mask – National File Exclusive [4]