Many parents and public officials throughout California supported pushing the state’s 1.4 million teachers and other education workers toward the front of the vaccine line, believing that would finally allow schools to reopen.
But the state teacher’s unions — as well as San Francisco’s — have said vaccinations won’t be enough and are calling for additional measures not endorsed by public health experts as necessary for students and staff to safely return to the classroom.
Instead of reopening, it’s looking more likely that many, if not most classrooms will remain in virtual mode for months, if not until the fall, despite the vaccine.
With an ongoing case surge, hospitals overflowing with patients and more than 350,000 dead in the country, fear remains strongly embedded in the debate over reopening schoolseven as a growing chorus of parents and policymakers are calling for classrooms to bring back kids.