On June 8th, 2020, the California Board of Education (CBOE) State Superintendent Tony Thurmond and the Reopening Schools Task Force released a 62 page “how to” on re-opening schools safely, entitled Stronger Together.

In spite of their hard work, The Orange County Board of Education (OCBE) “hosted a special meeting to discuss reopening schools, inviting health and policy experts who mostly argued against the use of face coverings and social distancing measures recommended by the California Department of Public Health and OCDE,” on Thursday June 25th, 2020.

For the health and safety of our Teachers, Staff, and Students the recommendations set forth by the Orange County panel are unacceptable.

Our Teachers, Staff, and Students must not return to school unless our Orange County School Districts implement safety measures guided by the CBOE’s recommendations, outlined by the CBOE in Stronger Together. These recommendations are not just for the safety of our Teachers, Staff, and Students but for every single person they come in contact with.

The OCBE has a moral imperative and a social duty to prioritize the safety of our schools, including but not limited to:

·       Mandatory masks

·       Regular cleaning and sanitizing high touch surfaces

·       Social distancing (through reduced class size using block schedules, or hybrid distance/in person teaching)

According to the Webinar released June 8, 2020 by the CBOE,

 “This guidance is informed by many health experts about the science that is necessary to safely re-open our schools. It is informed by information provided by The Center for Disease Control, California’s Department of Health, and one of our workplace safety experts CalOsha…and educational practitioners.”

This guidance was released well ahead of the next school year so that districts have time to figure out how to implement these best practices.

Orange County Schools and the Orange County Board of Education Must Follow State Guidelines for Re-opening.