We are the Students for Safety Coalition, a diverse student-led organization fighting for safe and equitable campuses for all students and staff. We ask you to join us in signing our petition to return to the hybrid model for all RJUHSD campuses -- a model that is widely supported by students and staff alike.

On December 14, 2020, after hours of testimonies from the community, the RJUHSD School Board voted unanimously to force RJUHSD students and staff to return to an unsafe campus 5 days a week. In the newly adopted scenario, students must pick between the inadequate online option, RSVL Academy, and the currently dangerous plan for reopening.

The RSVL Academy offers little to no AP, IB, and Honors courses, many of which students are relying on for their college plans or to earn an IB diploma. Currently, 1,700 students are enrolled, and over 100 sit on the waiting list. These students are denied the right to their autonomy and health. Many students were inadequately informed about the options available, as we were forced to make a decision before the recent spike in COVID cases and were not told that the school would be reopening in January without a hybrid schedule. As a result, there are hundreds of students in the district who are being forced to sacrifice their health and the health of members of our community in order to maintain the same level of education we were promised at the beginning of the school year.

Fully reopening schools five days a week will be incredibly unsafe for students, their families, staff (who are at increased risk), and the community at large. With 36 students in one classroom, there is no possibility of maintaining a distance of six feet. In fact, even maintaining a distance of three feet will be nearly impossible in most classrooms.

Our county and our schools are suffering; at the end of October, there were a total of 6 positive cases on RJUHSD campuses. Today, there are at least 34. There are currently zero ICU beds remaining in our county, and a study conducted by Princeton found that all children and young adults “were especially key to transmitting the virus.” Positive cases are expected to rise even further as a result of Thanksgiving and winter breaks.

Opening with a hybrid model is overwhelmingly supported by teachers, with 81.7% supporting it as being okay, good or the best model. On the other hand, only 44.2% said the same about the model the board decided to adopt. The teacher’s union, Roseville Secondary Education Association, also supports entering school with a hybrid model. In addition to its immense support from those actually responsible for our students’ educations, this model will allow the district to react appropriately to upcoming COVID spikes and maintain a steady education for students who have to quarantine as a result.

- Students for Safety Coalition