As concerned parents and community members, we urge the San Jose Unified School District (SJUSD) to follow Santa Clara County Public Health Department’s guidelines for school reopening and offer in-person instruction along with the current remote option when the county reaches the state-designated Red Tier.

Currently, SJUSD demands that all teachers be vaccinated OR that the county be in the Orange/Yellow Tier before in-person learning can resume. These demands contradict science-based guidance from the State of California and the Santa Clara County Public Health Department, which allow reopening in Red Tier and do not mandate vaccination beforehand.

This state and local guidance reflects peer-reviewed research showing that school outbreaks of COVID-19 are exceedingly rare—and that schools can safely open for teachers, staff and students ahead of vaccination. CDC director Dr. Rochelle Walensky confirms this, stating, “Vaccination of teachers is not a prerequisite for safe reopening of schools.” Walensky cites CDC data showing that social distancing and wearing a mask significantly reduces the spread of the virus in school settings.
According to the State’s COVID-19 and Reopening In-Person Instruction Framework & Public Health Guidance for K-12 Schools in California, all TK-12 schools may open for in-person instruction when a county has been in Tier 2 (the Red Tier) of the State’s Blueprint for a Safe Economy for at least five consecutive days. While a county is in Tier 1 (Purple Tier), schools may provide in-person instruction to students in grades TK-6 if the adjusted case rate in the county has been less than 25 cases per 100,000 population per day for at least five consecutive days and the County Public Health Department and the State approve the school’s COVID-19 Safety Plan.

SJUSD is failing our community by not adhering to clear state and county guidelines that allow safe reopening of schools in Red Tier. As we approach the one-year mark of distance learning, the mental, physical and academic toll on our children continues to mount. Saun-Toy Trotter, a psychotherapist at University of California, San Francisco Benioff Children's Hospital, says her clinic has seen a spike in suicide attempts among young people. “They're giving up hope,” Trotter told NPR. “There's nowhere to go. There's nothing to do. There's nothing to connect with.”
We will no longer sit and watch as other local districts formulate safe reopening plans and get students back on campus. We value the health and well-being of everyone in SJUSD and ask that the district amend its reopening plan to reflect local and state public health guidance.

Sincerely,
SJUSD Safe Reopening