PUSD re-opening plan (Photo – PUSD)
At a Joint meeting of the Pasadena Unified School District and the Pasadena City Council, Superintendent Dr. Brian McDonald stated that PUSD is safe to re-open.
By Albert Martin
Dr. McDonald thanked Dr. Ying Ying Goh, Director of Pasadena Public Health, for helping PUSD get to this place. Dr. Goh shared there is science and data to support a safe re-opening of schools when protocols and safety measures are followed. Here is the re-opening plan (click here).
Special Emergency Board Meeting
McDonald stated that since Governor Gavin Newsom aims to bring students back to class by April 1, 2021, PUSD will hold a Special Emergency Board Meeting on Thursday, March 4, 2021. Dr. McDonald recommends re-opening of grades TK-2, with grades 3-5 to follow shortly after. At a Special Emergency Board Meeting the board will have to approve the re-opening date. Dr. McDonald said that there are “some things that need to be ironed out” with the teacher’s union, United Teacher of Pasadena (UTP). Without being “presumptuous,” the Superintendent does not feel that there are “unsurmountable obstacles to overcome.”
Have a plan in place
Mayor Victor Gordo urged all schools private, parochial, and public to have a plan in place to open secondary schools. Gordo stated that Governor Gavin Newsom moves quickly with his announcement of school re-opening incentives. Gordo wants secondary schools to be ready when metrics and targets for case rates and colored tiers are met for Middle School and High School re-openings. If a safety plan is in place and approved ahead of time, Middle and High School students may be able to return to campus before the school year ends.
> View the full Pasadena City Council and PUSD Board joint meeting on March, 1, 2021.
My kid will not be returning to in-person school until my wife and I have both received the vaccine. Case closed.
I’m in a high-risk group. I can not bear of my kid possibly losing his father to COVID and having to live the rest of his life knowing that he was the vector for a virus that killed his old man.
We can wait a couple more months.
The key words are the “safe re-opening of schools when protocols and safety measures are followed”.
Daniel Harlow, I teach in El Monte and a few kids were allowed to learn on zoom at the school site. One keeps taking his mask off . I can see on camera that no one is actually staying 6 feet away from each other. 👎🏻