- Several School Boards from Sutter County and Yuba County Fail to Prioritize Safety of Students and Educators       

- Educators From Both Counties Say, “Enough Is Enough!” – Stop Putting Politics Over Collaborative Decision-Making for Safety and Stability of Education Programs.

Sutter County and Yuba County, CA – The presidents of six Sutter County and Yuba County California Teachers Association locals, one Schools Staff Association local in Sutter County, and one Certified Employees Association Local in Yuba County call on their school boards to stop attempting to reopen school in purple tier and instead engage in a collaborative decision-making process with educators and administrators for s school safety. On Tuesday, January 19, several schools are set to open while in the purple tier, while test positivity rates in both counties are reportedly among the worst in the state. The decision was made without engagement from educators and administrators. In fact, some school board members chose to ignore this letter Dr. Luu, Bi-County Health Officer for Yuba County and Sutter County, sent to Sutter County and Yuba County superintendents and school boards, which strongly recommends all Sutter County and Yuba County K-12 to continue distance learning until Spring of 2021.

School boards must stop placing politics over California Department of Public Health (CDPH) guidelines, which clearly state schools cannot reopen in purple tier. On top of not following orders, some board members continue to ignore implementing strong safety measures and a robust testing and tracing program. Safe schools should not be a relative or subjective term up to regional or political interpretation. Safety should be the standard, period. In addition to the impact on community safety, this rush is a recipe for an educational chaos and unpredictable interruption to learning schedules for our students, many of whom are traumatized by the past 10 months. It creates and unfair “yo-yo effect” for our students, and it also creates the potential for community spread while already at one of the highest levels in the state.

“I want to be clear; the Yuba City teachers Association (YCTA) wants to be back in the classroom with our students, but just wanting is not enough to ensure students and educators are safe in the middle of a deadly pandemic. It is truly disheartening that some board members of the Yuba City Unified School District are ignoring state mandated orders and placing staff, students, and their families at greater risk. YCTA recognizes the reality that under current conditions, classrooms filled with students do not provide the safe and stable learning environments our students need. Therefore, we sent this letter to YCUSD leadership. Rather than leading by example, some board members ae showing their blatant disregard for the science and counsel of both legal and medical experts. Our teachers continue to show their dedication and commitment to our students even while physical separated,” said YCTA President Dina Luetgens.

“Educators have never stopped teaching and students have never stopped learning – the work has not stopped. Going back physically in the middle of the highest surge of cases is not only premature, but it is putting the lives of students and educators at risk. Thankfully, the administration of the Live Oak School District is prioritizing safety and health and taking the advice of public health officials to remain virtual,” said Live Oak Teachers Association President David Anderson.

“The Pleasant Grove educators want to be in face-to face instruction with our students, but we also want to do it in the safest way possible. We requested that Pleasant Grove remain on distance learning until county health officials determined it was safe to return to school in-person; unfortunately, our board ignored our request and voted, without any discussion, to return to in-person instruction,” said Pleasant Grove Teachers Association President Andrea Tudor.

“It is our duty as educators to look out for the best interest of our student and hold our leaders accountable. We support our County in developing a comprehensive and transparent plan for reopening local schools, but it needs to be done in collaboration with educators who play a crucial part in that conversation. CDPH guidelines were created for a reason, and we should follow what the experts are telling us,” said Sutter County Superintendent of Schools Staff Association Presidents Lynnette Ristine.

“Educators must be part of all decision that impact our students, including how and when it is safe to reopen. Currently, Marysvillle Joint Unified School District is following Dr. Luu’s guidance; however, given the lack of respect for our professional knowledge and expertise, we know this could change at any moment without any teacher input which is heartbreaking,” said Marysville Unified Teachers Association President Angela Stegall.

“The ‘yo-yo effect’ is not sustainable and adds a lot of stress for our students. We know this because we teach them every day and are witnessing the interruption to their learning schedule. Rather than putting the needs of our students first, board members are showing a blatant disregard for following the science and advice of those more qualified than themselves to decide,” said Plumas Lake Teachers Association President Chris Cruz.

“Wheatland High School opened in-person hybrid in October while in the red tier, but once the COVID cases were high among our students and staff, and Yuba County was placed in the purple tier, we returned to distance learning where we are at the present. I strongly recommend that no district reopen in any model with students in-person while in the purple tier, without truly making the safety of both the students and the staff of your schools your highest priority.“ said Wheatland High Education Association of Teachers President David Contreras.

“Schools are the heart of our community, and because they are, the must be treated as such. This means collaborating with administrators and educators to address the needs of our students while keeping our community safe,” Said Yuba County Certificated Employees Association President Shelby Rider.

Yuba County and Sutter County educators are affiliated with the 310,000-member California Teachers Association and the 3-million-member National Education Association.