Guest Opinion | Pat Amsbry, Co-Founder, Friends of Madison Elementary: Open Letter to PUSD Board

Dear PUSD Board –

I have met with several of you and spoken to several others over the last few days. Thank you for your good work and your efforts to keep the kids safe. I have explained to each of you, that I am proud of the work done to date and am thankful for all of your efforts. We are fortunate to be in a community of mostly sane and educated constituents who understand and respect the science, to have the country’s best local Public Health Director in Dr. Goh, and the finest local Public Health Department (with kind, caring, compassionate, and incredibly knowledgeable professionals) to guide your decisions; and the support of many local Pasadena elected officials and a Governor who has done much of the heavy lifting and removed the union issue as an impediment for BOLD action.

As I explained to Dr. McDonald on Sunday night, you have the opportunity to be BOLD leaders and implement the BEST School Covid safety plan in the country and be the role model for school districts around the nation. Doing this will help save hundreds of lives. I believe this is an achievable goal for PUSD but it requires BOLD and SWIFT action. I support PUSD and the PUSD Board and I am vested in our collective success. Our kids deserve a world-class education and am dedicated to supporting the efforts of PUSD, its teachers, and staff so they have the support, resources, tools, and training to deliver that experience to all our wonderful children.

In speaking with some of you, it is clear that there is more to be understood about the veracity of the Delta variant, with Delta, things are evolving very quickly, every day is like a ‘dog year’. What the Board voted for in your last meeting is good but it’s NOT GOOD ENOUGH. You have the authority to implement stronger and safer standards. I am calling upon you to be BOLD and do it. Is there any reason why we would not want to do everything legally available to us to create the safest environment for our students, teachers, staff, other PUSD employees, student’s parents, school vendors, etc.?

Vaccine mandates have been settled law since the Supreme Court ruled on them in 1905 and many challenges to this law have reinforced its standing since then – as recently as this summer. Do not be afraid of the legality of mandates. They are legal and enforceable. Religious exemptions need not be honored (just as the Pope said yesterday) and medical exemptions, while legitimate and important, are very narrow as there is a very short list of conditions that fit the medical exemption. Nearly everyone is eligible for the vaccine and all of them must be vaccinated.

Most importantly, you need a detailed plan for the next 30 days. Why 30 days? Because it’s very probable that the FDA will officially approve vaccines for 12+ adults in the next 30 days and then you can legally mandate vaccinations for all students 12-17 (President Biden quoted that FDA approval will be “early fall”, and FDA spokesperson says Pfizer approval will be “in early September”). What is your plan to get that done? You need a plan – and it should be a plan that starts on the first day after FDA approval and have shots (shot 1) in the arm of all PUSD 12-17-year-old students within days. You should already have a parent consent form electronically distributed, signed by a parent and on file, the district needs to update the requirements of enrollment and add COVID to the list of required inoculations and vaccines for enrolled students.

5-11-year-old kids – that is coming very soon too – what is your plan? You need to have one and it needs to be in action now. Same details as above.

Booster shots – that’s new as of today – it starts September 20th – what is PUSD’s plan? You need one and you need to communicate details to the community NOW.

What is the plan for proof of vaccination? It needs to be electronic proof (not paper cards – to avoid vaccination fraud). Teachers, staff, guests, visitors, vendors, parents – you need to update your plan to include a vaccine requirement for ANYBODY who will set foot on any campus.

Dr. Goh will help you with these details. She is an expert and wants us to have the very best policies and safest protocols – to be recognized as the ‘safest school district in the nation’.

I am calling upon you, the PUSD Board, to take immediate action, call a special meeting and finalize these policies. Vaccine Mandates, vaccines for students, 12-17, then 5-11, Booster shots, proof of vaccination, mask mandates, etc. Let’s get this done!

If you fail to do this, if you wait until your August 26th meeting to take up this matter it WILL BE TOO LATE. We may be past the point of no return and its likely will be outbreaks, that kids will unnecessarily contract virus and community spread in the schools is more likely – your swift leadership can mitigate much of this. God forbid, we have an outbreak, one that was preventable but for your failure to act decisively – you will have failed in your legal and fiduciary duties to protect the students. You will have violated your oath as a PUSD Board member and you will face the significant and unpleasant consequences that will result from your lack of leadership.

During our call, Dr. McDonald educated me on the Board process, specifically the process which must be followed to schedule a special meeting (any meeting that is plotted on the annual calendar). The process includes having the Board President poll the Board and having a minimum of 4 Board members reply in the affirmative to schedule that meeting.

What I do not understand is the reluctance to EVEN CALL A MEETING TO DISCUSS THE SAFETY OF THE CHILDREN WHO ARE YOUR LEGAL AND MORAL DUTY TO PROTECT. Why? Why will Scott not call this meeting? I hesitate to ask Scott directly as the only email he has sent me was filled with angry and hateful language, attacking me, bullying me, and name-calling (very inconsistent with the behavior of a leader). Why is Scott scared to call a meeting?

I implore you, PUSD Board Members and Dr. McDonald, to call an emergency or special meeting and work out the District’s comprehensive COVID Safety and Vaccine Mandate Plan. You have a unique opportunity to develop and implement the best District plan in the country – to inspire and influence districts and school leaders across the country, to elevate your organization as a national leader in this important area. YOU have all the tools – the expertise and guidance of Dr. Goh, a community that supports this type of safety protocol, an impressive base of vaccinated adults, and the support of your local government and vocal and influential community organizers and community organizations. You are perfectly positioned to set BIG GOALS, ACHIEVE BIG RESULTS and most importantly, DO EVERYTHING POSSIBLE TO PROTECT THE SAFETY OF OUR PRECIOUS KIDS, TEACHERS, STAFF and OUR COMMUNITY.

I am counting on you – one of you – to do the right thing. For one of you, this is your chance to step up and make one of the most impactful decisions of your life.

I have faith that one of you will find it within yourself to be that leader.

The kids and your community are counting on you

Respectfully,

Pat Amsbry
Community Organizer
Co-Founder, Friends of Madison Elementary 501 (c)(3)

Post Script:

https://www.pasadenanow.com/main/marshall-fundamental-unvaccinated-seventh-graders-quarantined/