Rally to Reopen Schools Scheduled for Tuesday

Supporters of local schools reopening will hold a rally at 4 p.m. Tuesday in front of Pasadena City Hall.

“Will our kids go an entire year with no in-person learning? Our group of Pasadena moms hopes this will not be the case and our rally is a cry for kids who need in-person instruction immediately,” said Erika Foy. “Our local and state leaders need to help us find a solution. Our kids are losing hope and purpose everyday that Zoom learning continues and just when we think we have heard enough, we learn that cannabis workers get priority over teachers for the vaccine!”

Pasadena Unified School District students have been learning from home since the pandemic began last March.

Earlier this month, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said it was safe for students to return to school, and on Friday the agency released a road map that would allow that to happen.

The CDC recommends wearing masks, breaking students into smaller learning pods, staggering schedules, and installing physical barriers in tight spaces like reception areas. The guidelines also call for limiting school visitors, according to USA Today.

The guidelines do not include mandatory vaccinations and are described as recommendations, not mandates.

But experts have not commented on how keeping students apart and other guidelines that could keep students from gathering in schools could impact their development.

So far, the city has not met the necessary state guidelines needed to allow district schools to reopen for in-person learning.

According to Pasadena Public Health Director Dr. Ying-Ying Goh, in order to reopen grades K-6, Los Angeles County must reach a threshold of 25 COVID cases per 100,000 people for five days.

As of last Monday, Pasadena was at 38 cases per 100,000 people, but Goh said if COVID-19 cases continue on the current trajectory, the city could reach that target soon.

“If we continue to trend downward, and I hope people keep following the guidelines so we keep trending downward, I expect that we could be there in a week or two,” said Goh at last Monday’s City Council meeting.

Although most experts say that students can safely return to schools, many teachers’ unions have said teachers won’t return to the classroom until they receive a full round of the COVID-19 vaccine.

PUSD has vaccinated about 10 percent of 2,400 district employees. The district did not respond to an email last week when asked how many teachers have been vaccinated.

The district’s vaccination efforts have been hampered by the lack of vaccines across the state.

“Please, for the future of our community, for the future of our children and for their health [as the mental health risk is far greater than the COVID risk for them], lobby the local and state governments to open schools and make our children a priority,” said Marisa Zakaria.

Mayor Victor Gordo said the issue would be discussed at a joint meeting between the City Council and the PUSD Board of Education on March 1.