Tag: school reopening

School Reopening Advocacy: What Can Your PTA Do?

Posted on by CAPTA IT

This article was written by Shereen Walter, California State PTA’s Director of Legislation.

Now that the Governor and Legislature have come to agreement on the details surrounding the $2 billion to incentivize schools to reopen for in person learning, what can you as a PTA do?

First of all, remember that your PTA represents ALL parents – those who want their kids to return to school, those who are more cautious and those who are not ready for their children to return to school full time. You need to be speaking for “Every Child, One Voice.”

Stick to the PTA talking points outlined in the two California State PTA documents:

Some of the issues surrounding school reopening that you can advocate for are:

  • Parent Communication and Input – School Districts must prioritize strong two-way communication with parents as they prepare and execute reopening plans. The voices of parents representing the diversity of the community need to be included in decision making.
  • In-Person Attendance – Parents should be able to choose whether their child returns to school in-person depending on the health of the child and their family situation.
  • Mental Health Is Important – Schools must provide adequate resources to meet the mental health needs of students and staff to support their individual needs.
  • Expanded Learning and Learning Loss – Parents should be providing input into the types of programs needed to address learning loss and that also meet the social emotional needs of the whole child. School districts are developing their plans now to address learning loss caused by the pandemic, including after-school, summer, and child-care programs.
  • Realistic Timeline – Schools need to open as soon as practically possible while protecting the health and well-being of students, staff and families.
  • Technology Access – All students who continue on a hybrid or distance learning model need to have appropriate Wi-Fi and a computer or laptop so that they can adequately access remote learning.

…and now for a few cautions.

  1. Offer quotes to the media in writing. This prevents you being quoted out of context, incorrectly, or from accidentally stating your personal opinion rather than the stance of PTA.
  2. Stick to PTA talking points on the social media accounts of PTA.
  3. Opinion pieces can only be written with the approval of your executive board and must contain only PTA positions.
  4. PTA leaders can not use their PTA title or affiliation in speaking in opposition to a PTA position.

Last of all, PTA must remain neutral in a dispute arising from school employer-employee negotiations. For more detailed information, see this webpage.

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Op-Ed: 10 Things California State PTA Recommends for the Safe Reopening of Schools

Posted on by CAPTA IT

It’s been almost a year since California closed school campuses. And you know who is counting? Parents, teachers, and students are counting each day with growing frustration. The California State PTA shares that angst.

Not only are children falling behind academically but the social isolation and fears of illness and death are taking an enormous toll on their emotional health.

Since the start of the pandemic, the Governor and the Superintendent of Public Instruction have included the California State PTA in discussions dealing with the pandemic. We thank them for including the input of parents. This includes representation on the Community Vaccine Advisory Committee, the school reopening task force, statewide testing plans committee, as well as meetings with state officials. PTA held statewide listening sessions to gather the thoughts of parents throughout the state on pandemic related issues, and we continue to hear from parents, students and teachers across California.

Ten Recommendations

We urge the Legislature and the Governor to adopt 10 recommendations for the timely and safe reopening of schools:

1. Coordinate Efforts The Legislature and the Governor must agree on a coordinated approach to reopening schools as quickly as safely possible.

2. Equitable Sufficient Funding There must be sufficient funding to cover the additional costs related to opening schools in person. And it must be equitable. All students should generate the same base funding grant with an LCFF adjustment that recognizes the impacts of the pandemic on disadvantaged students. Opening schools will require social emotional support for students and staff, and services to meet students’ and families’ needs including safe transportation for students.

3. Extra Funding for Health-Related Costs Funding to pay for testing, vaccines, contact tracing, and other COVID-related health costs should not be from Proposition 98 funds. Every Proposition 98 dollar spent on non-instructional costs is one less dollar to educate our children.

4. Protect the Health and Wellbeing of Students, Staff and Families The Governor, the Legislature and local governments must prioritize vaccinations for school staff, early childhood educators and childcare staff, especially those who are already working in-person.

5. Parent Communication and Input School districts must provide opportunities for robust input and feedback as they prepare and execute reopening plans. They must ensure parents representing the diversity of the community are included in decision-making.

6. In-Person Attendance Parents and families should be able to choose whether a child returns to school in-person depending on the health of the child and their family situation.

7. Mental Health Matters Support the mental health and wellbeing of our students and staff by providing adequate resources to support their individual needs. To protect student health and well-being, middle schools should not start before 8:00 am and high schools before 8:30 am.

8. Expanded Learning and Learning Loss Afterschool, summer school and childcare programs need to be available, fully funded and coordinated with the school day. All schools should develop programs to address learning loss and meet the needs of the whole child.

9. Follow Health Guidelines Schools should not open in person unless it is safe for students and staff. School districts should adhere to the requirements set forth by the California Department of Public Health and county health departments regarding the reopening of schools.

10. Realistic Timeline Any timeline for the reopening of schools should consider the needs of parents and teachers and respect the most accurate health guidelines. This includes making sure the school facility is safe for re-opening.

Schools need to open as soon as practically possible while protecting the health and well-being of students, staff and families. California’s students are counting on the Legislature and the Governor to come up with a realistic school reopening plan that meets the needs of all our school communities.

These 10 recommendations were adopted by the California State PTA Board of Managers on February 20, 2021 and revised on February 26.

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