AN
AN EXTREMELY CHALLENGING YEAR, ESPECIALLY WHEN IT COMES TO SCHOOLS, TEACHERS, STUDENTS AND
THEIR PARENTS HAVE HAD TO DEAL
WITH SO MANY CHANGES AND A LOT
OF LEARNING US MANY SCHOOL
DISTRICTS HAVE FOUND WAYS TO
ADAPT SAFELY REOPENING IN CLASS
INSTRUCTION. YET OTHER
DISTRICTS LIKE SAN DIEGO
UNIFIED HAVE BEEN SLOW TO
REOPEN, SETTING A REOPENING
DATE OF APRIL 12TH. THIRTEEN
MONTHS AFTER SHUTTING DOWN A
NEW LAWSUIT SAYS IN-PERSON
LEARNING SHOULD HAVE BEEN AN
OPTION ALL ALONG. AND ATTORNEY
MARK LEVINE JOINS US NOW TO
DISCUSS THIS MORE. HI MARK. HI.
THANK YOU. THANKS FOR BEING
HERE. TELL US A LITTLE BIT
ABOUT THIS CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT
YOU FILED ON BEHALF OF THESE
THREE PARENTS. WHAT'S THEIR
BACK STORY HERE AND WHY DID YOU
GUYS FEEL THIS ACTION WAS
NECESSARY? YEAH, I THINK THE
BACK STORY IS SIMILAR TO EVERY
SITUATION GOING ON WITH PARENTS
THROUGHOUT THROUGHOUT THE
COUNTY AND THE CITY OF SAN
DIEGO AND THE DISTRICT. AND THE
PROBLEM IS THAT THE SCHOOL
DISTRICT HAS ESSENTIALLY BEEN
CLOSED FOR THE PAST 13 MONTHS
AND IT GOES AGAINST STATE AND
LOCAL REGULATIONS AND
GUIDELINES AND THEY'VE BEEN
SLOW TO REOPEN YOUR CLIENTS
SPECIFICALLY DO THEY HAVE
ELEMENTARY KIDS OR THE MIDDLE?
I MEAN IT RUNS THE GAMUT. OK,
AND WHAT ARE WHAT ARE THEY WANT
TO SEE HAPPEN? WELL, CERTAINLY
WE WOULD LIKE SEE SCHOOLS
REOPEN BUT WHAT'S HAPPENED IS
THESE THESE FAMILIES HAVE LOST
A YEAR WORTH OF SCHOOL. MANY
OF THESE FAMILIES HAVE HAD TO
PAY FOR TUTORING, PAY FOR
THINGS LIKE YMCA OR BOYS AND
GIRLS CLUBS WHERE THEIR KIDS
ACTUALLY SIT IN A CLASSROOM AND
THEY'VE BEEN DOING THIS THROUGH
SINCE THE SUMMER AND THEY DO IT
TODAY. FAMILIES OTHER FAMILIES
CAN'T AFFORD TO PAY FOR A TUTOR
OR SERVICES OR THINGS LIKE THE
YMCA OR BOYS AND GIRLS CLUBS.
AND SO WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO
IS FIND A WAY TO FUND THESE
FAMILIES SO THAT THEY CAN GET
THEIR CHILDREN BACK TO WHERE
THEY SHOULD BE. YEAH, WE'VE
HEARD THE LOSS OF ONE YEAR.
WE'VE HEARD A LOT OF FRUSTRATED
PARENTS THAT YOU KNOW, SOMEONE
DOWN THE STREET THAT CAN AFFORD
PRIVATE SCHOOL, THEY'RE PUTTING
THEIR KIDS IN PRIVATE SCHOOL
AND THEN THEY'RE IN SCHOOL ALL
DAY AND SO THERE'S A THERE'S A
DIFFERENCE WHEN IT COMES TO
THAT AND WHAT PEOPLE CAN AFFORD
AND GET THEIR EDUCATION, YOU
KNOW, SO WE'VE HAD THE BOARD
PRESIDENT ON OUR SHOW AND THIS
VERY TIME SLOT HERE AS WELL AS
THE TEACHERS UNION. I'VE ASKED
THEM ABOUT WHETHER THEIR
DEMANDS TO HAVE ALL TEACHERS
VACCINATED BEFORE OPENING WAS A
FAIR REQUEST GIVEN THAT THE CDC
HAS SAID THAT WASN'T NECESSARY
,THEY TOLD ME IT WAS JUST THE
BEST WAY TO KEEP TEACHERS SAFE
.WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON
THEIR RESPONSE AND YOUR
CLIENT'S REACTION TO THAT? WE
THINK IT'S DISINGENUOUS. IT'S
MY UNDERSTANDING THAT THERE IS
NO ACTUAL REQUIREMENT THAT
EVERY EVERY TEACHER BE
VACCINATED JUST THAT TO BE
AVAILABLE. SO WE'RE GOING TO BE
WELCOMING BACK TEACHERS AND
STAFF MEMBERS WHO HAVEN'T BEEN
VACCINATED AND THEY'RE GOING TO
BE SITTING IN CLASSROOMS WITH
OUR CHILDREN. AND SO WHAT'S THE
DIFFERENCE? AND I UNDERSTAND
THAT THERE ARE, YOU KNOW,
TEACHERS AND STAFF FOR THEM
IT'S UNSAFE FOR THEM TO GO BACK
TO SCHOOL OR BACK TO SCHOOL
WITHOUT A VACCINE AND THAT'S A
DIFFERENT SITUATION. BUT I DO
BELIEVE IT'S DISINGENUOUS TO
SAY THAT ALL THE TEACHERS ARE
GOING AND STAFF ARE GOING TO BE
VACCINATED BY THE TIME KIDS
RETURN TO SCHOOL. YOU KNOW, IN
ADDITION TO THE SCHOOL
DISTRICT, PARENTS ARE SUING SAN
DIEGO UNIFIED SUPERINTENDENT
CINDY MARTIN, THE CALIFORNIA
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION AND
STATE SUPERINTENDENT TONY
THURMAN. WHAT'S THE WHAT'S THE
THE ISSUE WITH THOSE
INDIVIDUALS OR GROUPS? WELL,
WHAT ENDS UP HAPPENING IS WE
HAVE A SITUATION WHERE IT'S NOT
REALLY CLEAR WHO'S AT FAULT FOR
WHAT'S GOING ON AND THERE ARE A
LOT OF HANDS INVOLVED IN WHAT'S
BEEN HAPPENING AND SO WE
INCLUDE EVERYONE TO MAKE SURE
THAT WE'VE COVERED ALL OF OUR
BASES. ARE YOUR CLIENTS ALL
CONCERNED THAT THE DISTRICT
WILL PUSH THE DATES FURTHER
BACK OR SHUT DOWN SCHOOLS YET
AGAIN IF CASES RISE? I MEAN
WE'VE BEEN TELLING AND HEARING
THIS APRIL 12TH DATE HOW HOW DO
THEY FEEL ABOUT THE DATE THAT'S
BEEN SET AND WHETHER THE
DISTRICT WILL STICK TO IT?
ABSOLUTELY. OUR CLIENTS ARE
VERY CONCERNED ABOUT THIS DATE.
IT'S TENTATIVE AND THE SCHOOL
DISTRICT'S BEEN CLEAR THAT
ANYTHING COULD CHANGE THE DATE
OF REOPEN. THERE'S BEEN NO
CLARITY ON THE ISSUE AND FOR
THE PAST 13 MONTHS THE DISTRICT
HAS NOT BEEN REALLY MOTIVATED.
IT SEEMS TO REOPEN BECAUSE
NOTHING'S HAPPENED AND WE COULD
SEE A CHANGE AT ANY MOMENT. I
HAVE YOUR CLIENTS OPEN UP ABOUT
THE AMOUNT OF LEARNING LOSS
IMPACTING THEIR KIDS AND HOW
THEY'RE HANDLING HOW THEIR KIDS
SPECIFICALLY HAVE BEEN HANDLING
BEING OUT OF THE CLASSROOM THIS
LONG. YEAH, ABSOLUTELY. I
ESSENTIALLY MOST OF THESE KIDS
HAVE LOST A FULL YEAR WORTH
OF SCHOOL. NOT ONLY THAT, THEY
HAVE EMOTIONAL ISSUES SUICIDE,
DRUG USE ARE OFF THE CHARTS FOR
THIS PAST YEAR AND WE'RE
CONCERNED THAT AS LONG AS THE
SCHOOL CONTINUES TO BE CLOSED,
THESE ISSUES ARE GOING TO
CONTINUE. YEAH. ALL RIGHT. WE
SHOULD MENTION MARK, THANKS SO
MUCH FOR JOINING US. WE SHOULD
MENTION SAN DIEGO UNIFIED
SPOKESPERSON SAYING