Rally for reopening schools in Redwood City

“We owe our children an in-person education and we just think it is important to have that as an option for the kids and families who need it,” said Shannon Chi, a parent of a Sequoia High School student.

Chi was among a group of parents representing each of the district’s comprehensive schools who fear for their children’s education during an extended stretch away from the classroom, as well as the emotional harm associated with sustained isolation.

“This has to change, this is not sustainable,” said Paige Winikoff, parent of a student at Menlo-Atherton High School.

Pointing to improving health conditions, studies showing that campuses are not inherently dangerous environments and other schools across the Bay Area that have reopened recently, those at the rally claimed it is due time local high schoolers return to campus.

The rally is the second of its kind in as many weeks, as exhausted members of the San Mateo Union High School District community hosted a similar event along El Camino Real in Burlingame last week calling for reopening.

For his part, Sequoia school board President Alan Sarver largely agreed that classroom learning should soon restart while sharing some hopefulness that a return for students might be possible shortly.

“The district leadership stands in complete solidarity with the concerned parent groups and our staff. We are working as hard as we can to open our schools as soon as we can, as safely as we can,” he said.

To that end, Sarver said the district has been engaged in negotiations with its teachers union to collectively bargain a plan for reopening. And while he offered no timeline for when an agreement would be announced, noting the private nature of contract negotiations, Sarver said he expects the district to share terms of its bargaining position at the board meeting Wednesday, Feb. 24.

More broadly, Sarver expressed some optimism that the improving health conditions brought by the county’s move to the red tier combined with enhanced teacher vaccination availability will make way for advancement toward a classroom return.

“We are extremely hopeful and eager that we will see a change in our operations soon,” he said.

That timeline may not align with the expectations of parents.

“At the end of the day, these kids need to get back into school,” said Carlmont High School parent Mike Lewis.

Further, Lewis said it is imperative classrooms are reopened — even in a limited capacity — so that the school district can develop some strategies for coping with the issues that will inevitably occur once students are allowed back.

To that point, Sarver concurred as well.

“It is critical that we pilot everything about a return to the classroom as soon as possible to the greatest extent possible to assure the strongest ability to return to the kind of normal things that our community expects and deserves,” said Sarver. “And to do everything we can to get ahead of the curve for a smooth resumption of operations in the fall.”

Meanwhile, Lewis said he was compelled to join the reopening movement to assure the district is aware of the concerns shared by so many local families.

“This is very important. This is critical. You need to hear us and you need to tell us how this will be addressed,” he said.

And even though Sarver said the amount of information he can discuss publicly on the matter is limited, he assured school community members that their frustrations do not fall on deaf ears. Additionally, he shared some confidence that there may be some movement on the issue soon.

“There is reason to expect different, positive outcomes than what we have seen emerging so sluggishly,” he said.

austin@smdailyjournal.com