SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — Local community members are calling for San Diego Unified School District to reopen, as the CDC releases data finding schools can reopen without having teachers vaccinated.
"I think other schools can and should be able to return in person," says Leslie Hofmeister, who is a member of "Reopen SDUSD," an organization made up of parents who are pushing to reopen schools in the San Diego Unified School District.
As a mother of three young kids, she says virtual learning got so difficult, the family decided to enroll in a private school to get her kids back in the classroom.
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But that hasn’t stopped her from staying involved with the organization.
"I want all children to have the option of having in-person education because I think it’s essential," said Hofmeister.
On Wednesday, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced he supports the reopening of elementary schools citing concerns about the effectiveness of virtual learning with younger kids. The CDC also released findings suggesting schools can safely reopen without having teachers vaccinated first — something Hofmeister says she sees first hand at their new school and in other schools that have students back on campus.
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"Data shows those mitigation measures have worked for schools across the country, and schools in our own county, and across the state who have used those same measures," Hofmeister adds.
Last week, ABC 10News spoke with the President of the San Diego Education Association Keisha Borden, who says this should not be treated as one size fits all type of situation.
"We serve communities that are having 3 to 8 times the infection rates that districts like Poway are not experiencing. So we have to be careful in comparing districts like San Diego Unified to smaller districts like Poway or Del Mar that are more affluent communities that aren't experiencing COVID-19 waves," said Borden.