CPC's Parent Union launches virtual events about educational options as uncertainty surrounding the upcoming school year mounts. 

July 30th, 2021
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I want to believe that California’s public schools will reopen this fall. I really do.

When the Los Angeles Unified School District and United Teachers Los Angeles finally reached an agreement in late June to fully reopen schools this fall, I was cautiously optimistic. Los Angeles was the major holdout in the state, remaining more locked down and more vocal than other, smaller districts, with the union demanding more and more giveaways ([link removed]) as time went on. If they, the largest school district in the state, could commit to a full reopening, surely, schools up and down the state would be back-to-normal by August.

But the closer we get back to school, the more skeptical I am that, well, kids will be allowed back.

In the past weeks and days, mask restrictions are being reinstituted, even as vaccination rates in many areas reach and surpass the levels needed for herd immunity. And now, top officials including Governor Gavin Newsom and union top brass are shifting how they talk about school reopenings.

On June 7, Newsom said ([link removed]) , “a return to full, in-person instruction is what’s best for our students.”

By July 9, Newsom surrogate ([link removed]) and CA Health and Human Services Secretary Dr. Mark Ghaly added a notable condition to school reopenings. “We believe that with masking and with testing, we can get kids back to in person 100% in our schools.”

And now this week, the Governor created more cause ([link removed]) for alarm. “You’re putting at risk the ability to educate our kids by getting them back in-person full time,” Newsom said of Californians who choose not to receive a COVID vaccine. Dr. Barbara Ferrer, the top public health official in Los Angeles, added to the doubt, calling the Delta variant ([link removed]) a “game changer” for schools.

Especially illuminating regarding what’s to come for schools were comments by American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten. She briefly paused this week from trying to convince the public that it was Trump, not unions, who kept schools closed to say ([link removed]) , “we’re going to try to open up schools.”

Their comments raise concerns that school reopenings could end up being contingent on vaccine rates, or some other new goal post.

For many parents, the 2020-21 school year was enough to convince them to seek alternative educational arrangements for their children. California public schools experienced a record-setting decline ([link removed]) in enrollment – over 160,000 students lost – in the early days of the pandemic. When numbers for the full school year are updated, it’s likely we will realize even more students have left. As the upcoming year looks less certain, parents who held out may be wondering how they can ensure their children resume learning and are no longer pawns of the union.

This Saturday, CPC’s Parent Union will launch a series of virtual events ([link removed]) to help parents understand the educational options available outside the traditional public school setting. The interactive meetings will cover alternatives like homeschooling, charter schools, private schools, and virtual resources. The events will bring together parents who are already taking advantage of school choice and those who are curious.
Support the California Policy Center. Donate Today. ([link removed])

To find dates and times for the events, learn more, and RSVP, please click here ([link removed]) . And, please share this opportunity with any parents of school-aged children you know so they go into the 2021-2022 school year with all the information they need.

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Quote of the week

“People want to talk about learning loss and I want to say, ‘you can’t lose what you never had.’” – United Teachers Los Angeles President Cecily Myart-Cruz ([link removed])

More from CPC
* Unions bankrolling Newsom’s campaign ([link removed])
* Use federal aid on students, not unions ([link removed])
* Defective bargaining ([link removed])
* Listen: The stewards of sustainability ([link removed])

CPC and allies in the news
* CPC’s Lance Christensen speaks with Phil Cowan about Parent Union (1:28 mark) ([link removed])
* Billions coming to California schools should help kids, not just teacher unions ([link removed])

Classroom headlines
* Newsom recall: GOP challengers see parents as ‘consumers’ ([link removed])
* Critical race math meets a critical public ([link removed])
* Congress beats up charter schools ([link removed])
* California educators battle over woke math ([link removed])
* Expert withdraws in protest from Orange County Board of Education ethnic studies panel ([link removed])
* Parents should have right to choose schools in wake of critical race theory fight, congressman says ([link removed])
* I refuse to stand by while my students are indoctrinated ([link removed])
* The University of California is lying to us ([link removed])
* Despite union efforts, school choice gains new ground ([link removed])

Union news
* Report: Big labor hides millions in 2020 election spending ([link removed])
* California inks contract with new 40K-member childcare union ([link removed])
* Unions spent at least $1.8 Billion in the 2020 election cycle ([link removed])
* California unions on board with Gavin Newsom’s COVID vaccine rules for state workers ([link removed])
* California’s biggest state worker union challenges Gavin Newsom’s vaccine order ([link removed])
* How teachers unions got CDC to recommend masking kids ([link removed])
* Randi Weingarten ripped after telling MSNBC ‘we’re going to try’ to reopen schools after CDC mask guidance ([link removed])

Back to school
* LAUSD to require testing of students, staff regardless of vaccination status ([link removed])
* California parent groups sue Gavin Newsom over COVID mask mandate for schools ([link removed])
* Parents urge Tustin school district to end classroom mask mandate ([link removed])
* Ninth Circuit: Gavin Newsom’s California violated private school parents’ rights with shutdown ([link removed])
* The cost of the school shutdowns ([link removed])

Other things we’re reading
* Hollywood leaving California for New Mexico tax incentives ([link removed]≷=US&ceid=US%3Aen)
* A $280M handout for baseball? Secret California budget item might juice Oakland project ([link removed])
* California could cut off water from thousands of farmers ([link removed])
* Leaving California interview with Mark Snyder: ‘Is Sacramento and California in a post-hope period?’ ([link removed])
* Montclair city employees who go maskless will have to wear stickers declaring vaccination ([link removed])
* California orders vaccine or testing for health care workers, state employees ([link removed])
* California teachers’ pension fund reports record-high investment gains. Here’s what that means ([link removed])
* California cites grocery stores for not giving virus leave ([link removed])
* Gov. Newsom polling almost evenly on recall according to new UC Berkeley survey ([link removed])

Connect with CPC

Want to keep up with CPC and our partners during the week? Follow us on Twitter ([link removed]) , join our Facebook ([link removed]) community, and sign up to be part of the growing Parent Union ([link removed]) .


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