Web Version [link removed] | Update Preferences [link removed] Press Release Business Roundtable Responds to Governor’s Commitment to Keeping K-12 Schools Open for In-Person Learning

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

December 22, 2021

CONTACT: Brooke Armour

(916) 553-4093

[email protected] [mailto:​[email protected]]

SACRAMENTO—Rob Lapsley, president of the California Business Roundtable, issued the following statement today in response to Governor Newsom’s announcement that K-12 schools will remain open for in-person learning as the state and nation address the growth of the Omicron variant:

“As California continues to rebuild its economy, working parents reentering the workforce need certainty that K-12 schools will remain open as the state and nation address the Omicron variant. We are entering a new phase of this pandemic—the virus is endemic in our society and we must create stability and predictability for students, families and the business community. The governor’s commitment today to safe in-person learning for California students is a critical step forward in building the endemic economy [[link removed]]where working parents have confidence to re-enter the workforce without fear of unpredictable school closures.

“This commitment to keeping schools open for in-person learning is even more important as California ranked dead last among states for in-person learning in the 2020-21 school year. The long-term, disproportionate impacts of frequent or prolonged school closures on students and their academic and employment futures cannot be understated. We have the tools to keep students and teachers safe and healthy in the classroom. We cannot repeat the education, mental health and economic impacts we saw in the 2020-21 school year.”

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