Video: ‘Educational emergency’: SF Board of Education worries about lack of COVID protocols

By Haaziq Madyun | Posted January 10, 2022

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. (KRON) – Parents, teachers, city leaders, and school board members are all finding it hard to get on the same page for COVID safety in the San Francisco Unified School District. 

On Monday night a San Francisco Board of Education member sounded the alarm.

An excerpt:

“We need to do better at working together to be planning ahead,” said SF Board of Education member Alison Collins.

It is lack of planning for the post winter break COVID surge, on the part of SFUSD and SF city leaders, that SF board of education commissioner Alison Collins believes created a crisis for parents, teachers, and students.

“This is an educational emergency! We have schools that are barely able to function because of lack of staffing. We’re trying to fill gaps with parent volunteers. We’re trying to fill gaps with central office staff, and that’s just not acceptable,” Collins said.

Collins says, limited available testing sites in the district and overcrowded testing locations that are open to the public are two major problems going into the second week of school.

“It is hard to find tests. You look to make an appointment and you have a week to wait. that is not acceptable for folks who want to stay safe,” Collins said.”