Have Questions About In-Person Learning at SFUSD? We Have (Some) Answers.

You may have seen news reports in the past few weeks about SFUSD’s negotiations, agreements, and plans related to in-person/hybrid learning. What do we know now? We answer a few common questions and share our go-to information sources.

When will SFUSD schools reopen for some in-person learning?

There is no certain answer to this question right now, though we may have a better idea in the near future. A health and safety agreement between SFUSD and unions approved by the Board of Education on February 24 allows for a return in the Red Tier if teachers can be vaccinated, and in the Orange Tier if not. Educators now are eligible to receive vaccines, but supply is still variable, and it is not clear how quickly all school staff will have access to both doses of vaccine.

SF is still in the Purple Tier but is predicted, per Mayor Breed, to move to Red as soon as next Tuesday and Supervisor Matt Haney recently shared on Twitter that “we can predict that we will be in orange tier *very likely* by the end of March.”

In addition to meeting the terms of the health and safety agreement, there must be a hybrid instructional plan in place. Both SFUSD and the teacher’s union (UESF) have made proposals and have been actively working to come to an agreement, but as of the date of this post, there is not one in place. Once there is an instructional agreement, the Board of Education would need to ratify it and then, we have been told, five weeks would be needed to operationalize the plan. So it is likely the earliest scenario would make some students eligible to return by early April.

Which students will have the option to return first?

The plan has always been to bring back priority student groups first. This includes all students in grades PK-2, all students with disabilities in Moderate/Severe special day classes, and students attending County schools. The plan was originally for students within this group to return in waves, with PK and special day classes returning first. At Tuesday’s Board of Education meeting, Deputy Superintendent Ford Morthel shared that it is likely SFUSD will be able to “collapse time between waves” and that it is “more likely” they will be “able to open Wave 1 and Wave 2 with similar start dates.” Wave 1 includes 5 early ed sites, 6 elementary schools, and one County school. Wave 2 includes 26 additional sites. Wave 3 comprises the remaining early education and elementary sites. While no timing has been confirmed for Wave 3, it was shared at the most recent SFUSD Board of Education Building and Grounds committee meeting that Wave 3 schools are predicted to be ready for in-person learning on a rolling basis between March 22 and April 19. Slides from that meeting are here.

Grades 3-5

Per Tuesday’s Board of Education meeting, decisions are still being made about the timing of in-person return for grades 3-5. The main decision still to be made is if students in priority groups in these grades (students who are homeless, in foster care, and those who have shown the lowest overall online engagement) should be prioritized for in-person learning, or if in-person seats should be open to all students in these grades. Opening to all students might mean, depending on capacity, that each student would have access to fewer days of in-person learning.

Middle School and High School

There has been very little shared about plans for any in-person options for SFUSD students in grades 6-12, though we know these plans are actively being worked on with updates expected in the near future.

Student delegates and Board of Education commissioners pressed SFUSD staff at Tuesday’s meeting for more information about plans for the rest of this school year and details about what these students should expect when school resumes next fall.

Board members stressed the importance of moving quickly and dedicating resources to confirming a plan for next fall. Commissioner Matt Alexander stated that in his view SFUSD “has to commit to 5 days a week return in the fall.”

Student delegates raised questions about the possibility of return this year (Dr. Matthews said he “remains hopeful” but acknowledged the “timeframe grows shorter and shorter”), graduation activities (Deputy Supe Ford Morthel didn’t have details on hand, but promised an “update after the meeting”), and use of outdoor space (“every single school” is having a discussion about how to use outdoor space, but using this space to add instructional capacity is a “complicated conversation” according to facilities chief Dawn Kamalanathan).

Student Delegate Hines Foster also brought up concerns about transportation when middle and high schools resume in-person instruction. Dr. Matthews shared that SFUSD was “doing [their] best to have conversations with the Mayor and the Mayor’s team” and recognized that Muni services would have to be increased to bring back older students in “any significant manner.”

Will my student have to return to in-person learning?

No. At this point, return to in-person learning is completely optional, and offers of in-person seats will be made based on families choices as shared in surveys which were sent in December to families in the first priority group (Group 2A—PK-2, special day, & County) and which will be sent to all families with students in priority groups and grades 3-5 within the next 2-3 weeks, according to Dr. Matthews at Tuesday’s meeting.

Even if you answered “yes” on the survey, you may decide at any time to withdraw that choice and return to distance-only learning.

However, if you answered “no,” space will not be reserved for your child and if you change your mind you may need to wait until a space becomes available.

If you have a student in group 2A and did not receive a survey, reach out to your school site or contact SFUSD’s resource link. Schools are actively working to reach families who have not returned surveys.

NOTE: it is our understanding that the surveys from December may still be “open” for choices to be amended prior to adoption of the instructional plan.

Want to stay informed? Here are some resources.

PPSSF #BoardWatch! Follow our live-tweet coverage of meetings. Sign up for agenda previews (Text @boardwatch to 81010).
SFUSD FAQs and Weekly Family Digests: these are the best places to find the most recent information.
SFUSD Board of Education meetings. All meetings are archived on SFUSD’s YouTube and regular meetings can be found on SFGovTV where you can skip to a specific agenda section. Most of the time, new information is shared first at a Board of Education meeting.
Chief Facilities Officer Dawn Kamalanathan’s Instagram Site! She shares visuals of progress being made preparing sites.
The city School Reopening Dashboard. You can see where individual schools are in the inspection process.
EdSource. Updates on state-level decisions impacting our schools.

Stay Tuned!

When we learn more, we will share updates on the instructional plan, more details about Middle and High schools, and more! Let us know what your burning questions are and will do our best to share what we know in our next newsletter. You can reach us via social media or by email—info@ppssf.org.