SAN DIEGO- New television spots produced by the California Teachers Association call for a focus on teacher immunizations and other safety protocols before schools fully reopen.
The series of commercials, titled “Still a Threat,” resembles the type of television commercial you may see during the political campaign season.
“COVID is still a threat,” say the narrators in one of the ads. “And as schools reopen, we know what happens when we ignore proper ventilation or community spread rates.”
The ads have drawn the ire of parents determined to get their children back in the classroom.
“My reaction is that it is insidious,” said Edward Ewing of Clairemont, whose third-grade daughter has been out of class in over a year, adding: “They are using their power not only to ignore the science behind security but ignore the suffering they have inflicted on my daughter and thousands of others in the state. “
Third grade teacher Vanessa Barrera, who is also president of the Southwest Teachers Association, said the teachers’ concerns are valid.
“We don’t know what other people do when they leave the building,” Barrera said. “Do they go to restaurants? Are they visiting other people’s houses? We cannot control that, but we can control what happens in the classroom ”.
Barrera teaches in San Ysidro, where case rates have not declined at a rate comparable to other parts of the county.
She pointed to dozens of quarantines that occurred earlier this month between students and teachers in Escondido after the district reopened classroom teaching.
“We don’t want to be part of this yo-yo effect, where one day we are in person and the next day we have to be in quarantine because we have been exposed,” said Barrera.
Ewing, who has been to rallies sponsored by the “Reopen SDUSD” group, said the announcements are another heavy-handed tactic by the union.
“We can do this safely if we work together,” Ewing said. “But what we have got is a strong arm from the union and a strong arm from the district. They have rejected us at all times ”.
Barrera said teachers wanted to be back in classrooms with their students, but only if it is done safely.
“We want to make sure that when we reopen, it is safe for our students, our staff and just the community at large,” Barrera said.
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