San Francisco Now Suing Its Own Schools To Force Them To Open

In a first for California, and perhaps the entire nation, San Francisco is suing its own school district to force schools to open.

Per the San Francisco Chronicle: "City Attorney Dennis Herrera, with the blessing of Mayor London Breed, plans to sue the San Francisco Board of Education and the San Francisco Unified School District for violating a state law compelling districts to adopt a clear plan during the COVID-19 pandemic describing actions they 'will take to offer classroom-based instruction whenever possible.'"

The state law cited above says school districts must have a plan in place for students who are experiencing "significant learning loss due to school closures.” Per the SF Chronicle, district data revealed that the loss of in-person instruction has hit minority and low-income students especially hard. It's been nearly a year since public school students in San Francisco have been inside a classroom.

"San Francisco is among a handful of large cities — including New York, Chicago and Washington D.C. — where mayors and districts have been fighting with teachers unions over reopening," the SF Chronicle reported.

Herrera will file a motion Feb. 11 requesting that the San Francisco Superior Court will issue an emergency order, pushing the school district to come up a reopening plan.