Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the School Reopening topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
SFUSD to reopen schools Aug. 16; district requires indoor masking and plans staff vaccine mandate starting Sept. 7
Summary
Superintendent Matthews told the Board of Education that all SFUSD schools will reopen for in‑person instruction on Aug. 16, 2021; district health staff said indoor masking will be required and that a staff vaccination requirement will take effect Sept. 7, with weekly testing for unvaccinated employees.
All San Francisco Unified School District schools will reopen for in‑person instruction on Monday, August 16, Superintendent Matthews told the board at its Aug. 10 meeting. "All San Francisco Unified Schools will be open for in person instruction Monday, August 16," Matthews said as staff outlined supports to welcome students back.
The district aligned its protocol to San Francisco and California health guidance and emphasized mitigation layers. Chief Lau Smith summarized required measures: daily self‑screening, staying home when ill, hand hygiene and maximizing ventilation. He told commissioners that "the best ways to do that is to get vaccinated if you're eligible, to wear masks, and ... to stay home if you're ill." Doctoral specialists from UCSF joined staff to describe the public‑health rationale behind the protocols.
On employee vaccination, Chief Lau Smith announced a start date: "So, starting September 7 ... all SFUSD employees will be required to be fully vaccinated unless they have a documented medical or religious exemption. Anyone who is not yet vaccinated will be required to test for COVID‑19 at least weekly." The board and staff described weekly testing for asymptomatic staff and students through the district’s Color testing partnership and said the district is exploring rapid antigen testing as a complementary option if operational supports are available.
Testing details: staff told the board that the district operates weekly PCR testing at roughly 20 mobile sites across the city, plans courier pickups at school sites by the week of Aug. 30, and will continue to prioritize testing for asymptomatic screening while assessing options for antigen tests with state support. Officials warned that adding antigen testing at scale would require additional operational staffing and vendor arrangements.
The district also committed to supporting student mental health and wellness during the return and said it will provide three weeks of common lesson plans and family outreach calls. Deputy leaders said an online learning program has been built for a limited number of students with extenuating COVID‑related circumstances in accordance with state guidance; staff stressed it remains a limited, capacity‑constrained option.
Next steps: staff will continue to coordinate with SFDPH/CDPH and UCSF clinical advisors, publish more operational details for families about testing and exemption processes, and report back to board committees on implementation and follow‑up items.
