SFUSD Board Adopts Return-to-School Resolution, Directs Plan for Phased Reopening

The San Francisco Unified School District Board of Education voted Nov. 17 to adopt Resolution 20-11-10-A1, directing the superintendent to prepare a phased "SFUSD Return Plan 2021" to resume in-person instruction for prioritized student groups. The resolution cites state and local public health guidance and requests plan milestones, site assessments and labor negotiations ahead of any reopening.

The resolution, read into the record by Vice President Gabriela Lopez and co-authors Commissioners Jenny Lam and Stevon Cook, instructs the superintendent to present an elementary start-date plan to the board on Dec. 8 and to aim for in-person learning for certain priority cohorts no earlier than Jan. 25, 2021, "recognizing a need to safely open schools on a rolling basis to attend to changing health and safety factors." It directs development of testing plans, site assessments (including ventilation and sanitation), and coordination with the San Francisco Department of Public Health and other medical partners.

Why it matters: The resolution establishes a board-driven timeline and a set of conditions that must be met before students return to classrooms, while retaining the option for families to continue remote learning. It also places labor negotiations and site readiness at the center of reopening decisions, a persistent demand from union representatives who testified earlier in the meeting.

Board action and vote: After public comment and discussion, the board adopted the version read into the record and amended during the meeting. The clerk conducted a roll call; the tally was recorded as six ayes and the motion carried. President Sanchez announced the adoption. The official text read into the public record is the authoritative version of the resolution.

What the resolution requires and references: The measure directs staff to prepare a phased plan drawing on guidance from the California Department of Public Health (Aug. 25, 2020 guidance cited in the reading), the California Department of Education, and applicable San Francisco Department of Public Health directives. It explicitly references providing in-person instruction first for certain high-need populations including students with moderate to severe disabilities and pre-K early-education cohorts, and requests an estimated fiscal impact and identification of funding gaps; the resolution text notes philanthropy has contributed "$15,000,000" toward SFUSD's COVID-19 response since March.

Next steps: Staff will return with a detailed plan on Dec. 8, including the dashboard indicators and site-assessment results that the board directed. The resolution also asked the superintendent to continue meet-and-confer with labor partners with the aim of negotiating MOUs tailored for reopening safety, and to report on progress at subsequent board meetings.

Context: The vote followed approximately 45 minutes of public testimony from parents, educators and union representatives, many of whom urged either caution or more rapid reopening depending on family circumstances. Several labor leaders pressed the district to resolve MOUs and worker protections before any in-person work begins. The board framed the resolution as a planning directive — not an immediate mandate to open schools — tied to health and safety benchmarks.