Our apologies for the delay to our Friday update this week. There are three developments to cover, one event to announce and some clarification of positions. Here is this week’s update:

1) On Tuesday, the ‘Yolo County Doctors and Healthcare Professionals In Support of Safe School Reopening’ group delivered a letter to the Board of Education, calling for schools to reopen. The letter was signed by over 130 physicians, nurses, psychiatrists, and other healthcare professionals. It was aligned with state and CDC guidance – which means it was also aligned with what we’ve been advocating, as well. We believe the letter was quite impactful.

2) On Friday, Governor Newsom signed legislation to entice schools to reopen. The legislation, AB86/SB86, evolved partly from AB10 and Newsom’s “Safe Schools for All” plan. The final form offers schools a financial incentive to reopen by April 1^st. After that date, schools lose 1% of available funds for each school day they remain closed (5% a week), forfeiting all funds if no reopening is attempted by May 15^th.

The move has been criticized by many, as both not being forceful enough (in that it does not mandate that schools reopen) and for making it more difficult to reopen (by requiring testing for schools in the purple tier). The legislation also does not do much for our Middle and High-School students, requiring only one grade of each to open in order to qualify for funding.

Of particular interest to this group will be the phrasing regarding the amount of in-person education required to qualify for the funding. The legislation requires schools to offer in person learning ‘to the maximum extent practicable’. It’s unclear how this will be measured, though schools will self-report this data twice a month.

3) Also on Friday, with the support of the Board of Education, DJUSD announced that it intends to reopen for hybrid instruction on April 12^th. This is a positive step, but is perhaps not as promising as it sounds; while we don’t want to be critical of every development, this warrants some scrutiny.

The hybrid model selected by DJUSD is both extremely limited for elementary students and inconvenient for many families. Under their model, elementary students will only actually receive two hours of in-person instruction, twice weekly, for a total of 4 hours per week. At this rate, students will only actually receive 32 total in-person hours in the remaining school year. Regrettably, messaging from the district thus far has been that there will be no changes made to this model before the end of the term, though they have failed to identify why this would be policy.

The model for Middle and High School students is somewhat better, but still not ideal.

The start of this hybrid model is also still dependent on outside factors. The two most pressing factors are vaccine distribution and the county’s tier status (moving back into purple tier would prevent reopening, despite K-6 being authorized to do so in purple). To be clear: we expect the conditions for an April 12^th start date to be met. Nevertheless, it’s not impossible for a complication to arise that would delay this start.

4) To mark one year of virtual only learning, we are encouraging a “Zoom From School” event on Friday, March 12^th. We envision this as a fun, non-controversial way to mark the date, support our students and show our readiness to return to classrooms!

To further the idea that this should be fun and non-controversial, we have decided that this is not an “official” Parent Coalition event. Yes, we are announcing/encouraging it and will support it however we can, but we will not be taking credit for it. While media will likely hear of it, it will not be from the Coalition. We ask that members not use the event as a platform, and that they don’t bring signs. Instead, we encourage you to invite your neighbors and your children’s classmates. Treat this as a time to start healing by bringing classmates and the community together.

This event is largely a “self-organized” affair, in that there will be limited support. This is not an entirely new idea – it has been done across the country, and some families have been successfully doing this in Davis already. Based on these experiences, we are offering the following suggestions to help you prepare:

· Families should plan to show up to their assigned schools if possible

· Plan on occupying some of the green space next to the school

o Consider shade options & proximity to campus (to access the school’s Wi-Fi)

o Plans should assume that you will not be able to access the actual campus or its facilities

· Plan on starting at your normal school start time

o How long you stay is up to you – but consider that bathrooms will not be readily available

· Masks and appropriate distancing required

o We encourage families to form groups of students who are close in age/grade, while still observing distancing recommendations

· Consider the weather – while it will warm up in the afternoon, the morning is likely to be chilly

o It’s currently forecast to be sunny, with a high of 66

o At school start time, however, expect temperatures in the low to mid 50s

· Ensure all devices are fully charged

· Plan for how you’ll connect your student’s devices

o If the district has issued you a hotspot, bring it. These hotspots can generally accommodate up to 10 devices

o If you are close enough to a school building, a district issued Chromebook will automatically connect to the school’s Wi-Fi

- We’ve tested this at MME, Pioneer, Harper, Korematsu, North Davis, DHS and others

- We estimate the range to be about 50 - 100’ from a building, but some commercial routers can reach as far as 300’ or more outside

- The Wi-Fi network will either be “TRI” and/or “DJUSD”

o You may also be able to use your cell phone as a hotspot (but make sure you test this at home first!). While you can connect approximately 5 devices to one phone, each device connected will slow down the connection speed and will use data on your phone plan. This is the least favorable option as connections speeds for more than one device will be slow

· Schedules vary between schools, grades and classes. Expect that some kids will be at “recess” while others are logging in. We hope this will give children the opportunity to socialize and play (with the same benefit for parents)!

We recommend you consider bringing the following items:

· Chairs or a blanket (grass is likely to be wet with dew)

· Sunscreen

· Snacks and drinks

· Hand sanitizer/wipes

· Any required school materials (paper, pencils, workbooks, etc.)

· A clipboard or some kind of hard surface for writing

· Headphones for your students (depending on turnout, it may get loud)

· A means to transport these items from your car/home (wagon or cart, etc.)

Again, please don’t bring signs or use this event as a platform to advocate for reopening schools; the intent is to allow anyone to come without having to be seen as supporting one side or another. Enjoy the company of your neighbors!

We will create a post in the Facebook group where members can coordinate individually. Where possible, we’ll provide whatever support we can.

5) We’d like to clarify some official positions of the DJUSD Parent Coalition. These positions have been in the “What We Believe” section of our website for months, but we seem to be consistently (and perhaps deliberately) misrepresented:

· We are not now, nor have we ever, advocated for an “open everything immediately” approach to schools. We are agreeable to a slow start to build confidence, following the guidance of public health agencies and experts, drawing on the experiences of reopened schools worldwide

· We do not support remaining in hybrid any longer than necessary, as determined by the same public health agencies and experts. We are already well behind their recommendations, however, and at some point soon we may reach a case rate where the CDC recommends full, in-person school for K-12 (we have met standards for a hybrid opening for weeks to over a month, depending on which metric you use)

· We recommend DJUSD adopt mitigation measures recommended by county, state and CDC public health experts. Examples include masking, distancing, quarantine procedures and case rates to reopen, etc. We recommend following their advice on other measures, such as vaccination, as well

· We are not currently pursuing a recall of Board Trustees. We have investigated this option, and we do not rule anything out, but this is not currently a priority

· We believe that DJUSD should be open for full-in person instruction in the fall, barring state or local health orders preventing them from doing so

Finally, we'd like to give you an update to the numbers:

620 members of our Facebook Group (+37 from last update)

417 members have signed up for email updates (+30 from last update – we are adding slowly from those who signed our second letter to the board, as we keep exceeding Google’s daily new member limit)

471 signatures on our second letter to the board (The letter was submitted last week with 450+ signatures)

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>100 CDC ‘High Transmission’ tier for schools (K-5 hybrid; 6-12 virtual in some cases, no sports)

50-99 CDC ‘Substantial Transmission’ tier for schools (hybrid K-12, some sports)

72.8 ESTIMATED CDC Yolo County level of community transmission (prior week 77.7)

10-49 CDC ‘Moderate Transmission’ tier for schools (in-person K-12, 5x week, some sports)

0-9 CDC ‘Low Transmission’ tier for schools (in-person K-12, 5x week, all sports)

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<25 CA adjusted case rate at which CA allows grades K-6 to resume in-person learning

<7 CA adjusted case rate at which CA allows grades 7-12 to resume in-person learning

5.2 CA adjusted case rate for Yolo County (prior week 5.6)

NOTE: Additional restrictions apply to CDC guidance. See guidelines here.

As always – thank you for your support! This week has seen positive developments for the effort to return children to classrooms. While we would have much preferred a start date that aligned with the recommendations of public health experts (which would have been a month ago), we are grateful to at least have something. We’ll be closely monitoring the progress toward a reopening as well as the evolving conditions.

- Admin

Our apologies for the one-day delay in this week’s update. There is much to cover, and we have received mixed signals this week. While some are losing hope, we see many reasons to be optimistic – at the very least, a rapidly evolving environment is presenting opportunities to press our case. Here is the update:

1) Case rates for Yolo County have plunged DRAMATICALLY, and appear to be accelerating downward: This Tuesday’s update to the Coronavirus Dashboard was very encouraging, with an adjusted case rate of 6.6 – which makes us eligible to move into the ‘red tier’ this coming Tuesday. As far as schools are concerned, this rate makes us eligible to reopen Middle & High Schools under CA guidance; the weekly rate also puts us in the CDC’s ‘orange tier’, which recommends K-12 resume hybrid schooling – Yolo is extremely fortunate to be one of 10% of counties nationwide to meet these metrics.

Case rates over the past month have been falling rapidly; on Jan 27^th, the case rate was 21.1; case rates of 18.8, 13.7 and finally, 6.6, were reported each subsequent week. If this trend holds, we may satisfy the requirement for CA’s ‘orange tier’ and the CDC’s ‘yellow tier’ as early as next week (though we must remain in CA’s red tier for two weeks before moving forward again; the clock would start this Tuesday). This would not result in any change to CA school guidance (there are no more school hurdles to clear after <7 cases), but CDC guidance in the yellow tier calls for full, in-person, 5 days a week school for grades K-12.

Keep getting tested and keep practicing smart risk mitigation strategies! This is excellent news for both our schools and our community as a whole.

2) On Thursday, the CA legislature unveiled SB86, which seeks to incentivize schools to reopen. The bill offers additional funding for schools, and seems to require schools to reopen by April 15^th to receive funding. While it’s something, there are some aspects, such as only requiring K-6 to reopen, that will likely be unacceptable given our declining case rate and commitment to honor CDC, state & local health guidance.

There may also be unintended consequences, such as allowing schools to open in the fall with hybrid models. For now, many would prefer that the bill mandate that schools reopen at certain tier levels (in addition to financial support), rather than offering financial incentives to do so.

Governor Newsom has also criticized the bill, saying it doesn’t go far enough or move fast enough. The legislature appears to be moving forward regardless.

3) On Wednesday, Dr. Anthony Fauci said that vaccinating all teachers before reopening schools is “non-workable”. The comments came amid controversy over the CDC’s official stance that vaccines “should not be a prerequisite to reopening schools”.

The DJUSD Parent Coalition supports prioritization for teachers, and we are grateful they are being vaccinated, but we concur with the WHO, CDC, Dr. Fauci, state of CA, Yolo County Public Health Officer and the myriad of schools that have already safely opened around the world that vaccines are not a prerequisite for a safe reopening of schools.

We have made an attempt to determine how many teachers have been vaccinated at this point, but DJUSD does not appear to have a clear means of tracking exactly how many teachers/staff have received the vaccine. They appear to simply be surveying staff, or relying on self-reporting, and report that 22% of staff have received the first dose. If correct, the best-case scenario for a return to school under the district’s requirements is approximately 7 weeks from now, assuming the remaining 80% of staff receive their first dose of the vaccine next week.

In other vaccination news, Gov. Newsom announced Friday that he will set aside 10% of all vaccinations for teachers. This is a positive development; if it results in an earlier return to campus, we applaud it.

4) A loosely affiliated group, “Doctors for Davis”, has formed, and drafted a letter for signatures. The group, which consists of a wide range of medical specialties and roles (pediatricians, nurses, psychologists, epidemiologists, MPH, EMT, etc.), hopes to collect signatures from as many local healthcare professionals as possible, pushing for a reopening of schools as recommended by the WHO, CDC, the state and the county public health officer.

The effort is similar to many others that have rapidly gained popularity across the country. A few of the many examples can be found here and here.

We are looking for both signatures and volunteers to help circulate the letter among medical professionals. If you would like to get involved, please e-mail: doctorsfordavis@gmail.com

(Disclaimer: The Parent Coalition welcomes and will support this group in any manner we possibly can, as our goals are well-aligned; nevertheless, Doctors for Davis is an entirely separate group. We are grateful for their support on the front lines of this pandemic, and now for their advocacy on behalf of our children - we look forward to working with/supporting them!)

5) Friday, March 13^th will mark one-year since students have been locked out of classrooms. It’s a somber occasion – one which few of us could have foreseen a year ago as we set out on this journey. It should be marked appropriately – and we will do so.

We look forward to the day when we can celebrate our children’s return to safe, nurturing classrooms.

6) Tune in to 95.7 FM KDRT on Tuesday, Feb 23^rd at 12:00 for the Covid-19 Community Report. We completed an interview intended to examine both sides of the school issue. We were pleased to find a new voice – Dr. Rachel Kline – to represent the coalition in this short interview. Though it was her first-time interviewing, and she said she was nervous, we practiced with her; on interview day, she clearly wasn’t nervous – she was simply AMAZING, and maximized the interview’s impact. We enjoyed the opportunity to elevate the voices of scientists and experts!

We are always looking for new voices. If you would like to volunteer, please contact us.

7) The district’s messaging has changed; the overall tone has swung toward a positive idea of reopening. Superintendent Bowes’ Friday message indicated that the district is preparing to move forward with hybrid learning. We choose to view this as a positive sign, and to have hope for the future, though we remain wary.

Though we are grateful for the positive messaging, several elements are lacking. Most importantly, we would prefer a fixed date for an intended reopening.

Finally, we'd like to give you an update to the numbers:

563 members of our Facebook Group (+12 from last update- we continue to deny a large amount of requests that do not complete the membership questions)

351 members have signed up for email updates (+6 from last update)

414 signatures on our letter to the board (+1 from last update – this effort is no longer our primary focus)

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>100 CDC ‘High Transmission’ tier for schools (K-5 hybrid; 6-12 virtual in some cases, no sports)

50-99 CDC ‘Substantial Transmission’ tier for schools (hybrid K-12, some sports)

93.1 ESTIMATED CDC Yolo County level of community transmission

10-49 CDC ‘Moderate Transmission’ tier for schools (in-person K-12, 5x week, some sports)

<25 CA adjusted case rate at which CA allows grades K-6 to resume in-person learning

0-9 CDC ‘Low Transmission’ tier for schools (in-person K-12, 5x week, all sports)

<7 CA adjusted case rate at which CA allows grades K-12 to resume in-person learning

6.6 CA adjusted case rate for Yolo County (prior week 13.7)

NOTE: Additional restrictions apply to CDC guidance. See guidelines here.

NOTE: Our estimate of the CDC tier last week was incorrect; we apologize for the error. We have a greater certainty this week, though the county data is still not easily & reliably translatable to CDC standards.

As always – thank you for your support! Rest and enjoy your weekend; we will be calling on your support in the coming weeks -

- Admin

The ‘Rally to Reopen Davis Schools’ will happen tomorrow morning, Feb 6^th. It occupies the center of attention for this update; most of this message will be focused there, but we’ll also present the most recent developments following that information…that keeps us from spamming your inbox. It’s a slightly longer read, but we’ll keep it as brief as possible:

1) The ‘Rally to Reopen Davis Schools’ will happen tomorrow – Saturday, Feb 6^th, at 10:00 – 11:30. Here is everything you need to know:

We are asking for just 90 minutes of your time! This is the chance to make your voice heard, and we’ve made careful plans to ensure that your time and voice will NOT be wasted! If you haven’t done this type of thing before…JOIN THE CLUB! Most of us haven’t. We have some among us with experience, for which we are grateful, but for many it’s their first time. We all have one thing in common: a belief that our experts are correct in saying schools can safely reopen with basic mitigation strategies, and that doing so is in our children’s and community’s best interest.

This is a bi-partisan group; perhaps surprisingly to some, most are progressive or liberal, but we have conservatives, too. It is an absolute JOY to see them come together, put aside politics and join with their neighbors to advocate for our children and community. If you haven’t done this type of thing before – you will not be alone, and will be pleasantly surprised at how empowering it is to have your voice heard!

Details & Expectations:

· Saturday, Feb 6^th

· 10:00 – 11:30

· Corner of 5^th & B, by the Farmer’s Market (ideally, we will occupy all four corners of the intersection)

· Expecting a large media response (speakers and talking points already assigned…but if you are interested, contact us and we can make room!)

· Previous ‘trial runs’ have been well-received

· We strongly suspect a much larger, supportive audience is out there, waiting for this to become mainstream. You can help make it so

· Feel free to bring your kids, spouses, friends, etc.

Tips and Rules:

· Masks and social distancing required

· No Politics. This is about reopening schools ONLY. Please don’t wear political clothing. Respect your neighbors!

· No hostility toward teachers or unions. Doing so creates a poor perception by the public, and hurts our group – and by extension, our goals

· Do NOT block sidewalks or go into the street

· Do NOT go into the Farmer’s Market (It’s considered private property)

· Don’t engage in arguments – our trial runs have been very civil, but if anyone becomes agitated, walk away – we will look out for each other!

· Don’t attempt to engage pedestrians. If they are curious, they will initiate conversation. You can direct them to each corner – handouts will be available there

· Bring your own sign. See below for suggested slogans. If you don’t have a sign – that’s OK! Come out and stand with us anyway – we’d love to see you!

· Be friendly. Wave at cars. Encourage them to honk in support. Smile (under your mask)!

· Don’t wear clothing that can be tied to your employer, or attempt to speak on your employer’s behalf. Most companies allow this type of activity (even the very restrictive military), but any attempt to represent your employer may result in trouble

· Wear comfortable clothing and shoes; plan for the weather (50 degrees, sunny, light North wind)

· Try to arrive early for parking. Media will expect to begin at 10:00 – we would like a good turnout! We’ll be there at 9:00….come and chat!

Suggested slogans for signs (but feel free to get creative! If you don’t have poster board – write it on a piece of printer paper. Anything works!):

· Listen to Dr. Sisson!

· CDC Says: Time for ABC’s!

· Education is Essential!

· Education is Fundamental! (Dr. Sisson quote)

· We Love Teachers, School and Science!

· Facts, Not Fear!

· Safer In Person

· Classrooms, Not Zoom Rooms

· Fauci Says It’s Time For School With Masks!

· Masked Teachers + Masked Students = Safe Schools

· We Can Do It!

· #OpenSchools

We need your support! We haven’t asked for much, but this is something we really need your help with. We won’t do this often, and are wary of asking too much…but the time is right. The media is on our side. Public opinion is rapidly shifting to our side (it may already be there, but hidden). There are over 500 members of the Facebook group, and 300+ on the mailing list….if you can turn out, it will be an ENORMOUS statement!

Even if you can’t come for the full 90 minutes – please do what you can. Honk if driving by. Wave. We will be sure to wave back!

An expanded version of this message is available on the ‘Projects’ page of the website.

Now for the abbreviated update -

2) The Director of the CDC said this week that vaccines are not a necessary prerequisite to safely reopen schools, and Gov. Newsom quickly seized upon it. Despite her remarks, the White House Press Secretary attempted to walk them back just a few hours later. Afterward, the CDC Director re-affirmed her stance. The remarks were quickly seized upon by Governor Newsom, who echoed them.

3) The SoCal division of the CA chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics issued a statement calling for the immediate reopening of public schools. The statement came on Tuesday, and did not differentiate between grade levels. It was widely reported on.

4) The city of San Francisco is suing its own school system to reopen. This action was reported as possibly the first of its kind, but there has been at least one other similar action in New Jersey. Mayor London Breed has been adamant about reopening schools since late October, and the mayors of CA’s 13 biggest cities have also been pushing for schools to reopen since then, as well.

5) We are still supporting AB-10, which would require schools to offer in-person learning options within two weeks of entering the red tier. AB-10 is said to be morphing into something new, now that the legislature has taken up the issue. While we have heard rumors of what this may look like, we can’t verify them, so will not repeat them.

We see AB-10 as a “fail safe” option to the CA “Safe Schools for All” plan because AB-10 offers a clear legal requirement to implement some form of in-person learning, with (in most cases) specific time-frames. Information on AB10 can be found here.

You can support AB10 in 5 minutes or less, using the example letters and templates on the ‘Projects’ page of our website (link will take you to the appropriate section), or feel free to write your own brief message. Even if you’ve already written, please keep writing!

Contact the following representatives to support AB10:

Our State Assembymember is Cecilia M. Aguiar-Curry. You can contact her here.

Our State Senator is Bill Dodd. You can contact him here.

If you have a few extra minutes, please also write to Governor Gavin Newsom here.

6) There are a few simple things you can do to support the effort to open our schools:

a) Use chalk to write supportive messages on your driveway or the sidewalk. #OpenSchools ties into the national Twitter campaign, and is easy to do! Remember to re-chalk after the rain!

b) Get your family tested as frequently as allowed using the Healthy Davis Together program. Experts have long said that testing is a key to solving this issue – now that testing from these sites is included in the county’s numbers, our positivity and adjusted case rate has fallen dramatically in the last few weeks.

c) Let your friends and neighbors know about us! We encourage this only for those who you think may be of a similar mind – we certainly don’t want to create needless division. If sending them to our Facebook group – PLEASE remember to have them answer the membership questions!

d) Keep comments on our Facebook page civil. We are not anti-teacher, or anti-union, though the media has been lately – leave that to them; we will continue to push this using the science and expert opinions. At the end of our effort, we cannot afford to have broken our community or our schools – we need our teachers!

Finally, we'd like to give you an update to our current numbers:

531 members of our Facebook Group (+24 from last update- we denied more requests than that due to failure to complete the membership questions – please make sure your invites complete the questions!)

335 members have signed up for email updates (+21 from last update)

410 signatures on our letter to the board (+11 from last update – this effort is no longer our primary focus)

PLEASE come out and support the rally! This is your single best chance (yet) to support opening schools for our children. Don’t worry if you don’t have a sign – come out and wave! Line the streets and stand in solidarity. Wear a mask – and if you are concerned, put on a hat and sunglasses to go incognito!

We look forward to standing with you!

- Admin

We’ve been a little behind on our weekly updates – there have been bigger projects to tackle as of late. We’ll try to be better going forward, but we are predicting the next two weeks are going to be very busy for this effort. Here is what has happened, and what we expect moving forward:

1) The DJUSD Board of Trustees met on Thursday, Jan 21^st, to decide on reopening models and metrics. The decision was disappointing; the board voted (4-1) for reopening only after two weeks in the ‘red tier’ (despite new CA Dept of Public Health [CA DPH] Guidance recommending K-6 reopen when cases drop below 25 per 100k and stay there for 5 days [we hit 21.6 cases on Tuesday, Jan 26^th]). They also voted to require both doses of a vaccine be administered to all staff who desire, plus a two-week period for it to become effective, in addition to other measures.

Despite even these measures, the president of the Davis Teacher’s Association (DTA) then stated that many of her members would still not be comfortable returning in the red tier, raising concern of a future conflict when any return is actually attempted.

We responded by working with a journalist to have experts share their thoughts on such requirements. That article can be found here. We are also encouraged by media coverage of the issue, which is beginning to call even the need for vaccines into question, as they were not part of the CDC’s findings or recommendations (see below).

The board also adopted a hybrid model for Junior High and onward, but did not accept the staff’s recommendation for an elementary hybrid model, asking them to return in two weeks with a revision.

The decision has no effect on our advocacy, as it’s clearly not based in science or the recommendations of experts.

2) Political pressure has ramped up significantly. The CDC came out this week with a statement supporting a careful return to school, with proper risk mitigation. We concur. This announcement was seized on by the press, who then amplified the message extensively. Dr. Fauci then supported the effort to return students to classrooms. While the press actually seemed to turn in our favor back in November, the renewed vigor is appreciated.

President Biden has vowed to get ‘most’ K-8 schools open within his first 100 days. He has been silent on High Schools. Many journalists have responded by saying schools should be open tomorrow.

In the past few weeks, the Governors of MI, MD, WA, OR, TN & NM have all come out strongly for reopening schools – in addition to the approximately 50% of the country where schools are already open.

That pressure is being felt in CA. In the words of Governor Gavin Newsom, speaking candidly to the Association of California School Administrators:

“I can assure you, the pressure we’re getting today is going to pale in comparison to where we’ll be in a few weeks if these numbers continue and other districts across the country start moving in the direction that the new administration wants them to move in,"

Beginning Monday, you can expect that some CA groups will begin calling for the resignations of district Superintendents. We are not at that point, and it is not currently being considered. Some groups are already collecting signatures on recall petitions for board members opposed to reopening schools – that measure is on the table for us, but has not yet been acted on.

3) The Yolo County Public Health Officer appeared before the Woodland Unified School District’s Board last night, and “strongly recommended” that elementary schools reopen. Dr. Aimee Sisson appeared before the DJUSD board, as well – once in November, and again in January – and essentially recommended the same. She was ignored by the board, and in some opinions, was treated poorly by some Trustees. Last night, however, she appeared to have sharpened her message and hardened her stance. She now unambiguously recommends reopening K-6 when cases fall below 25 per 100k, in accordance with CA DPH’s guidelines, and will be a powerful ally moving forward.

4) We have begun a more aggressive push for community support. The timing of all the above developments was a coincidence, but a welcome one. We are now running Facebook ads, which link to our ever-improving website. We hope the recent media attention will draw more interest from the community.

5) Some are informally gathering on Saturdays at the corner of 5^th and B (near the Farmer’s Market) to show support for reopening schools. These efforts usually take place from around 11:00 – 12:00 or so, and are not officially arranged or endorsed (yet). For the time being, if you are so inclined, you can make a sign, and join a few of us…look to the Facebook group for loose organization on times, etc.

When we do officially rally, we will announce it on short notice and will be asking for as much participation as possible. The good news is that if you are concerned about public image – masks will be required. Put on a hat and sunglasses, and go incognito!

6) In partnership with similar groups around CA, we have officially launched a statewide advocacy group, ‘Open California Schools’. The group is very well organized, and has been engaging with legislators and policy makers to support AB10. Coverage of the new group is here, and the website is here.

7) We are still supporting AB-10, which would require schools to offer in-person learning options within two weeks of entering the red tier. AB-10 is said to be morphing into something new, now that the legislature has taken up the issue. While we have heard rumors of what this may look like, we can’t verify them, so will not repeat them.

We see AB-10 as a “fail safe” option to the CA “Safe Schools for All” plan because AB-10 offers a clear legal requirement to implement some form of in-person learning, with (in most cases) specific time-frames. Information on AB10 can be found here.

You can support AB10 in 5 minutes or less, using the example letters and templates on the ‘Projects’ page of our website (link will take you to the appropriate section), or feel free to write your own brief message. Even if you’ve already written, please keep writing!

Contact the following representatives to support AB10:

Our State Assembymember is Cecilia M. Aguiar-Curry. You can contact her here.

Our State Senator is Bill Dodd. You can contact him here.

If you have a few extra minutes, please also write to Governor Gavin Newsom here.

8) There are a few simple things you can do to support the effort to open our schools:

a) Use chalk to write supportive messages on your driveway or the sidewalk. #OpenSchools ties into the national Twitter campaign, and is easy to do! Remember to re-chalk after the rain!

b) Get your family tested as frequently as allowed using the Healthy Davis Together program. Experts have long said that testing is a key to solving this issue – now that testing from these sites is included in the county’s numbers, our positivity and adjusted case rate has fallen dramatically in the last few weeks.

c) Let your friends and neighbors know about us! We encourage this only for those who you think may be of a similar mind – we certainly don’t want to create needless division. If sending them to our Facebook group - PLEASE remember to have them answer the membership questions!

d) Keep comments on our Facebook page civil. We are not anti-teacher, or anti-union, though the media has been lately – leave that to them; we will continue to push this using the science and expert opinions. At the end of our effort, we cannot afford to have broken our community or our schools – we need our teachers!

Finally, we'd like to give you an update to our current numbers:

507 members of our Facebook Group (+15 from last update- we purged a few, then saw rapid growth after FB ads went out)

314 members have signed up for email updates (+14 from last update)

399 signatures on our letter to the board (+10 from last update – this effort is no longer our primary focus)

Thanks for your continued support! This debate has taken off lately, and we expect the next few weeks to be intense – we’ll update you as soon as we know anything!

- Admin

After missing last Friday due to other commitments, we are resuming our weekly updates. This is a big week – much of our immediate future will hinge on decisions and actions being taken in the days ahead. Here’s what’s happening:

1) The DJUSD Board of Trustees will meet on Saturday, Jan 16^th, Tuesday, Jan 19^th and finally on Thursday, Jan 21^st to decide on various aspects of a return to campus. The Saturday and Tuesday meetings will be hosted over Zoom rather than being broadcast on Channel 17 as usual. You can find access information here.

The two special meetings will focus on defining the conditions necessary for reopening to in-person learning options. The regular Thursday meeting will include a recommendation from the district on a specific model for the return to campus.

2) We engaged with various Board Trustees over the last week. We were fortunate to have Zoom meetings with three Trustees, which were productive and somewhat illuminating. We felt that our concerns were heard directly rather than through letters, though these meetings were informal, and the Trustees were not acting in any official capacity. Nevertheless, it was direct communication, and we are grateful for their time and interest.

3) We are launching one last (we hope!) letter campaign to the board. This is your last opportunity to make sure your voice is heard as these critical decisions are being made. We ask that letters be kept kind, and focus on a safe return for both students and staff.

PLEASE SEND A LETTER! The letters do not have to be long, and you shouldn’t be concerned with being eloquent – just let them know you support an in-person learning option!

Send your email to: boe@djusd.net. Include the words “Public Comment” in your subject line.

4) We are still supporting AB-10, which would require schools to offer in-person learning options within two weeks of entering the red tier. From what we have seen, the CA General Assembly will take up the issue of AB-10 as early as Wednesday, Jan 20th.

We see AB-10 as a “fail safe” option to the CA “Safe Schools for All” plan because AB-10 offers clear requirements to implement some form of in-person learning, with (in most cases) specific timeframes. Information on AB10 can be found here.

You can support AB10 in 5 minutes or less, using the example letters and templates on the ‘Projects’ page of our website (link will take you to the appropriate section), or feel free to write your own brief message. Even if you’ve already written, please keep writing!

Contact the following representatives to support AB10:

Our State Assembymember is Cecilia M. Aguiar-Curry. You can contact her here.

Our State Senator is Bill Dodd. You can contact him here.

If you have a few extra minutes, please also write to Governor Gavin Newsom here.

5) We are asking members to invite friends and neighbors who support in-person learning options to our group. You can do so by using the blue ‘invite’ button at the top right of our Facebook group’s page or by forwarding this email, which has links to our website and to join our mailing list. They can also follow us on Twitter @DJUSDPC.

Finally, we'd like to give you an update to our current numbers:

492 members of our Facebook Group (+22 from last update)

300 members have signed up for email updates (+6 from last update)

389 signatures on our letter to the board (Unchanged from last update – this effort is no longer our primary focus)

Thanks for your continued support! We are watching this week very closely, and will update the Facebook page as soon as we know anything!

- Admin

We’d like to provide you a weekly update on our progress toward providing an in-person learning option as soon as state and local conditions allow. We know your time is valuable, so we try to keep it short and keep the e-mails to a minimum. Here are this week’s main points:

1) Your letters were read to the Board of Trustees last night. THANK YOU for your effort; there were “38 letters, most all in support of reopening”. This was your doing, and it is very much appreciated!

2) We saw reasons for optimism from the board meeting. Some Trustees are asking pointed questions, that cut to the heart of the matter. Others appear to be on the fence, where the momentum had once been negative. Our favorite question was (paraphrased):

“Bottom line, will you be ready to open 15 days after entering the red tier?”

3) We will be slowing down our effort for the next few weeks. This has been a difficult year for families, and we are well aware that the issue of school reopening is one that is controversial, and can cause stress. As important as our goal is, we would prefer that we all take a few weeks over the holidays and focus on that which is most important – our families and loved ones.

Please also remember to thank the teachers and staff; we appreciate that this has been exhausting for them, as well.

Though quiet, we will not be idle; while we will try to slow down on Facebook posts and will suspend the email updates, we are carefully mapping out our strategy. When we return to this campaign in January, we will need everyone to be recharged and refocused on our efforts – we are rapidly nearing the point where we may need more from you than letters.

4) We are asking for one last thing before we take a break – please support AB10! Just a quick email to your Assemblymember and Senator is all it takes to support this important legislation, which would require schools to offer in-person learning options two weeks after entering the red tier or lower.

A recent report in Politico seemed to indicate that this legislation had broad support among elected representatives, but would be encountering stiff resistance from special interest groups. We need your voices!

You can find information on AB10 here.

You can support AB10 in 5 minutes or less, using the example letters and templates on the ‘Projects’ page of our website (link will take you to the appropriate section). Or feel free to write your own brief message – contact the following representatives:

Our State Assembymember is Cecilia M. Aguiar-Curry. You can contact her here.

Our State Senator is Bill Dodd. You can contact him here.

If you have a few extra minutes, please also write to Governor Gavin Newsom here.

Our network of CA partner organizations are also supporting this effort. You can find the Change.org petition here.

Finally, we'd like to give you an update to our current numbers:

469 members of our Facebook Group (+12 from last week)

292 members have signed up for email updates (+19 from last week)

386 signatures on our letter to the board (+12 from last week – this effort is no longer our primary focus)

Thanks for your continued support! If you are aware of others who would like to join our cause, please feel free to forward this email, send them to our constantly improving website, below, or invite them to the Facebook group using the blue “+ Invite” button near the top right of the page. We are growing steadily, and every voice counts!

Enjoy your families over the holidays, rest and recharge – we will resume in January!

- Admin

We know your time is valuable, so we try to keep it short and keep the e-mails to a minimum – but this is a special update, and it runs a bit long...our apologies. Here are this week’s main points:

1) We engaged with the DJUSD Superintendent’s Advisory Committee. This was made possible by the access granted as a result of our letter to the board, and occurred on Dec 2^nd.

We were disappointed to find that, despite messages from the superintendent implying that a return to school might be possible in late January, this is highly misleading; most of us have been left feeling we have been deceived.

In truth, the board will not even vote on whether to return to any type of in-person model before January 21^st. Depending on the outcome of that vote, only then will the district begin preparing for a return. Which means they will launch another survey, secure PPE, begin negotiations with the teachers and staff, etc.. In short, DJUSD has sat idly by and done very little to prepare for an actual return to school. The “Phased Return to Campus Plan” is smoke and mirrors – a hollow slideshow masking inaction.

This conclusion was further cemented by our observation of the Dec 3^rd DJUSD Board Meeting, in which little of substance was discussed.

Further, the idea that small cohorts of special needs students returned to campus after Thanksgiving appears, anecdotally, to be almost completely untrue. Members of our coalition with special needs students report not even having been contacted yet, much less returning to campus. Additional intelligence suggests that some families have been contacted, and a few students may have even returned to campus, but it is an overall tiny fraction of special needs students.

This is completely unacceptable, and calls for an escalation of our pressure. To be clear – we want to preserve a meaningful relationship with the board, and ensure that at the conclusion of this effort, parents are still connected to the DJUSD and their teachers. Nevertheless, we cannot allow DJUSD to continue to sit idle on this matter.

2) We are bringing our plans for escalating public engagement to the front of our strategy. We have been planning and gaming reactions to the board and DJUSD as this effort unfolds, but chose to allow the board to attempt to work with us through direct communication. While we will not abandon direct communications, the time has come to change tactics.

Some of these actions will begin immediately, and we’ll notify you in our weekly updates.

Some of these actions will wait until early January, for maximum effect. Some of these actions will require direct support from you; we’ll be sure to give you ample notice.

3) We are requesting your assistance in finding an attorney to represent us. This is for an initial consultation only – an exploration of our legal options. If you know of an attorney with experience in this area of law, please forward their contact information and a brief description of why you think they would be helpful to: djusdpcmedia@gmail.com

4) National media continue to push toward our side of the argument. We first noted the trend in our Nov 20^th update. It started with the NY Times, which we predicted would mean the rest of large media outlets would follow. We are now seeing that; in the last 24 hours we have seen the San Francisco Chronicle publish an editorial entitled “California should be ashamed of its shuttered schools”, in conjunction with a letter to the paper from pediatricians calling for schools to reopen. It is only a matter of time until the rest of California media follow along. We have submitted a guest editorial to the Davis Enterprise, and continue to follow up.

5) We are partnering with similar parents’ groups nation-wide. We first began to notice these groups in late November, and mentioned them in our Nov 20^th update. On Dec 2^nd, the first nation-wide meeting of these groups was held, led by arguably the most successful of these groups, the parents in New York City; last week, their efforts resulted in reopening of NYC public schools.

This effort will help us amplify our voice and connect us to national media sources. For a list, see the “Partner Organizations” tab on our website.

A central component of the first meeting was adopting a national Twitter handle. These are:

#OpenSchools

#SaferInSchool

Many of these groups are planning a “weekend of action” this Saturday and Sunday, with rallies planned in San Francisco, Berkeley, Oakland, Atlanta, Nashville, NYC, Portland etc.. We are not yet ready to pull that lever, but our attention has turned in that direction, as mentioned above. We will harness the media momentum of those protests, as well.

6) Opponents of our coalition have begun to slander us. Predictably, they have labeled us as ‘anti-teacher’ and ‘anti-union’, usually on social media or sometimes at PTA meetings. Doing so trades on the existing public good will for teachers, and allows them to avoid having to counter our science-based and expert-backed arguments for reopening.

We are NOT anti-teacher. We are NOT anti-union. We are advocating for a safe return to school, for students and teachers, as soon as state and local conditions allow. We do so under advisement from the physicians and public health experts in our coalition, following the advice of the WHO, CDC, UNICEF, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the CA State Health & Human Services Secretary and the Yolo County Public Health Officer; when all are considered, we are assured that we do not place teachers or staff at excess risk by reopening schools when conditions allow.

If, by our comments, we allow the general public to believe the accusation that we are ‘anti-teacher’ or ‘anti-union’, we will lose their support, and our task will become much, much more difficult. Which is precisely why our opponents have attempted to label us as such.

At the end of our campaign, it is important that we preserve a relationship between the parents of our community and the DJUSD board and staff. This requires carefully delivering our message so as not to burn bridges unnecessarily. We ask that all members use discretion in their comments, and remember that our target audience is turned off by such statements. We need their support to prevail.

Finally, we'd like to give you an update to our current numbers:

436 members of the Facebook Group

255 members have signed up for email updates

363 signatures on our letter to the board

Thanks for your continued support! If you are aware of others who would like to join our cause, please feel free to forward this email, or send them to our constantly improving website, below. Numbers are important, and we will need as many voices as we can muster!

https://sites.google.com/view/djusdparentcoalition/home

We wished we had better news to report this week. We were hopeful we would find at least some kind of preparation ongoing, and are disappointed to have to relay this news to you. Nevertheless, it only strengthens our resolve and increases the urgency of our cause – it appears the challenge will be on the more difficult side of our projections. Nevertheless, we WILL prevail.

We’d like to provide you a weekly update on our progress toward safely returning kids to classrooms. We know your time is valuable, so we try to keep it short. Here are this week’s main points:

1) We delivered our signed letter to the DJUSD Board. With almost 300 signatures gathered in just one week, it was a great opening salvo in announcing our presence to the board. It was read aloud at the meeting, and we are awaiting contact. We continue to gather signatures, as it may prove useful in the future.

After some discussion on the optics of delivering the letter while in the purple tier, it was decided that we could not afford to delay until the next board meeting. A cover letter was attached acknowledging the timing and to explain our desire to open as soon as state and local conditions allow.

2) The DJUSD Board meeting occurred on Thursday, Nov 19^th. We found multiple reasons for optimism, and were encouraged to hear the Yolo County Public Health Officer, Dr. Aimee Sisson, give a statement to the board that supported many of the facts we have based our cause on. To paraphrase – “There is little to no evidence of (Covid) transmission in schools.” She seems to support opening schools as soon as we re-enter the red tier.

3) Public comments were finally read at the board meeting. This was a victory from last week, when we engaged with the DJUSD board over violations of the Brown Act. The overwhelming majority of public comments supported reopening schools, and clearly pressured the board. Thank you, and keep it up!

4) The results of the most recent DJUSD Family and Staff surveys were published. We found reason for optimism in the survey results. 60% of families support some kind of return to in-person school. 75% of staff are opposed, however. We are still opposed to the survey overall, as we felt it was deeply biased and misleading. The results were also used to justify takeaways that are misleading, such as “more prefer a hybrid or distance learning only model than a full in-person model.” While technically correct, it ignores the fact that 60% support a return to some form of in-person school and implies that distance learning is the preferred means. We are beginning to address these concerns.

5) We were briefly referenced in Politico, with nationwide coverage. Our website was hyperlinked in the article (found here), expanding our outreach. We were also “hinted at” in an excellent article in the Davis Enterprise, found here.

Though only small mentions, this marks the beginning of our engagement with media, which will expand in coming weeks.

6) National media continues to turn against school closures. We are encouraged by trends we see in national media. Many major outlets seem to have turned against school closures, and are now asking tough questions. The governors of NJ, NY, PA, DE, CT, RI & MA released a joint statement on Thursday supporting in-person schooling. This is momentum we will attempt to ride.

7) We have been made aware of, and are trying to partner with, like-minded groups. Several groups are organizing on social media behind this cause, to include large groups of physicians and public health experts. None appear as organized as we are - yet. Nevertheless, we are considering ways we can partner with, and utilize these experts to further the cause.

Finally, we'd like to give you an update to our current numbers, after starting the Facebook group just under a month ago:

410 members of the Facebook Group

246 members have signed up for email updates

357 signatures on our letter to the board

71 hits, just from this morning to 3:00 p.m., on our website

Thanks for your continued support! We see reasons to be optimistic that the tide is turning in our favor, albeit slowly. We will not relax, and will continue to pressure for a safe reopening as soon as state and local conditions allow.

We wanted to share an update with you on our progress toward safely returning our kids to classrooms. We know your time is valuable, and we have a lot to announce, so we'll try to keep it short and keep the e-mails to a minimum. Here are the main points:

1) The deadline for signatures on the Letter to the DJUSD Board is Tuesday, Nov 17th at 5:59 p.m. We need to cut it off at that time to allow us to tabulate signatures, prepare the finalized version, and deliver it electronically, then in hard copy, to the board members. They can then digest it before the board meeting on the 19th. Please continue to share the link by whatever means you see fit! As of this email, the letter has been signed 279 times!

2) We engaged, and won, with the DJUSD Board this week over a violation of the Brown Act. The act requires that school boards allow for some public participation at meetings. DJUSD has agreed to ensure that letters written to them are now heard by the board in some capacity.

3) The number of Covid cases in Yolo County is increasing. We believe Yolo may revert to the “Purple” tier in the near future, though we remain hopeful. This does NOT change the effort of our group! We are advocating first and foremost for a voice in the process, and then for the district to pass a solid, action oriented reopening plan that reopens schools as soon as we meet state & county health guidelines. We are disappointed DJUSD was not able to do this successfully given almost a month after being allowed to; we will ensure further opportunities are not squandered.

4) We are announcing the addition of a pediatrician to our leadership committee. The second physician on the committee, she joins a team with expertise in Public Health (epidemiology focus), Nursing, Education and other specialties. They, in turn, are advised by multiple other physicians, public health and education experts.

5) You may notice some differences on our Facebook page, and more in the coming days; we are in the process of making changes to better align us for the work ahead. The launch of an accompanying website is imminent, as we start to expand our outreach – which is going to accelerate very quickly. We'll update you at each stage.

Finally, we'd like to give you an update to our current numbers, after starting the Facebook group just under 3 weeks ago:

397 members of the Facebook Group

201 members have signed up for email updates

279 signatures on our letter to the DJUSD Board

We are already engaging on a number of fronts. Some of the most exciting have been suggested by, or handed to us by you; you reached out to an admin on our Facebook page when you saw an opportunity to advance the cause. THANK YOU! One of you in particular has done something for this group this week that is going to be quite big – she doesn’t want her name shared, but she deserves a lot of credit! That is exactly the kind of act that will make us successful. Keep it up, and keep the faith -