About 200 San Francisco educators and supporters gathered in Civic Center Plaza Saturday evening after five straight days of union negotiations over returning to classrooms.
Masked, shivering and toting signs and candles, teachers who joined the vigil expressed support for their union leaders, who have been bargaining over how to safely reopen schools after nearly a year of distance learning.
Susan Solomon, president of the United Educators of San Francisco, said teachers want sufficient amounts of personal protective equipment, a safety walk-through by the Department of Public Health, and having vaccines be both available and accessible. It wasn’t enough to just have assurances that vaccines were on their way, she said.
“Knowing that they're coming and actually having them are, unfortunately, two different things,” she said.
San Francisco teachers can make appointments for vaccines in the city starting on Feb. 24.
The union and school district officials are trying to reach agreement on the number of hours and days students can return to classrooms.
The union wants four days a week in person of only partial days, whereas the district wants two full days a week in person.
Alex Schmaus, a special education instructional aide at a middle school, said he came to support the union and its bargaining with the district.
"I think it's important that we have a plan for when we do return to the schools, that it's safe for everybody," he said.
Schmaus, who has been doing the distance learning, said he and most educators are eager to return to the classrooms.
"There are some students that thrive in the distance learning environment, but it's not the majority," he said. "It takes a lot of joy out of school."
Susie Siegel, a pre-kindergarten teacher at Dr. William Cobb Elementary School, said she also showed up in support of the union.
"We need to be a community and make sure that safety precautions are truly in place," she said. "And I feel grateful that we have people working hard at that."
Siegel said it's "paramount" that teachers be provided vaccines before their return.
"There's already going to be such a fear factor going on — teachers are going to be under a lot of duress, making sure that their students are safe and families feel safe," she said. "And (vaccines are) the one thing that can be done very quickly."
Megan Cassidy is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: megan.cassidy@sfchronicle.com
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San Francisco teachers gather for vigil on reopening plan as negotiations continue - San Francisco Chronicle
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