S.F. schools, unions make deal on safety conditions
“All of us want to be able to do our jobs so students can learn safely.” Cassondra Curiel, United Educators of San Francisco president
The San Francisco Unified School District and a number of unions reached a tentative agreement on Thursday over health and safety conditions related to the coronavirus pandemic.
School district officials will provide an additional 10 days of sick leave for employees to be taken for “COVID-19 related reasons,” will continue offering weekly coronavirus testing for students and staff at all sites, and provide “high quality face masks,” such as N95, KN95 or KF94 masks to students and staff, the school district announced in a statement Thursday evening.
This week, school district officials said, they are distributing more than 73,000 KN95 masks for school staff, which they say is “equal to more than a onemonth supply.”
United Educators of San Francisco, one of the unions that reached the tentative deal, said in a Facebook post that the “major agreement” was reached “Thanks to the enormous pressure by our educators” and the community.
UESF president Cassondra Curiel said, “We are proud of the big step forward that was made tonight.”
“Educators and all schools workers have been keeping our schools and communities safe in the midst of incredible challenges,” Curiel said. “All of us want to be able to do our jobs so students can learn safely.”
School district Superintendent Vincent Matthews said he is “grateful to our labor partners for their work in ensuring we can continue to support students where we know they learn and thrive best — in school.”
“We are glad to be able to provide additional sick leave in recognition of our employees’ ongoing commitment to the health and safety of our school communities,” Matthews said.