Fremont’s decision to reopen schools in the fall doesn’t placate all parents

Group threatens lawsuit, saying now is time to return to the classrooms

FREMONT >> While a group of parents are threatening to sue the Fremont Unified School District for sticking with distance learning through the end of this academic year, the school board approved a full return to in-person instruction in the fall.

Many other school districts have reopened classrooms as part of a hybrid model of teaching, and top state officials — including Gov. Gavin Newsom and state Superintendent of Schools Tony Thurmond — have said they expect all schools to be fully opened in the fall as long as coronavirus cases continue to drop.

The Fremont school board’s decision on April 21 to reopen schools for the 2021-22 year came a few weeks after Superintendent CJ Cammack announced the district and its roughly 35,000 students would remain in distance learning until the last day on June 9.

Cammack previously said efforts to get students back in classrooms this spring were scrapped after the district and the teachers union failed to reach an agreement on a hybrid plan following more than two dozen negotiating sessions.

In response, a group of frustrated parents calling themselves Fremont Parents for Reopening threatened in a letter to sue the school district if it didn’t offer in-person learning by Monday and approve a plan for full fall reopening by Friday.

The day after the school board voted, the parent group sent out an email saying, “We are working to file a lawsuit since FUSD failed to answer the letter or take any corrective action to safeguard our children.”

Cammack said at last week’s meeting that the district intends to return to five days a week of full in-person instruction for all grades.

“This is not only a local recommendation, but it has been called out very clearly at the state level as well,” Cammack said.

He said the district expects that face coverings or masks will be required in the fall, and there will be a focus on improved air filtration, testing, contact tracing and physical distancing at campuses.

The district also intends to continue providing distance learning for any students whose individual health or education needs would be better served by it

The school district and the teachers union do not need to negotiate over returning to the classroom, but they will negotiate over things such as safety precautions and the remote learning programs, officials said.

But for some parents, that’s too little too late.

Prashant Chavarkar told the board that parents have lost trust in the district and teachers union. “If you want to regain that trust, you can reopen for the spring,” Chavarkar said.

Another parent, Cecilie Lee, told the board her kids have faced “continual struggles” with distance learning.

“It’s absurd that we’ve given up on the rest of the school year and we’re moving on to the fall,” Lee said. “I know that you all think there’s less than 40 days left in the school year, but that’s a lot of time. And it’s creating a lot of conflict and a lot of heartache for families throughout the community.

“We want to return, we need to return, we should be able to return,” Lee added. “Let the children go back to school.”