A group of California parents has filed a petition with the U.S. Supreme Court, asking the justices to overturn Gov. Gavin Newsom’s school closure order and stop in-person instruction during the COVID-19 pandemic. With the help of The Center for American Liberty and the Dhillon Law Group, the petition argues that the closures are “arbitrary and capricious” and children should not have to deal with unnecessary fearmongering when it comes to their education.
The parents also argue the school closures seem unnecessary when other counties have remained opened and allowed students to receive in-person education during the pandemic.
The Ninth Circuit Court ruled that the lawsuit challenging the suspension of in-person education was no longer necessary because Newsom had allowed it to resume. However, the petition to the Supreme Court noted that other circuit courts have “concluded that challenges to an executive’s emergency restrictions are not moot when the declaration of emergency remains in effect.”
Brach v. Newsom was filed for the people who challenged Gov. Newsom’s order to not have in-classroom education in more than 30 counties across California. In the summer of 2020, Newsom said schools would stay closed at the beginning of the fall semester in more than 30 counties across California. A county had to be off the state’s “monitoring list” for 14 days to open in-person instruction.
According to an interview with Fox News Digital, Vice President of Education Policy at California Policy Center Lance Christensen said, “California arbitrarily closed schools at the behest of the teacher union and kept kids out of classrooms, damaging the lives of millions of kids unnecessarily.”
Teachers are affected by school closures too. For example, they might have to get used to new zoom environments or find new work because of layoffs. Schools are also having trouble keeping their enrollment in the green because of the national enrollment decline around the country.
Why Are Sudden School Closures Hurting Teachers and Students?
Sudden school closures can have a profound impact on both teachers and students. For teachers, school closures can mean lost wages and a disruption to their daily routines.
In addition, school closures can make it difficult for teachers to stay up-to-date on their coursework, leading to a decline in the quality of their teaching. Teachers also have to worry about their job security since they can be replaced at any time, especially if no union exists.
For students, school closures can lead to a loss of instruction time and a decline in academic performance. In addition, school closures can disrupt social interactions and force students to miss out on critical extracurricular activities.
In addition, it can be difficult to deliver instruction remotely, leading to frustration for teachers and students. School closures can lead to reduced access to resources like computers and books. School closures can also disrupt the community aspect of learning and make people distant since they need to focus on their issues.
As a result, sudden school closures can harm both teachers and students.
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Conclusion
The parents in these counties are fighting for their children’s education, and they deserve to be heard. Hopefully, common ground can be found between both parties, so more issues don’t pop up in the future. With the rise of teacher shortages and student enrollment decline, schools already have enough to worry about. So what do you think about Gavin Newsom’s decision? Let us know in the comments below!