Press Release Details
SFUSD and Unions Reach Tentative Agreement on Updated Health and Safety Standards for School Year
San Francisco (August 12, 2021) - The San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD) and the International Federation Professional Technical Engineers (IFPTE), Local 21; Service Employees International Union (SEIU), Local 1021; United Administrators of San Francisco (UASF); United Educators of San Francisco (UESF) have reached a tentative agreement related to updated health and safety standards through July 31, 2022, which is intended to keep all schools and district facilities open for safe, full in-person instruction at all grade levels.
“We have committed to putting into place the highest safety standards and protocols at every campus to welcome our students back for the 2021-22 school year,” Superintendent Dr. Vincent Matthews said. “I’m 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.”
“Together, IFPTE 21, SEIU 1021, UASF, and UESF worked collaboratively with the District to reach this agreement to protect the health and safety of students, families, and our members. We are very pleased we were able to reach this agreement prior to the start of the 21-22 school year, and we will continue to advocate together for the highest health and safety standards for our members and our school communities,” said Rafael Picazo of the SFUSD Environmental Health Department and SEIU 1021 Chapter President.
“The employees of SFUSD have worked so hard to serve students throughout this pandemic. Everyone is looking forward to a full return with the safety protocols in place that will make the biggest difference in the health and well-being of our whole community,” said SF Board of Education President Gabriela Lopez.
The agreement states that SFUSD will meet all requirements of the current public health guidelines for schools and that staff who are not fully vaccinated will maintain physical distance of at least 6 feet from other people who are not in their household to the maximum extent possible, provided this does not interfere with the district’s ability to provide in-person instruction.
Starting September 7 all SFUSD employees will be required to be fully vaccinated. Any employee who is not yet vaccinated will be mandated to test for COVID-19 at least weekly. Community health starts with widely available vaccines and the requirement for vaccinations and the impacts of this requirement was the guiding principle in negotiations.
COVID-19 test kits will be offered at each school and work site to all staff who are not fully vaccinated and to all staff who present symptoms while on site. COVID-19 testing will be provided at no cost to staff and during paid time in the event of a staff member being identified as a close contact while at work.
COVID-19 testing will also be provided for students at no cost at over 20 mobile test locations across the district. SFUSD encourages students who are not fully vaccinated to get COVID-19 tested at least once per week.
The district encourages every student eligible to get vaccinated, and will continue to actively support and assist the SF Department of Public Health in coordinating the administration of the COVID-19 vaccine to eligible students.
About SFUSD
SFUSD is the seventh largest school district in California, educating over 54,000 preK-12 students every year. San Francisco is both a city and a county; therefore, SFUSD administers both the school district and the San Francisco County Office of Education (COE). This makes SFUSD a “single district county.”
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