California schools will reopen when the data shows it is safe to do so, according to California Gov. Gavin Newsom
“I’m not worried about the latest tweets,” he said, in a thinly veiled reference to President Trump.
“We need to address safely reopening schools. That to me is non-negotiable,” the governor said at a news conference.
Reopening schools will be based on local conditions in the state, but Newsom added that “we must insist upon learning at the beginning of the school year.”
“Given our current data and the ongoing community transmission of this deadly virus, it’s prudent that school districts prepare a distance learning back-up plan that is ready to be implemented in the event that our data shows us this is the safest path forward,” the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health said in a statement to CNN.
Anticipating that schools will continue to be a topic of conversation, Newsom implored the public that reopening is contingent on behavior.
“We can just roll over and accept the spread and transmission with behaviors that have led to this,” Newsom said. “Or we can do more to practice personal responsibilities with face coverings and masks and physical distancing that will mitigate the spread.”