#San Diego may allow teachers to bring their own kids to class

San Diego teachers may soon be allowed to bring their own school-age children to work with them under a new agreement reached with the teachers union and the district, Fox News has learned. 

The “Children in the Workplace Policy,” was one of several items agreed upon between the San Diego Unified School District and the San Diego Education Association in mid-March. The agreements will apply to the 2020 to 2021 school year.

Per the tentative agreement from March 12, San Diego schools will allow teachers to bring their own children if they are enrolled in a district school but do not have access to their own onsite learning and the site “can accommodate an age appropriate setting following health and safety guidelines.”

If such an option is available for a teacher’s child – and it doesn’t conflict with health and safety protocols – San Diego teachers’ children will have access to extended learning opportunities at the teacher’s school.

It remains unclear what constitutes an “age appropriate setting” what types of extended learning opportunities will be provided to a teacher’s child that is not available at the child’s own school. 

“This request further illustrates that kids need schools. For over a year many parents have had to make a choice between their career and their child’s education. It doesn’t have to be this way. The answer is simple. Get all students into the classroom full- time, 5 days a week, which is exactly what the science supports,” Leslie Hofmeister, a San Diego parent, told Fox News.

“This would eliminate any need for a teacher to bring their child into the classroom and would prevent yet another potential disruption to our children’s learning environment.”

The school board is expected to vote Tuesday on the “Children in the Workplace Policy” as well as other policy agreements.  

Fox News has reached out to spokespeople for both the school district and teacher’s union seeking comment but did not hear back before publication.

SDUSD students are currently learning in an online-only format and are expected to move into a hybrid model next week, according to the district’s website.

The district,  which includes more than 200 schools, said each school has completed a reopening safety checklist on measures to prevent the spread of COVID. 

“I’m seeing two related themes. First, unions demanding or getting free childcare and exceptions to safety rules. Slap in the face to parents who have dealt with this all year,” Reopen California Schools Founder Jonathan Zachreson told Fox News. 

“A big reason why they are demanding it is because schools are offering ridiculous hybrid plans that don’t work for working parents, which is theme two. All these hybrid plans are horrible. Odd day times. Students in same households going on different days. Zoom at school, teaches not even on-site, etc. If schools would just go back to full-time, everyone wins.”

The agreement on children in the workplace comes after Fox News Digital exclusively broke the story about San Diego teachers being given the option to replace work shifts at the schools with teaching migrant children in-person at the San Diego Convention center.