Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility

Poorest Americans Dealt Biggest Blow Under Senate Republican Tax Package

2 hours ago

Trump Vowed to Dismantle MS-13. His Deal With Bukele Threatens That Effort.

6 hours ago

Ukraine Voices Concern as US Halts Some Missile Shipments

6 hours ago

Poll: Most Americans Say National Divide, Political Violence Threaten Democracy

6 hours ago

Paramount Settles With Trump Over ‘60 Minutes’ Interview for $16 Million

6 hours ago

Republicans Tee up House Vote on Trump Bill, Outcome Uncertain

7 hours ago

What’s Next for Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs After His Sex Trafficking Trial?

7 hours ago

Dalai Lama Says He Will Be Reincarnated, Trust Will Identify Successor

7 hours ago
We Need State Commission to Investigate School Closures: Opinion
Joe-Mathews
By Joe Mathews
Published 4 years ago on
June 28, 2021

Share

If America needs a 1/6 Commission, then California certainly must have a 3/13 Commission.

When an irreplaceable foundation of our free society is threatened, an independent body must investigate so that there’s accountability for those responsible, and the attack doesn’t happen again. That’s why the January 6, 2021 sacking of the U.S. Capitol — an assault on the nation’s electoral democracy — merits a commission. It’s also why the ongoing California cataclysm that began on March 13, 2020 — effectively an attack on the state’s children and their future — needs its own commission.

portrait of columnist Joe Mathews

Joe Mathews

Opinion

On that fateful day, California, facing a new pandemic, shut down the foundation of its economy, its culture, and its civic life — our schools. The state-mandated the closure abruptly, with little notice, debate, or planning, and in defiance of California’s constitutional guarantee of education for its children.

Fifteen months later, the schools are still not fully open, with more than half of students still remote, and thousands having disappeared from education altogether. And California has yet to determine the damage this ongoing catastrophe is doing to kids, families, teachers, schools, and the future of the state itself — much less repair that damage.

Devastating Effect on California Children

All of that is awful, but the worst may be in front of us. The decision to shut the schools on 3/13, and to keep them shut, has never been fully explained, or credibly justified by any legal or health standard. We’re left with a frightening precedent going forward. If we don’t establish a clear and understandable rule for when schools must be open and when they can close, what is to prevent state or local officials from shutting them down indefinitely in future emergencies, or even at their whim? If we don’t figure out how to better protect our schools in this century of apocalypse, how will we ever be able to guarantee California’s children the education to which they are entitled?

This is why we need a 3/13 Commission to investigate and produce a report that all Californians can trust.

We need a clear set of facts and a blow-by-blow accounting of behind-the-scenes decision-making about our all aspects of our schools over the last 15 months. Was closing schools really necessary back on 3/13? Why were schools caught so flat-footed — were there systemic failures in planning for such an emergency? And were there moments when schools could have been safely reopened under scientific and health guidelines—as some pediatricians and infectious disease experts argued — but weren’t? If schools were so unsafe for students, why were many schools still open for paid daycare and movie shoots?

Then there are the questions about leadership, and the ongoing confusion about who can close and open schools. Why did Gov. Gavin Newsom repeatedly suggest that he would use enormous emergency powers to open schools — and then why did he keep failing to take that action? Which people, levels of government, and institutions were really making decisions? What disagreements did health and education officials have? What decisions were mistakes? And which mistakes were the product of the confusion of a novel coronavirus, and which were the result of raw politics, donations to the favored charities of the powerful, or even deceit and fraud?

A rally to reopen Fresno County Schools in September 2020. (GV Wire File)

A 3/13 Commission Must Have Real Authority

To answer these questions and hold officials and institutions accountable, the 3/13 Commission must have real authority. This includes the power to compel testimony of anyone and subpoena records — from schools, from different levels of government, and from companies and unions that are part of this story. There are white-hot debates about school closures and reopenings, especially between teachers and parents. The commission must dig deep and evaluate those claims and counter-claims.

The commission also should have the power to assess California students — so it can determine just how much children have lost academically, socially, and emotionally as a result of closures and reduced instruction time. This power is necessary because school districts and the state have canceled or delayed assessments — effectively covering up the human costs of their school closing.

Even before the pandemic, California’s public schools were being closed more often, costing more children instruction time. CalMatters found that in 2018-29, schools were shut in record numbers because of disasters, emergencies, maintenance crises, or shooting or bomb threats.

Of course, answering these questions about the present and recent past should be only half of the commission’s work. The second, more important half is to look forward. What specific lessons can we take from the failures of education during the pandemic, and how do we apply them for the future? How should we make up the instructional days and hours lost to COVID — or future emergencies that necessitate closures?

And then there’s the biggest question of all. What steps must California take to make sure its students never experience prolonged closures again? This could involve significant changes to school buildings and transportation, to make them safer and more resilient. It also could mean changes in school funding to give districts more flexibility, and in labor and educational law to require kids and teachers to be in school during emergencies.

And it means setting clear standards and metrics for when the state or local districts can close schools.

Troubling School Closure Trend

Think this is too much? You’re wrong.

Even before the pandemic, California’s public schools were being closed more often, costing more children instruction time. CalMatters found that in 2018-29, schools were shut in record numbers because of disasters, emergencies, maintenance crises, or shooting or bomb threats.

And, since 3/13, we’ve seen how easy it is to close schools, and how hard it is to reopen them. We’ve also learned what happens to schools when a big emergency hits and it’s unclear what the rules are, or who is in charge: The most powerful people in education and politics get what they want. And children and families are left to scramble, and bear the burdens and costs. The schools most likely to stay closed in the pandemic have been those in places with more poverty.

Despite the urgency of these questions, it will be hard to get the governor, facing a recall, to support such a commission. But Newsom wants to retain his emergency powers even as the pandemic eases. That’s leverage for the Legislature, which should demand a powerful 3/13 Commission as a condition of keeping the governor in the driver’s seat. If the Legislature won’t act, Californians who support education, and care about the future, should create a 3/13 Commission via ballot initiative.

About the Author

Joe Mathews writes the Connecting California column for Zócalo Public Square.

RELATED TOPICS:

DON'T MISS

What Are Fresno Real Estate Experts Predicting for 2025 and Beyond?

DON'T MISS

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

DON'T MISS

Wired Wednesday: Why Is State Lawmaker Taking Aim at Rooftop Solar?

DON'T MISS

Two Visalia Men Sentenced in 2021 Motel Killing

DON'T MISS

Ex-Jan. 6 Defendant Gets Life in Prison for Plot to Kill FBI Agents

DON'T MISS

Del Monte Files for Bankruptcy. Gets Nearly $1B to Keep Producing Through Process

DON'T MISS

Who is Running for Fresno Area Offices in 2026? An Updated Look

DON'T MISS

CIA Review Finds Flaws but Does Not Dispute Finding Putin Sought to Sway 2016 Vote to Trump

DON'T MISS

Poorest Americans Dealt Biggest Blow Under Senate Republican Tax Package

DON'T MISS

Check Out Newest Downtown Mural. It’s a Spectacular Tribute to Fresno Artisans

DON'T MISS

US Judge Blocks Trump Asylum Ban at US-Mexico Border, Says He Exceeded Authority

DON'T MISS

Fresno Fire Investigators Seek Public’s Help in Arson Case

UP NEXT

Dear Mayor and City Council, Fresno’s Housing Bottlenecks Are a Modern Form of Redlining

UP NEXT

A Path Forward on Immigration Reform That Strengthens America

UP NEXT

Israel Faces Genocide Accusations Amid Gaza Food Aid Killings

UP NEXT

I Detest Netanyahu, but on Some Things He’s Actually Right

UP NEXT

Much of LA’s Community of Immigrants Is Hiding, Leaving a Hole in the Fabric of the City

UP NEXT

Things Netanyahu Might Say if Injected With Truth Serum

UP NEXT

California Politicians Ignore Ag’s Troubles, but Boost Movie Business

UP NEXT

Trump’s Courageous and Correct Decision to Bomb Iran

UP NEXT

How the Attacks on Iran Are Part of a Much Bigger Global Struggle

UP NEXT

Groceries Are Now a Luxury. So Is Breathing.

Del Monte Files for Bankruptcy. Gets Nearly $1B to Keep Producing Through Process

1 hour ago

Who is Running for Fresno Area Offices in 2026? An Updated Look

2 hours ago

CIA Review Finds Flaws but Does Not Dispute Finding Putin Sought to Sway 2016 Vote to Trump

2 hours ago

Poorest Americans Dealt Biggest Blow Under Senate Republican Tax Package

2 hours ago

Check Out Newest Downtown Mural. It’s a Spectacular Tribute to Fresno Artisans

3 hours ago

US Judge Blocks Trump Asylum Ban at US-Mexico Border, Says He Exceeded Authority

3 hours ago

Fresno Fire Investigators Seek Public’s Help in Arson Case

4 hours ago

CHP Officer Dies in Line of Duty After Medical Emergency While on Patrol

4 hours ago

From Victims to Perpetrators: Israeli Soldiers’ Nazi Comparisons and the Unfolding War Crimes in Gaza

4 hours ago

Downtown Housing Could Rise in Many California Cities, but Barriers Remain

5 hours ago

Wired Wednesday: Why Is State Lawmaker Taking Aim at Rooftop Solar?

GV Wire’s Edward Smith talks with KMPH Fox 26 “Great Day” anchor Karl Cooke about an Assembly bill that would raise utility bills for buyers...

11 minutes ago

11 minutes ago

Wired Wednesday: Why Is State Lawmaker Taking Aim at Rooftop Solar?

Jose Luna (left), 33, and Ralph Grajeda, 45, both of Visalia, have been sentenced for their roles in the 2020 shotgun killing of Robert Soto at a local motel. (Tulare County DA)
32 minutes ago

Two Visalia Men Sentenced in 2021 Motel Killing

A U.S. Justice Department logo or seal showing Justice Department headquarters, known as "Main Justice," is seen behind the podium in the Department's headquarters briefing room before a news conference with the Attorney General in Washington, January 24, 2023. (Reuters File)
46 minutes ago

Ex-Jan. 6 Defendant Gets Life in Prison for Plot to Kill FBI Agents

1 hour ago

Del Monte Files for Bankruptcy. Gets Nearly $1B to Keep Producing Through Process

2 hours ago

Who is Running for Fresno Area Offices in 2026? An Updated Look

CIA (Central Intelligence Agency) logo and U.S. flag are seen in this illustration taken May 6, 2025. (Reuters File)
2 hours ago

CIA Review Finds Flaws but Does Not Dispute Finding Putin Sought to Sway 2016 Vote to Trump

2 hours ago

Poorest Americans Dealt Biggest Blow Under Senate Republican Tax Package

3 hours ago

Check Out Newest Downtown Mural. It’s a Spectacular Tribute to Fresno Artisans

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend