Community leaders urge school district and teachers to keep New Joseph Bonnheim open

Dear Friends,

We have the deepest respect for our teachers and educators trying to provide safe education and spaces for our kids, always and especially through the COVID-19 pandemic. This virus has made the return to school incredibly challenging, and positive tests among students, teachers and staff at New Joseph Bonnheim Community Charter elementary school are a testament to this. We implore district staff and teachers to work together to ensure New Joseph Bonnheim remains open to support hundreds of kids who have nowhere else to go. School is a safe place for them to be, a place where they receive breakfast, lunch, and a vital education each day.

Dr. Olivia Kasirye, our Sacramento County Public Health Officer, has clearly stated that the school can safely be operated with testing of staff and students once a week for the next three weeks. We are committed to working with the county health department and the school district to ensure these health and safety protocols are followed to protect both teachers and students.

This testing, “along with the comprehensive preventive protocols implemented by the district and the school, will minimize risks of infection in the school environment and enable the school to remain open,” Dr. Kasirye wrote in a Sept. 3 letter to the Sacramento City Unified School District. 

Unfortunately, at a small school like New Joseph Bonnheim, even a handful of teachers calling out can strain the district’s ability to keep the school operating, potentially putting these kids in the middle of another argument among adults. We are encouraged by the testing regime ordered by our County Public Health Officer and await the results of the most recent round of PCR tests that will help all parties determine the best path forward.

We are not trivializing valid concerns around COVID-19 and the fear of increased community spread in zip codes where vaccination rates remain frustratingly low. Vaccines are our first and best tool to combat this virus. We are committed to increasing the number of vaccination clinics in the surrounding community, as well as partnering with trusted, community-based organizations to distribute information about vaccines door-to-door to reduce hesitancy and to correct misinformation. The first vaccination clinic at New Joseph Bonnheim will be tomorrow, September 9 at the end of the school day.

There are 240 students who attend New Joseph Bonnheim. More than 60 percent of these students are Latino, many are English language learners, and many are socioeconomically disadvantaged. The community surrounding New Joseph Bonnheim worked incredibly hard to keep this school open and available to kids in need after it was shut down during budget constraints. These families and most importantly their children deserve our collective best efforts to ensure they have a safe space to learn and grow. Keep New Joseph Bonnheim open.

Sincerely,

Mayor Darrell Steinberg

Assemblymember Kevin McCarty, (D-07)

Supervisor Phil Serna, District 1

Councilmember Eric Guerra, District 6

SCUSD Trustee Jamee Villa, Area 4

Ribbon cutting ceremony of the re-opening of NJB. - image courtesy of SCUSD website

Arthur Aleman –
New Joseph Bonnheim Founder/Community Member

Michael Madden –
New Joseph Bonnheim Founder/Community Member

Lisa Romero –
New Joseph Bonnheim Founder/Community Member

Isabel Velazques –
New Joseph Bonnheim Parent

Maria Gonsalez –
New Joseph Bonnheim Parent

Ana L. Figueroa –
New Joseph Bonnheim Parent

Pam Thompson – Community Member

Maricela Reyna –
New Joseph Bonnheim Parent

Patricia Martinez –
New Joseph Bonnheim Parent