The San Francisco Board of Education unanimously committed this week to fully reopening all district schools in time for the start of the fall semester.
During a lengthy meeting that ran late into the evening, on Tuesday, the board also voted to suspend a contentious push to rename 44 of its schools that honor figures linked to historical racism or oppression, an issue it said it would revisit only after all students in the district have returned to their classrooms five days a week.
That move marks an effort by board members to double down on reopening schools and to shift focus away from the numerous controversies it has recently been entangled in.
Under the resolution committing to a full return in the fall, authored by Commissioner Jenny Lam, students can still opt to continue with distance learning if they prefer.
In arguing for reopening, the resolution underscores the mental health toll that not being in school for a year has had on many students, citing a 66% increase in the number of suicidal children coming to the emergency room at UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital in the past year, and a 75% increase in youth who have required hospitalization for mental-health services.