>>> VACCINE MANDATES IN SCHOOLS.

CALIFORNIA'S EFFORTS TO WEIGH

IN ON ABORTION BANS, AND COULD

WE BE HEADING INTO A FIFTH

SURGE OF COVID?

THIS IS "POLITICALLY SPEAKING".

>>> FROM NBC 7 NEWS, THIS IS

"POLITICALLY SPEAKING".

>>> THANKS FOR JOINING ME ON

"POLITICALLY SPEAKING", I'M

YOUR HOST, PRIYA SRIDHAR.

WE ARE COMING TO YOU THIS WEEK

FROM MT. SOLEDAD.

THE SAN DIEGO UNIFIED SCHOOL

BOARD DISTRICT VOTED

UNANIMOUSLY THIS WEEK TO

MANDATE VACCINES FOR ALL SCHOOL

STAFF AND STUDENTS ABOVE THE

AGE OF 16.

BUT, IT DIDN'T COME WITHOUT A

LOT OF PUSHBACK FROM

PROTESTERS.

I SAT DOWN WITH THE SCHOOL

BOARD PRESIDENT TO BREAK DOWN

WHAT'S COMING NEXT.

WOW, WHAT A WEEK, THIS PAST

TUESDAY THE BOARD VOTED

UNANIMOUSLY TO MANDATE VACCINES

FOR STAFF AND ALL STUDENTS OVER

16.

HOW DOES IT FEEL THAT THIS

DECISION IS NOW OVER?

THERE WAS A LOT OF ANTICIPATION

BUILDING UP TO TUESDAY.

>> WELL, WE KNEW IT WAS THE

RIGHT DECISION, SO I CERTAINLY

FEEL GOOD THAT WE HAVE MADE THE

RIGHT DECISION.

NOW, OF COURSE THE

IMPLEMENTATION OF THIS IS

WHAT'S IN FRONT OF US.

SO, WE KNOW THAT THERE IS A LOT

OF WORK AHEAD OF US TO MAKE

SURE THAT THIS GOES WELL.

>> THERE WAS HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE

PROTESTING OUTSIDE, HUNDREDS OF

PEOPLE CALLING IN TO GIVE THEIR

COMMENTS.

MANY OF THESE PEOPLE

ACKNOWLEDGED THAT THEY WEREN'T

EVEN FROM SAN DIEGO, OR THAT

THEY DIDN'T HAVE STUDENTS WHO

WERE IN THE SCHOOL DISTRICT.

HOW DID IT FEEL THAT WHAT WAS

SUPPOSED TO BE A DEBATE ABOUT

SAN DIEGO UNIFIED TURNED INTO

THIS BIG VACCINE DEBATE WHERE

OTHER PEOPLE WERE CHIMING IN?

>> YEAH, IT'S -- WHAT WE HAVE

TRIED TO DO SINCE THE BEGINNING

OF THE PANDEMIC IS FOCUS ON

WHAT ARE THE STRATEGIES THAT

CAN PROTECT THE HEALTH AND

SAFETY OF OUR STUDENTS, OF OUR

STAFF, AND WHAT ARE THE

STRATEGIES THAT WILL ALLOW

STUDENTS TO BE IN SCHOOL.

THAT'S WHERE OUR FOCUS HAS BEEN.

IT IS ABSOLUTELY THE CASE THAT

MOST OF THE PEOPLE THAT WE HEAR

FROM REGULARLY, PARENTS,

TEACHERS, STUDENTS THEMSELVES,

PEOPLE FROM THE COMMUNITY, THEY

CARE ABOUT OUR SCHOOLS.

THEY CARE ABOUT OUR STUDENTS.

SO, WE ALWAYS ARE EAGER TO HEAR

THEIR PERSPECTIVES.

WE ALSO KNOW, THAT THIS ISSUE

HAS BECOME VERY POLITICIZED, AND

WE KNOW THAT THERE ARE PEOPLE

WHO INTENTIONALLY SPREAD

MISINFORMATION BECAUSE THEY ARE

TRYING TO ADVANCE SOME KIND OF

POLITICAL AGENDA.

SO, PART OF WHAT OUR JOB IS, AS

A SCHOOL SYSTEM, IS WHETHER

IT'S WITH PARENTS OR STUDENTS,

OR OUR OWN STAFF, TO PROVIDE

GOOD, CREDIBLE INFORMATION.

BECAUSE WE KNOW THAT A LOT OF

PEOPLE DON'T KNOW WHAT TO

BELIEVE.

THERE IS SO MUCH THAT IS OUT

THERE, SO MUCH THAT PEOPLE HAVE

BEEN SAYING ON ALL SIDES OF

THIS ISSUE, BUT WE ALSO KNOW

THAT THERE IS VERY CLEAR

SCIENTIFIC CONSENSUS.

SO, PART OF OUR RESPONSIBILITY

MOVING FORWARD IN IMPLEMENTING

THIS MANDATE IS TO MAKE SURE

THAT WE ARE MAKING OURSELVES

AVAILABLE TO EVERY FAMILY, TO

EVERY PERSON IN OUR DISTRICT SO

THAT WE CAN TALK THEM THROUGH

WHY WE ARE DOING THIS.

WHY IT IS THE IMPORTANT

DECISION TO KEEP PEOPLE SAFE,

TO KEEP OUR KIDS IN SCHOOL.

AND WHY THERE IS SUCH CLEAR

SCIENTIFIC CONSENSUS BEHIND

THIS DECISION.

>> LET'S TALK ABOUT LOGISTICS.

76% OF YOUR STAFF IS FULLY

VACCINATED.

DO YOU THINK THIS MANDATE IS

GOING TO TRANSLATE TO MORE

STAFF GETTING VACCINATED?

>> YEAH, WE ABSOLUTELY DO.

WE ARE GIVING A LOT OF NOTICE.

SO, FIRST VACCINE REQUIRED

RIGHT BEFORE THANKSGIVING.

SECOND VACCINE DECEMBER 20th,

RIGHT BEFORE WINTER BREAK.

SO, OUR STAFF WHO HAVE YET TO

BECOME VACCINATED KNOW IT IS

COMING.

WE ANTICIPATE THAT WE HAVE

PEOPLE WHO HAVE NOT MADE THE

DECISION TO TO GET VACCINATED

AND ARE KIND OF WAITING TO BE

IN A POSITION WHERE THEY KNOW

THAT THEY HAVE TO DO IT.

THAT'S PART OF WHY YOU MOVE TO

A MANDATE, BECAUSE YOU KNOW THAT

WILL PUSH PEOPLE WHO OTHERWISE

WOULD NOT TO DO THE RIGHT

THING.

>> EVEN WITH THAT, WE ARE

HEARING CASES OF TEACHERS

ACROSS THE COUNTRY SAYING YOU

KNOW WHAT, I'M GOING TO QUIT.

STAFF ALSO SAYING THE SAME

WHAT CONTINGENCY PLANS DO YOU

GUYS HAVE IN PLACE TO MAKE SURE

THAT THE SCHOOLS ARE GOING TO

BE STAFFED APPROPRIATELY ONCE

WE GET PAST THAT DEADLINE

QUESTION MARK

>> SO, WE ALREADY PROVIDED ALL

OF OUR SCHOOLS WITH ADDITIONAL

STAFF COMING INTO THIS YEAR

BECAUSE WE KNOW BEFORE

EVERYBODY WAS TALKING ABOUT THE

DELTA VARIANT, WE KNEW THAT OUR

KIDS HAVE TO RECOVER FROM LAST

YEAR.

SO, WE HAVE HIRED A LOT OF

ADDITIONAL TEACHERS, COUNSELORS,

SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGISTS.

WE HAVE GIVEN STAFFING

ALLOCATION TO SCHOOLS IN EXCESS

OF WHAT THEY WOULD NORMALLY

HAVE.

SO, WE FEEL LIKE WE ARE

ADEQUATELY STAFFED FOR NOW.

WHAT WE ALSO KNOW, IS THAT

BECAUSE WE ARE IN THIS NEVER

ENDING IT SEEMS SITUATION WITH

COVID, WE ARE HAVING TO HIRE

MORE SUBSTITUTES.

BECAUSE WE DO HAVE STAFF THAT

EITHER TEST POSITIVE OR THEY

HAVE BEEN IN CONTACT WITH

SOMEBODY WHO TESTED POSITIVE,

OR THEY ARE SYMPTOMATIC, SO

THEY GET SENT HOME.

SO, WE ARE NEEDING TO DEAL WITH

THAT STAFFING CHALLENGE.

WE ARE CONFIDENT THAT IF WE GET

TO THE POINT THAT WE HAVE SOME

STAFF WHO JUST SAY WE ARE NOT

GOING TO COMPLY, THAT WE WILL

BE ABLE TO MEET THE NEEDS OF

OUR STUDENTS.

BUT, WE ARE ALSO OPTIMISTIC

THAT THE OVERWHELMING MAJORITY

OF OUR STAFF WHO HAVE YET TO BE

VACCINATED WILL GO AHEAD AND

GET VACCINATED IN TIME FOR THEM

TO MEET OUR DEADLINE.

>> MOST MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS

THAT I HAVE BEEN TALKING TO SAY

THAT WE ARE ACTUALLY,

UNFORTUNATE, MOST LIKELY GOING

TO SEE A FIFTH SURGE HAPPENING

AS WE HEAD INTO THE WINTER FLU

SEASON, THE HOLIDAYS COMING UP.

WHAT, HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT

THAT?

WHAT WOULD YOU SAY TO PARENTS

AND FAMILIES OF SAN DIEGO

UNIFIED ABOUT THE MOST LIKELY

UPCOMING FIFTH SURGE?

>> ONE OF THE REASONS WHY IT IS

SO IMPORTANT TO MAKE SURE THAT

WE ARE GETTING EVERYBODY

VACCINATED IS THE MORE, THE

HIGHER PERCENTAGE OF STUDENTS

AND STAFF THAT ARE VACCINATED,

THE LESS LIKELY THERE IS FOR

THE NUMBER TWO THEN CREEP UP IN

OUR SCHOOL.

WE ARE A SCHOOL SYSTEM.

WE HAVE 100,000 STUDENTS,

14,000 EMPLOYEES.

WE ACTUALLY HAVE AN IMPACT ON

THE LARGER COMMUNITY AS WELL.

SO, AS LONG AS THERE ARE A LOT

OF PEOPLE OUT THERE WHO ARE NOT

VACCINATED, THAT'S WHAT CREATES

THE POTENTIAL FOR YET ANOTHER

VARIANT.

AND YET ANOTHER SURGE.

SO, WE ARE DOING OUR PART IN

OUR SCHOOLS.

BY GETTING AS MANY PEOPLE AS

POSSIBLE VACCINATED, TO MITIGATE

FUTURE SURGES.

WE ALSO THINK WE ARE DOING OUR

PART FOR THE REST OF THE

COMMUNITY.

WE DO ASK THAT THE COMMUNITY

DOES ITS PART.

SO, IF THERE ARE PEOPLE THAT

ARE NOT CONNECTED TO SCHOOLS,

BUT WHO ARE UNVACCINATED, IF

YOU CARE ABOUT SCHOOLS, GO GET

VACCINATED.

>> STRAIGHT AHEAD ON

POLITICALLY SPEAKING, SOME

STATES AROUND THE COUNTRY HAVE

CREATED NEW LEGISLATION TO

RESTRICT AND BAN ABORTIONS.

HEAR FROM CALIFORNIA'S ATTORNEY

GENERAL WHO IS TRYING TO STOP

THAT.

>>> LATER, THE LEADER OF SAN

DIEGO'S HOSPITALS SAY THEY ARE

NOT WORRIED ABOUT RUNNING OUT

OF ICU BEDS AT THIS POINT IN

THE PANDEMIC.