California Gov. Gavin Newsom Pushes For School Reopening By Fall

California Governor Gavin Newsom on Wednesday urged all schools in the state to prepare for reopening by next fall when the new academic year begins.

About six million students from California are currently out of school, according to a report from EdSource. The report further noted that school districts are struggling to provide these students with "distance learning."

Gavin Newsom on California's School Reopening

Gavin Newsom made a similar pronouncement earlier in the week, according to a KCRA report. He said that he sees no barriers to getting children back into schools now, as California's COVID-19 cases continue to drop and more residents are getting vaccinated.

"I want all schools to reopen. I've been crystal clear about that," said Newsom on Wednesday. The California governor noted that money is not an issue in the school reopening but rather an excuse. However, many districts and teachers are still skeptical about the school reopening the governor is planning.

It can be recalled that a teacher from California was caught scolding her students over a Zoom class due to the parent's collective push for school reopening.

The said teacher from San Marcos High School also challenged the students' parents to confront her because she was "sick to her stomach" of parents questioning her skills during distance learning.

Gavin Newsom's announcement regarding his push for school reopening happened at an elementary school in Santa Rosa. The said school in the area began welcoming their students back this week.

Gavin Newsom's wish remained an expectation instead of a mandate. This is because of California's decentralized education system, wherein school districts negotiate separately with teachers' unions and then govern themselves.

Newsom emphasized that the school reopening must be done safely. The governor noted that "deep sanitation" and "massive deep cleaning" of schools will be needed as well as sanitizing playgrounds, par swings, and even sidewalks.

Newsom acknowledged that ensuring social distancing will also be a challenge in the reopening of the schools. That is why he might recommend to schools to implement staggered schedules.

"We need to do it in a safe way so that kids are not going to school, getting infected, and coming back home," said Newsom.

The California governor noted that he plans to lift most of the coronavirus restrictions on June 15 as part of the state's reopening to business as usual.

Views on California School Reopening

Gavin Newsom's push for California school reopening comes after a significant decrease of the state's COVID-19 infections.

The superintendent of schools from Sacramento County, David Gordon, has commended Newsom for bringing up the issue. However, Gordon noted that the students' willingness would depend on the ability to convince them that the new guidelines will keep them healthy.

The California Teacher's Association (CTA) expressed its willingness to participate in school reopening discussions.

"We look forward to ensure that when it is time to reopen schools, educators are part of the conversation," said the CTA, which is the largest teacher's union in the state.

WATCH: Newsom Calls for California Schools to Fully Reopen by Fall - From NBC Bay Area