Berkeley’s mayor is calling for unity a day after the city’s teachers union president caught heavy flak for taking his child to a private preschool as public schools there remain closed.
"Now is not a time for conflict and division. We all have the same goal and want what is best for our children," Berkeley Mayor Jesse Arreguin said in a statement posted to Twitter. The mayor's remarks Tuesday come in response to a viral video posted over the weekend showing Berkeley Federation of Teachers President Matt Meyer dropping off his young daughter for in-person instruction.
The clip was posted by a group called "Guerilla Momz."
It’s been viewed over 200,000 times as of Tuesday afternoon.
"Stalking the President of the Berkeley Teachers Federation and his young child unnecessarily stokes divisions and creates polarization at a time when we need unity," the mayor wrote. "I am pleased to have helped create a path forward for school reopenings with teacher vaccinations, and the City/State will authorize more school reopening once we enter the Red Tier, which may happen as soon as next week if cases continue to decline."
The Berkeley Unified School District and the union have reached an agreement last month on a return to in-person education, contingent on all teachers getting vaccinated for COVID-19.
Berkeley, part of Alameda County, remains in the state’s restrictive purple tier.
In the Bay Area, San Francisco, Santa Clara and Napa joined Marin and San Mateo counties in the red tier on Tuesday.
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