By Thomas Gase
Although they hadn’t been away from campus for as long as the Adam Sandler character “Billy Madison,” there were still many kids in Vallejo on Monday that had their lunch packed up, their boots tied tight while hoping to not get in a fight.
It was the first day of school for students in the Vallejo City Unified School District, which meant for some a return to their schools for the first time in nearly two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic. VCUSD let students come back last spring but many finished the 2020-21 school year in distance learning.
The district, which is currently using both the in-person and from home instruction, requires staff to get vaccinated per a mandate made by Gov. Gavin Newsom earlier this month. Teachers and other personnel will be required to be vaccinated or test negative for the coronavirus on a weekly basis, although vaccination is only encouraged for students. Everyone on campus must wear a mask.