Fresno County supervisor wants school to stay open, says COVID-19 isn’t a ‘killing machine’
Fresno County Supervisor Steve Brandau said he is opposed to a lawsuit filed by the county’s health department against the private Christian Immanuel Schools of Reedley.
Speaking at a news conference Monday, Brandau cited education organizations who have noted that in-person education is beneficial for students as a reason for supporting Immanuel Schools reopening to children for in-person classes.
Officials from the school have declined to speak about the Aug. 13 reopening, and contact information has been scrubbed from the school website. They reopened in defiance of state guidelines, which prevent counties on the COVID-19 watchlist from reopening schools.
The Fresno County Health Department on Thursday filed paperwork asking the court to order Immanuel to shut down. This weekend, the school system set up a defense fund to help in its efforts to challenge the lawsuit from the health department and stay open.
Brandau acknowledged the designation on Monday. He said he isn’t sure when the county will get off the watchlist. Reedley, where Immanuel Schools is located, is also a hot spot.
“My research tells me that children and young adults need to be in school,” Brandau said.
The Board of Supervisors has been informed of the health department’s pursuit of legal action against the school. Brandau said each time he has voiced his disagreement. He said he gets calls from parents who say their children cheat and text during online school. They would be better served in a classroom setting, he said.
“If COVID-19 was an unmitigated killing machine, I could support a lawsuit that would shut anything and everything down. That is also not the case,” Brandau told reporters outside the Hall of Records.
But Brandau said things would have to drastically change at Immanuel Schools for him to support a lawsuit against the school. He said he’s spoken to officials, who have told him they are doing their best to keep staff and students safe.
“At this time, when I examine COVID-19, I don’t think it’s worth neighbors suing neighbors,” Brandau said.
This story was originally published August 24, 2020 at 3:39 PM.
