Fresno leader wanted lawsuit to force local schools to open. Here’s what City Council did
A lawsuit proposed by Fresno Councilmember Garry Bredefeld to force area schools to return to in-person learning amid the pandemic failed to get the support it needed on Thursday.
The Fresno City Council voted 4-3 to remove the discussion from its agenda, killing the proposal without debate.
Bredefeld voted to keep the discussion on the agenda, as did Council members Mike Karbassi and Esmeralda Soria.
In opening comments from the council members, Bredefeld chided the council for not allowing the proposal to be debated publicly. “Everyone knows our children are falling further behind academically,” he said. “Distance learning is not working.”
Councilmember Luis Chavez said it’s important to get children back into classrooms, but said getting many more people vaccinated is the answer. Not a lawsuit.
“It’s that collaborative spirit that is going to get us through this next phase,” he said. “We agree on the goal, we just happen to disagree on the means in suing an organization. That wouldn’t be productive.”
The idea drew controversy before Thursday’s council meeting and stirred up a Twitter fight.
Bredefeld announced his idea in a news release on Feb. 10. He said Fresno Unified School District schools should open immediately.
“The FUSD school board and Superintendent Bob Nelson have been complicit in the damage to these children by keeping the schools closed,” Bredefeld said.
Nelson responded on Twitter.
“So how is that current two-party system working for you, Fresnans?” he asked. “Nothing like politicizing an issue as serious as a safe and responsible return to schools in order to rally a support base. The only thing this release lacked was face paint, Viking horns, and a Chewbacca onesie.”
After the public Twitter argument, Councilmember Nelson Esparza released his own statement, saying the lawsuit would be pulled from discussion.
He also said Bredefeld may be taken off the City Council’s School Liaison Subcommittee. As of Thursday, Bredefeld remains on the subcommittee.
This story was originally published February 18, 2021 at 10:03 AM.
