Board President Alan Sarver noted there will always be some potential risk to students — be it an earthquake, school shooting or the virus.
Other schools have found ways to safely reopen with little to no transmission of the virus between teachers and students, according to recent studies. The CDC advises that it's safe for students to go back to school with mask wearing and social distancing in the more restrictive purple tier.
That inequity has also carried over to vaccination rates, which have been much higher in wealthier areas of the Peninsula, the teacher said.
According to data from the county updated Feb. 24, Atherton has one of the highest rates in San Mateo County with 42.83% of residents age 16 and up vaccinated. Some 22.4% of Atherton's population is over 65 years old according to census data — the group that makes the majority of people vaccinated so far. Just 9.96% of East Palo Alto residents have been vaccinated (16.5% of its population is over 65 years old, according to census data).