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ENCINITAS, Calif. (KGTV)- School leaders in a north county school district are trying to figure out how to address a legal petition filed by their teachers' union.The San Dieguito Union High School District Board of Trustees held an emergency closed-door meeting Tuesday at Earl Warren Middle School in Solana Beach.A few dozen students and some parents gathered outside the school to protest the district's plan to return to in-person instruction in January."Our teachers have taught us to stand up for what's right, and we see that the board is not listening to their needs, their concerns, they're putting their lives at risk, so we are here to support our teachers," said student Andrea Gately.Parent Julie Bronstein said distance learning is not ideal, but she doesn't think it's safe for kids to return when the virus is surging."Why can't we just wait a bit more, get ourselves out of the danger zone, get beyond the surge, make sure teachers are able to be vaccinated to the extent possible, and then reopen in a grander fashion," said Bronstein.Late last Tuesday night, the San Dieguito Union High School District Board of Trustees voted to give students the option to return to school one day a week on January 4th, then five days a week for in-person instruction on January 27th.Parents like Jane Woltman say students should have returned to class months ago."When they asked if kids wanted to go back full time in October, 80% of those parents said yes, yet we didn't go back then. We weren't in the purple tier then," said Woltman.Woltman has two kids at La Costa Canyon High School."I just think the social well being of kids is diminishing. Kids are losing engagement, and basically, this is a teaching model that was not intended to be long term," said Woltman.Friday, the California Teachers Association filed a legal petition on behalf of the local teachers' union to block the January return.Duncan Brown is a counselor at Diegueno Middle School and Oak Crest Middle School. He's also the president of the San Dieguito Faculty Association. He says the district's plan violates the governor's regional stay at home order."It goes against CDC guidelines, it goes against CDPH rules, most districts have reconsidered reopening plans, but San Dieguito continues to move forward," said Brown.Under the state's health mandate, schools that were already open for in-person instruction were allowed to stay open when the county fell back into the purple tier. The union is challenging the district's definition of what is considered an open school."All the instruction is done through small cohorts, and we believe the intent of the reopening plan was if grades were going through a reopening. For example, 9th and 10th grade were invited back, then under those kinds of understandings, 11th and 12th graders would be able to continue the reopening as well," said Brown.Parents who believe kids should be back in school say the union is just delaying things."I just think it's a stall tactic, and the union doesn't want to go back period. I don't think that's the voice of a lot of teachers who are afraid of ramifications if they speak up," said Woltman.The board president says the district's reopening plan follows the guidance issued by The California Department of Public Health and includes detailed protocols for distancing and ventilation.Teachers in high-risk groups for the virus or with childcare issues can continue teaching remotely until January 27th, but the district hasn't decided beyond that. 3529

Fans at a California softball tournament weren't happy when an official announced that the National Anthem would not be played before Friday's game, so they took matters into their own hands and started singing.The championship game between Clovis High School and Buchanan High School was the second game of the day at Fresno State's softball stadium. Organizers had played the anthem before the first game and didn't plan to do it again, reporter Nick King with CNN affiliate KMPH said. 515

Evacuations have been ordered for northern Arizona communities due to the Tinder Fire burning near Happy Jack.According to Coconino County officials, evacuations were ordered Sunday by the Coconino County Sheriff's Office for affected communities north, east and west of Highway 87 including Moqui Ranchettes, all of Starlight Pines, Clear Creek (except 1 and 2), all of Timber Ranch, all of Tamarron, Pine Canyon, Blue Ridge Estates, Ponderosa Pines, and Mogollon Ranches. The evacuation will be in effect until further notice, deputies will stay in the area to provide 24-hour security.  The fire has burned an estimated 8,000 acres and is burning 1.5 miles northeast of Blue Ridge Reservoir. Structures have also been lost in the fire, according to InciWeb.  804

Europe is proposing a ban on single-use plastic items such as cutlery, straws?and cotton buds in a bid to clean up the oceans.The European Commission wants to ban 10 items that make up 70% of all litter in EU waters and on beaches. The list also includes plastic plates and drink stirrers.The draft rules were unveiled Monday but need the approval of all EU member states and the European Parliament. It could take three or four years for the rules to come into force.The legislation is not just about banning plastic products. It also wants to make plastic producers bear the cost of waste management and cleanup efforts, and it proposes that EU states must collect 90% of single-use plastic bottles by 2025 through new recycling programs.The European Commission estimates that these rules, once fully implemented in 2030, could cost businesses over €3 billion (.5 billion) per year. But they could also save consumers about €6.5 billion (.6 billion) per year, create 30,000 jobs, and avoid €22 billion (.6 billion) in environmental damage and cleanup costs.The Rethink Plastic Alliance -- an association of environmental organizations -- called the proposals "a leap forward in tackling plastic pollution" but criticized some perceived shortcomings.The proposals do not set targets for EU countries to reduce the use of plastic cups and food containers, it said."This could result in countries claiming they are taking the necessary steps as long as any reduction is achieved, regardless of how small," the alliance said in a statement.The proposal also faced criticism from the plastics industry.Plastics Europe, which represents manufacturers, said it supported the "overarching objective" of the proposal but said there must be more resources dedicated to "waste management" to ensure better collection of used plastic."Plastic product bans are not the solution," it said in a statement, and noted that "alternative products may not be more sustainable."On a global basis, only 14% of plastic is collected for recycling. The reuse rate is terrible compared to other materials -- 58% of paper and up to 90% of iron and steel gets recycled.Research shows there will be more plastic than fish by weight in the world's oceans by 2050, which has spurred policy makers, individuals and companies into action.Last month a group of more than 40 companies including Coca-Cola, Nestle, Unilever and Procter & Gamble pledged to slash the?amount of plasticthey use and throw away in the United Kingdom.Starbucks also announced in March it was launching a  million grant challenge to solicit designs for a cup that's easier to recycle. 2689

ENCINITAS (CNS) - Construction crews will begin a three-week closure of a section of Chesterfield Drive Wednesday to improve bicycle and pedestrian safety, according to the San Diego Association of Governments. Chesterfield Drive will be closed to drivers in both the eastbound and westbound directions between Coast Highway 101 and San Elijo Avenue. According to SANDAG, the closure will extend through Jan. 23 to complete a new bikeway and pedestrian path, an Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant sidewalk and ramps, new traffic signals and new rail crossing equipment such as signals and gates. During the closure, northbound motorists will be detoured to D Street and southbound motorists will be detoured to Lomas Santa Fe Drive. The intersection will remain open to pedestrians and bicyclists during the closure but will be closed to motorists 24 hours per day, seven days a week. According to SANDAG, roughly 17,000 drivers use the intersection each day. The closure is the second phase of improvements to the Chesterfield Drive rail crossing and part of San Diego County's Build NCC (North Coast Corridor) project, a 40-year, 0 million effort to repair and expand vehicle and rail transportation infrastructure around the county. The .2 million Chesterfield Drive project and the Build NCC program are funded by TransNet, the county's half-cent sales tax on transportation, Once completed, the county expects to add 13 miles of new carpool and high-occupancy vehicle freeway lanes, 1 1/2 miles of doubled railroad track, seven miles of bike and pedestrian paths and more than 1,200 acres of restored and preserved coastal habitat land. 1661

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