Good morning to everyone attending. I wish I could be with you here today, but due to my
exposure to someone who tested positive for COVID-19, I am taking precautions and staying
home and getting tested, per CDC guidelines.
Schools are more than just buildings - they are anchors of our neighborhoods and communities.
That’s clear from today’s Back-To-School celebration, where the community is coming together
to protect each other with COVID-19 vaccinations and other immunizations.
Vaccination is key. Making sure all of us get vaccinated is key to ensuring healthy and safe
school environments for our children this year. I commend the organizers of this event for
making vaccination a key focus, and encourage everyone to get vaccinated against COVID-19
and talk to their families about doing the same.
The Saint Louis Public Schools community and the educators of the American Federation of
Teachers are incredibly important partners for the City of St. Louis. My administration is ready to
work with stakeholders across St. Louis to strengthen schools for students, teachers, parents
and staff. Thank you for your invitation to this event, and I wish I could be there in person to celebrate with you.
I was so looking forward to meeting President Weingarten today and talking with President
Cummings and so many members of the SLPS community, but we’ll have to wait for another
time when we can do so safely. Until then, I hope you have a good back-to-school season, and
God bless