Petaluma’s St. Vincent de Paul High School discusses reopening with Trump at White House

Within a few months, St. Vincent de Paul High School Principal Patrick Daly went from listening to President Donald Trump on a phone call about coronavirus-related loans to talking to him Tuesday at the White House, discussing the crucial task of reopening schools.

The 200-student Petaluma private school was invited to have representatives participate in a national forum on safely reopening America’s schools during the pandemic. Several members of the St. Vincent community joined top Trump administration officials, health experts and other teachers and students from around the country in panel discussions.

St. Vincent was the nation’s sole representative of Catholic high schools, and the only school from the West Coast.

Daly and St. Vincent sophomore Cameron Vaughn also were part of the marquee roundtable conversation with Trump and the first lady, Melania Trump, and shared why they thought it was necessary to reopen classrooms, citing the importance of the mental and emotional well-being of students.

“It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” Daly said in a telephone interview after the forum ended. “Not just for St. Vincent, but Sonoma County, to put our schools on the map.”

The White House on Tuesday promoted a plan for reopening school campuses nationwide to lessen economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic, and allow parents to get back to work. Sonoma County public and private schools had shifted to distance learning at home in March and now many local educators are grappling with the complicated task of preparing to reopen classrooms despite the serious virus risk in the county and most parts of the country.

As COVID-19 cases surge in dozens of states, Trump said he would pressure governors to reopen their schools, claiming some places would want to stay closed for “political reasons.” He didn’t provide evidence for the claim and acknowledged it’s still up to local and state leaders whether they follow his administration’s suggestions.

During the presidential roundtable, Daly and Vaughn spoke. The Petaluma principal briefly detailed the school’s reopening plan, which includes contingencies for full reopening of classrooms, and mixing school instruction and distance learning. Vaughn shared how much it would mean to students to be able to return to campus.

The president complimented Vaughn, calling him a “good-looking person,” and wished St. Vincent well.

“Good luck with your plan and getting them open,” Trump said. “Hopefully, you can do five days instead of the two and back and forth. I know you want to be able to do that, so you’ll try.”

St. Vincent officials first connected with the White House in April when Catholic schools and clerical organizations were invited to a paycheck protection lending program teleconference with Trump and various federal and religious leaders.

Later Daly sent a handwritten thank you note and some school apparel to an office of public liaison staffer, Amanda Robbins, who organized the call. She followed up last week after receiving the gifts, and then asked Daly about the Catholic school’s reopening plans.

They discussed the two school committees leading the effort, and Daly sent a draft of the reopening plan to Robbins. Robbins called back within minutes, noting the Trump administration was impressed, and then asked if St. Vincent would be willing to send a few community members to Washington, D.C. to participate in a daylong forum, Daly said.

Rafael Velez, a parent and chair of the school’s Board of Regents, and Spanish teacher Adriana Rios, who led St. Vincent’s health committee, also participated in Tuesday’s dialogue at the nation’s capital.

If local conditions allow, St. Vincent is hoping to fully reopen Aug. 10 when the new school year begins, Daly said. The school’s staff crafted comprehensive public health protocols using information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Sonoma County health department and even schools overseas in Australia and France, the principal said.

Daly acknowledged the polarizing nature of Trump and how politicized the school reopening discussion can be, but said he would’ve gone regardless of who was occupying the White House.

“I just think the honor of meeting a sitting U.S. president and letting them hear your voice, we didn’t hesitate at all,” Daly said. “We found this as a great opportunity.”

You can reach Staff Writer Yousef Baig at 707-521-5390 or yousef.baig@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @YousefBaig.