A pro-charter school group brought some 75 parents, teachers and a couple of Orange County Board of Education members together Tuesday evening to rally for the reopening of schools that were closed because of coronavirus concerns.

Parents, they said, should be making the choice of whether their children learn on campus or online.

Open up the schools, the crowd briefly chanted.

Jeff Barke, right, leads a rally outside the Santa Ana Educators Association office in Santa Ana on Tuesday, August 4, 2020. The rally calling for the reopening of schools was organized by the California Policy Centers Parent Union. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Cecilia Iglesias, left, and Orange County Board of Education member Mari Barke, right, join others outside the Santa Ana Educators Association office during a reopen the schools rally in Santa Ana on Tuesday, August 4, 2020. The rally was organized by the California Policy Centers Parent Union, a pro-charter school group. Iglesias, a former Santa Ana councilwoman and school board member, works for the center and organized the meeting with Barkes help. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)

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Rhonda Furin, center, joins others during a reopen the schools rally outside the Santa Ana Educators Association in Santa Ana on Tuesday, August 4, 2020. The rally was organized by a group called Parent Union. Its a pro-charter school group under the libertarian California Policy Center. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)

A man holds up a sign during a reopen the schools rally outside the Santa Ana Educators Association office in Santa Ana on Tuesday, August 4, 2020. The rally was organized by aParent Union. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)

About 75 protesters gathered outside the Santa Ana Educators Association office for a reopen the schools rally in Santa Ana on Tuesday, August 4, 2020. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Cecilia Iglesias protests outside the Santa Ana Educators Association office during a reopen the schools rally in Santa Ana on Tuesday, August 4, 2020. Iglesias, a former Santa Ana councilwoman and former School Board member, organized the rally as the head of the Parent Union, a pro-charter school group under the libertarian California Policy Center. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Jeff Barke, a physician who advocates for the reopening of schools without social distancing or face masks, leads a reopen the schools rally outside the Santa Ana Educators Association office in Santa Ana on Tuesday, August 4, 2020. The rally was organized by the California Police Centers Parent Union group, a pro-charter group that said parents should have the choice of whether their children can return to campus for in-person learning or continue with online education. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Protestors gather outside the Santa Ana Educators Association for a reopen the schools rally in Santa Ana on Tuesday, August 4, 2020. The rally was organized by the California Policy Centers Parent Union. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Jeff Barke, right, leads a rally outside the Santa Ana Educators Association office in Santa Ana on Tuesday, August 4, 2020. The rally calling for the reopening of schools was organized by the California Policy Centers Parent Union. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Flanked by American flags and punctuated with religious references and prayer, the rally was organized by the Orange County-based California Policy Centers Parent Union, which pointedly chose to host its event in front of the offices of the Santa Ana teachers union.

Thats why were here, said Jeff Barke, an Orange County physician who regularly advocates for reopening schools without face masks or social distancing but mentioned neither safety precaution during the rally. Instead, he and others focused attention on teacher unions, which have advocated for resuming school online for now.

Were here to let them know were sick and tired of the schools being closed. Its not based on science. Its not based on statistics. Its not based on facts. Its based on union power, said Barke, co-founder and board chairman of a new conservative-leaning charter school, Orange County Classical Academy.

Barbara Pearson, president of the Santa Ana teachers union the Santa Ana Educators Association called the protest another desperate grab for attention in their struggle to stay relevant.

It has nothing to do with the reopening of schools or the students of Santa Ana. Governor Newsom made the decision to close schools, not the unions. Our priority is the safety of staff and students, Pearson wrote in an e-mail Tuesday night.

On July 17, Newsom ordered that all public and private schools in counties seeing a spike in coronavirus cases could not reopen for in-person learning in the new academic year. That affected all of Orange Countys schools, except for those elementary schools that are applying for a waiver. (State officials unveiled the waiver application process Monday night; its likely to impact mostly private and parochial schools.)

During the rally Tuesday, a few teachers spoke about the detrimental effects of online learning on students, especially those who need special services. Students have regressed academically since schools shut down mid-March due to the coronavirus pandemic, they noted. And many who are in vulnerable situations, some speakers said, have been made even more vulnerable, exposing them to abuse and even suicide, because they dont have their safe haven school to turn to.

Mari Barke, an elected member of the Orange County Board of Education and Jeff Barkes wife, told the crowd, to keep fighting to reopen schools.

Parents are in the best position to make decisions for their children, Mari Barke said.

Last week, her board voted to file a lawsuit against Newsom to force a reopening of schools. Fellow Trustee Ken Williams also addressed the crowd, invoking God and talking about the fight for the children.

The rally was organized by Cecilia Iglesias, a former Santa Ana councilwoman and former School Board member who works for the California Policy Center, a libertarian think tank that focuses on issues like pension reform and charter schools. The Center runs four chapters of the Parent Union in Southern California. Iglesias said she hopes to hold similar rallies in other counties.

Our call is a call to action, to let parents choose, Iglesias said prior to the rally. Were suggesting: open up the schools, following safety guidelines, and give parents the choice.

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These O.C. parents have a message for Gov. Newsom, teachers unions: Open up the schools - OCRegister