The city of San Francisco on Thursday asked a judge to order the immediate reopening of schools for in-person learning, alleging the continued closure violates children’s constitutional right to attend and is contributing to a mental health crisis. Public schools in the California city have been shut down for in-person learning for nearly one year despite being allowed to resume such classes since fall 2020 and officials say those in the education arena lack a viable reopening plan. The continued closure is “catalyzing a mental health crisis among school-aged children,” asserts an emergency motion filed by City Attorney Dennis Herrera, quoting Dr. Jeanne Noble, director of COVID Response for the UCSF Emergency Department. In attached declarations, doctors attest to a significant increase in children of all ages showing up at hospitals and other health facilities with anxiety, depression, and suicidal thoughts. The UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital of Oakland has seen a …