More students go back to class
Modified schedules, blended learning set
PALMDALE — More students will return to school campuses beginning today on modified schedules combined with blended learning models as the rate of positive COVID-19 infections in Los Angeles County continues to drop.
Antelope Valley Union High School District will welcome students to campus for in-person instruction on reduced schedules.
Those students who elected to return will be assigned to one of two cohorts. One group of students will attend in-person instruction on Mondays and Tuesdays; the other group will be assigned in-person instruction on Thursdays and Fridays. All students in both groups will learn from home via online on Wednesdays.
Students who elected to continue learning from home are the third cohort.
The high school District previously brought back stable cohorts of no more than 14 special education students to campus in February. In March, the District brought back 416 “high need” seniors to all campuses, also in stable cohorts. Another 972 ninth graders also came to campuses for the first time last month. “After more than a year of quiet hallways and empty classrooms, we are so excited to welcome students back to in-person instruction,” the District said in a statement. “While we have been able to offer specialized instruction
for small groups of students, today is our first opportunity to offer in-person instruction to all students desiring to return to campus. Our staff has worked diligently over the past year to prepare our campuses. Likewise, our dedicated faculty continue to deliver high-quality virtual instruction and will now transition to a hybrid model with both in-person and virtual instruction.”
Lancaster School District welcomed transitional kindergarten and kindergarten and early children education students back on April 5. The District will welcome back first- and second-grade general education students todays today and all first- through sixth-grade special day class elementary and middle school students.
Third- through sixth-grade students will return beginning April 19. The District is also using a hybrid model.
“One of our primary goals was that kids stay with the teacher they’ve had this entire time,” Assistant Superintendent of Business Services Larry Freise said.
The District reached out to all families, and said if they would like their children to return, the teacher would instruct a portion of his or her students in-person in the morning, and then in the afternoon the remaining students would be instructed virtually.
“The limit was 14 students per classroom,” Freise said.
Some teachers might instruct students in-person in the morning, while other teachers would instruct students in-person in the afternoon.
“It’s about 20% of any grade level is there on the campus at any one time,”
Freise said.
That model would the limit the number of people on campus.
“We maintain stable groups so we don’t have kids shifting between teachers; that’s why it’s our goal to keep a student with the teacher they’ve had this entire year,’ Freise said.
Gina Whipple, president of the Lancaster Teachers Association, said via text message that her goal has always been for a safe return.
“Teachers have suffered and struggled through this experience with everyone; however, we have continued to stand by and support our students,” Whipple said. “We have and will continue to persevere. Cleaning protocols have proven a challenge during our first week back for TK-K. This must be rectified. Parents and teachers alike must have confidence that our students and staff are protected.”
Palmdale School District welcomed back all special day classes last month. The District welcomed transitional kindergarten, kindergarten, and early childhood education/headstart on April 6.
Ocotillo Elementary School welcomed students back last week with a red carpet set up for photos. The school’s Parent Teacher Association popped popcorn students to take home.
Today, Palmdale School District will welcome back students in first, second, sixth, seventh and eighth grades, The District will welcome back third-, fourthand fifth-grade students on April 19.
“The pandemic has been a challenge for all of us,” Superintendent Raul Maldonado said. “However, in Palmdale I want to thank our teachers, our classified staff and managers for really doing a great job online through virtual leaning. I think it’s been a challenge. However, now that we been approved to come back, it is really a pleasure to see students.”