Positive steps from CUSD board meeting

The Chico Unified school board’s decision to not reconsider a full reopening of schools for the home stretch of the school year may have been the main focus of Wednesday night’s meeting.

But the biggest takeaway and the most important part of that meeting was watching two high school students plead to the board for more mental health resources on campus.

The board immediately took action approving the allocation of more one-time funds to hiring counselors.

A wellness center is now in the works at Chico High which was revealed at the meeting.

It’s the right move for the sake of the students. They need a comfortable and welcoming place that feels safe.

Our stance has been to stay in the a.m./p.m. model and focus on a full reopening in the fall. Yes, Butte County is in the orange tier and more people have been vaccinated.

But it was clear during Wednesday’s meeting that some kids would still have to switch teachers and classes would have to be reconfigured to accommodate a proper full reopening since some parents wanted their children to remain online.

A haphazard approach to a full reopening is not the right way to go. It’d be unfair to those students who would have to be reassigned.

Neighboring school districts have been able to pull this off because they have the small numbers to make it work. Comparing Orland, Paradise and Durham to Chico is apples and oranges. Chico Unified serves over 12,000 students, making it the largest district in Butte County.

One of the positives from the a.m./p.m. model is that a lot of high school students went out and got part-time jobs. Many of them wrote to the board saying they didn’t want to quit their jobs.

They’re getting a jump start on what it’s like to work and balance school, a lifestyle that’s fairly common among college students. They’re able to learn some extra responsibility and save up some money for college.

By the time school reopens fully in the fall, we hope to see more mental health counselors on campus. We want to see a safe environment where students can seek immediate help and be comfortable.