ICOE issues guidelines for school reopenings
EL CENTRO -- The county’s schools appear they’ll be reopening for fall, although it’s not entirely clear yet what that will look like.
Gov. Gavin Newsom’s announcement Friday regarding reopening day camps, bars, gyms, campgrounds and professional sports also included guidance for the reopening this fall of the state’s schools, which have been closed since March.
Meanwhile, the Imperial County Office of Education issued a 24-page guidebook Friday intended to assist the districts with their reopening strategies. The document, entitled “Pathway to Reopening Our Schools,” is a collaborative collection of information, guidance, considerations and recommendations to support local school districts in developing district plans for re-opening schools for the 2020-21 school year.
When students return to classrooms in the fall, things could look vastly different. In addition to requirements for physical distancing, the state plans to supply every school and childcare center with no-touch thermometers, hand sanitizer, face shields for every teacher, cloth face coverings for staff and students and tight-fitting N-95 masks for healthcare professionals in schools.
“What educational services and school activities will look like in the fall is not yet known, and dependent on the evolution of local health conditions, guidance and available information,” said ICOE Safety & Emergency Preparedness Coordinator Alvaro Ramirez. “We are all searching for certainty in uncertain times. Patience and flexibility are key, critical components of our recovery efforts.”
As local schools resume in the fall, their approaches likely will vary from city to city, district to district and potentially school site to school site, ICOE said. Each individual plan will reflect the needs, priorities and capacity of each site to protect students and staff while providing essential services for students, families and greater community.
The state’s guidance asks schools to try to keep students 6 feet apart at all times — in class, in the hallways and at recess.
It also says schools should consider installing “portable hand- washing stations” as part of a rigorous hygiene regime urging students and staff to wash their hands before and after eating, coughing, sneezing, being outside and using the restroom.
The state also suggests staggering arrival times to minimize contact between students, staff and families and serving meals in classrooms or outdoors rather than in cafeterias. It calls for intensified cleaning and disinfecting — at least daily — of frequently touched surfaces on school buses and in buildings, such as door handles, light switches, student desks and chairs.
“What we know and learn about COVID- 19 will evolve, but our focus will continue to be on creating an environment in which our students feel safe when learning, our teachers feel safe when teaching, and our families trust that their students will be safe and protected in our care,” ICOE said.
The county education office said local educational leaders have been working closely with public health officials, as well as municipal and county government officials, to develop a strategy for reopening campuses in a “safe and thoughtful manner.”
The new guidebook is intended to help districts accomplish that.
“This document incorporates best practices based on what we know today,” stated Dr. Todd Finnell, county superintendent of schools. “However, the circumstances related to this pandemic are dynamic and ever- evolving, which will cause us to continually revisit our guidance and respective planning efforts.”
Among the unknowns in implementing these strategies are how they will be impacted by expected cutbacks in state funding for the 2020- 21 fiscal year and how pervasive the coronavirus will be in the community when fall does finally roll around.
Recently, Imperial County has seen a significant surge in COVID- 19 cases and ranks as having the highest rate of hospitalizations for the disease in the state. As of Friday, 22.6 percent of COVID- 19 testing in the county over the previous seven days was coming back positive.
That’s why planning is intended to be flexible, Ramirez said. “Like you, our local health picture continues to concern us tremendously,” he said. “Upon cursory review of the governor’s guidance, it is clear that the decision to implement the guidance should only take place in collaboration with local health officials and will be depending upon local health conditions and progress related to pre- established health metrics.”
“The Pathway to Reopening Our Schools: COVID- 19 Recovery Guidance” can be accessed online at: bit. ly/ ICOE- Recovery- Guidance.