Elementary schools may be eligible for in-class instruction
EL CENTRO — Just when county elementary schools appeared consigned to the idea of starting in the fall with continued distance learning, the state has thrown in a potential new wrinkle.
Although the county’s recent COVID numbers and its presence on the state’s watch list appeared to make virtual instruction a certainty, County Public Health Officer Dr. Stephen Munday told the county Board of Supervisors Tuesday that schools in counties on the watch list could seek a waiver to allow in-school instruction for students from kindergarten to sixth grade. He said this new direction came from the California Department of Public Health.
The school districts, Munday explained, would have to request the waiver at the beginning of the process. It would then be forwarded to the Imperial County Board of Health for its review before being sent to the State Board of Health for the final decision.
Charter or private schools would have to follow the same guidelines as public schools, Munday said.
After the meeting, the Public Health Department had little to add to Munday’s comments. “At this time, no decision has been made locally regarding school waivers,” the department Public Information Officer Fernanda Lynch wrote in an email. “The Imperial County Public Health Department has and will continue to work closely with the Imperial County Office of Education on the safe reopening of schools.”
Munday said a superintendent or a school leader, such as a headmaster, can apply to their local health officer for a school or district waiver. The California Department of Public Health on its website said the data show younger children are far
less likely to be infected and transmit the virus.
Munday said schools that apply for the waiver must have reopening plans that include items like a plan for cleaning and disinfection, face masks, testing, and social distancing guidelines. He told the board he will meet with school district leaders, who are monitoring the situation, today.