State gives school districts guidelines for reopening

The State Superintendent of Public Instruction on Monday released new guidelines for school districts to reopen this fall as the COVID-19 pandemic raises concerns for teachers and families about returning to campus.

The guidance, titled “Stronger Together: A Guidebook for the Safer Opening of California’s Public Schools,” was posted on the California Department of Education’s

website Monday afternoon, after state superintendent Tony Thurmond announced the release during a press conference.

Guidelines suggested in the document included having students separated by six feet, and having their temperature taken every day as they arrive on campus.

In addition, both students and teachers, as well as administrative staff, should wear face coverings at all times, according to the guidance.

“As our students return, schools will have to look dramatically different for their own safety and for the opportunity to accelerate learning,” Thurmond said in a media statement Monday. “We know that guidance is only as good as its implementation, so think of this as the beginning of the conversation — not the end. We know that for many of us, this is the toughest challenge that we’ll ever face, perhaps in our lifetime. But when it comes to ensuring that California students continue receiving a highquality education — and doing so safely — we must rise to meet the challenge.”

Thurmond’s guidance also suggests scheduling ideas to ensure social distancing among students is followed. Schedules suggested include a two-day rotation which would have K-3 students on campus twice a week and older students at school two other days; and a week blended model where half the student population of a school is on campus for four days of a week while the other half engages in distance learning.

Staggered schedules were also suggested in the guidance, where certain grade levels would either begin or end at different times throughout the day.

In his press conference Monday, Thurmond said there were no mandates in the guidance, and there is “no one size fits all approach” for schools to reopen.

The Lodi Unified School District Board of Education has held a study session and regular meeting to discuss methods of reopening in recent weeks.

A district task force suggested an AM/PM model that would allow 50% of students to attend classes at all district campuses in the mornings, and the other 50% of students to attend in the afternoon.

Class sizes would be anywhere from 14 to 20 students in a room, and all students would visit their campuses twice a week.

Students would participate in distance learning on Fridays, which staff said would also be the day teachers could be able to prepare for the next week’s lessons.

A 25% model would have a quarter of a school’s students return to campus once a week and have one day reserved for distance learning. On days where students are on campus, they would be divided into four different groups for instruction.

All models include social distancing measures and consistent cleaning and disinfecting of surfaces to ensure campuses are free of COVID-19.

“Our staff will carefully review all guidance from state and health officials as we move forward with the planning process,” superintendent Dr. Cathy Nichols-Washer said in an email to parents Monday afternoon. “We will continue to share updates with you as new information is available.”

The district sent a survey to parents and guardians regarding the suggested instructional models for the 2020-21 school year over weekend, and comments will be accepted until June 12.

The surveys can be found at https://bit.ly/2UhMuKW (English) and https://bit.ly/30ezzgH (Spanish).

The state’s complete guidance document can be found at www.cde.ca.gov/nr /ne/yr20/yr20rel42.asp.