Marin delays reopening classes
New school term to start with mostly remote learning
Marin County public health and education officials announced Wednesday that TK-12 schools in Marin should plan to delay the start of in-person classroom instruction at least until after Labor Day.
The new guidelines, which call for a phased-in approach starting with remote instruction and small inperson groups in August, are to give school staff and students more time for health and safety orientations to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
“Our goal is to support the health and well-being of students and staff during this process,” officials said in a joint statement. “We recognize the concerns and anxiety surrounding the return to the classroom and believe that a transitional approach will allow staff and students to feel more comfortable in this new environment.”
Safety measures include the use of face coverings for K-12 students and staff, regular hand washing and classroom sanitizing and social distancing.
The joint statement, sent by the Marin County Office of Education and Marin County Public Health, came less than an hour after San Rafael City Schools and Miller Creek School District both announced they were opting for full remote instruction to start the fall term. The two San Rafael districts were the first in Marin to announce they had decided not to try for in-person classroom instruction at the beginning of the semester.
“After careful and thoughtful consultation with our labor partners, our task force committees, our parents, students, administrators, partner organizations and members of the board of education, we have made the difficult decision that San Rafael City Schools will begin the 2020-21 school year in a full remote learning model for all students,” Superintendent Jim Hogeboom said.
The countywide announcement is in response to surges in COVID-19 cases regionally and in Marin — including an increase in cases among youth and young adults. This activity, in combination with a surge in hospitalizations, placed Marin County on the state’s “watch list.”
In addition, California is facing statewide testing scarcity, making it difficult to ensure adequate testing resources are available to perform rapid testing if a local school should experience COVID activity.
“We still have hope that we can bring students back into schools full time, but with the current spikes we’re seeing in Marin County and across the region, we need more time,” said Dr. Matt Willis, Marin County public health officer. “We’ve been watching the data closely. If we open when community transmission is high, we may have to close classrooms more frequently, which could be even more disruptive.”
Mary Jane Burke, the county superintendent of schools, said districts during this transition period may choose to bring small groups of students into the classroom to get to know their new classroom environment and conduct academic and emotional assessments. Teachers can return to the classroom and meet with students individually or in small cohorts, as well as prepare for the eventual return to in-classroom instruction when county public health officials deem it safe to do so.
Students have been in classroom environments, using protocols developed by county public health officials, through pop-up childcare programs since March 19. On May 18, Marin County special education and alternative education classes reopened under the guidance of public health.
The news Wednesday also dovetails with efforts by Marin’s other two largest school districts — Novato Unified School District and Tamalpais Union High School District — to craft a reopening plan that offered flexibility and choice for parents and students.
More than 500 people commented at FacebookLive/NovatoUnified during a presentation on reopening Wednesday afternoon. Novato Unified was offering two tracks for parents — full remote for at least one semester, or a flexible hybrid model that could toggle back and forth, depending on health status and any outbreaks. The district had announced a deadline Monday for parents to decide.
On Tuesday night, Tamalpais Union trustees discussed their potential hybrid instructional reopening model. At least two trustees said they were feeling nervous about it because of the spike in COVID cases. They said they were leaning toward a full remote opening in the fall.