Miller Creek school students back for in-person classes
Students in the Miller Creek School District returned to campus after almost six weeks at home due to a suspension of inperson classes in late November and then two weeks of holiday break.
The students are following a hybrid plan that includes a mix of in-person learning and remote instruction.
“Everything went according to plan,” said Becky Rosales, the district superintendent.
Rosales said the decision to cancel in-person learning starting Nov. 30 was a complicated matter and not specifically tied to the resignation of three temporary teachers at Vallecito Elementary School. The resignations were accepted by the Miller Creek board of trustees at their meeting in November, Rosales said.
“The difficult decision to return to remote learning was in response to several complexities, including increased Thanksgiving holiday travel, increased requests for independent study contracts, advised quarantines for students and staff, increased positive case rates, and more — all of which created stress on our small system,” Rosales said.
The teachers who resigned declined to comment, but a union leader said the surge in coronavirus cases in the late fall made them fearful of returning to inperson learning as the district had planned.
“Unfortunately, we have had some of our excellent educators leave the district because of the return to in-person instruction,” said Tara Costello, president of
the 113- member Miller Creek Education Association. “Throughout the pandemic, we have stood by our members as they have had to make their individual choices and do what is best for themselves and their families.”
Costello said the teacher resignations “did result in some staffing shortages as well as class changes.” But she emphasized that instruction has continued as each teacher has tried to deal with his or her own situation.
“Let’s be clear — our educators have never stopped teaching, and our students have never stopped learning,” Costello said. “Just because the pandemic required us to work in a virtual learning environment for a time does not mean the education ever stopped.”
The district chose to return students to in-person learning in “waves,” with a new group of classes and grade levels coming back to campus every few weeks, starting with the youngest children. The eighth- graders who returned on Thursday were the oldest children in the K- 8 district of three elementary schools — Lucas Valley, Vallecito and Mary E. Silveira — and Miller Creek Middle School.
Since opening its campuses in early fall, the district has closed three student “cohorts” because of coronavirus infections, Rosales said.
Marin public health officials and Gov. Gavin Newsom have issued urgent calls for students and teachers to return to inperson learning. Newsom has pledged $2 billion statewide to encourage school districts that have not yet opened for in-person learning to do so.
In Marin, 82% of schools have opened for at least 10% in-person learning.
Dr. Matt Willis, the county’s public health officer, has said that teachers will be next in line for vaccines, possibly by late January or early February. Marin is also ramping up virus testing at schools.
“We strongly recommend teachers get tested,” said Dr. Lisa Santora, Marin deputy public health officer. New guidance issued by the county recommends at least monthly testing for all teachers and school staff.