County shrinks safety buffers

Anti-virus distance cut to 3 feet for classmates

Marin schools will adopt new, lower federal minimum distances between students of 3 feet, the county’s public health officer said Monday.

“This will remove some of the last barriers to reopening full time for all of our schools,” Dr. Matt Willis said.

The county, which previous had recommended no less than 4 feet between students, will revise all its official safety guidelines documents to 3 feet, he said.

“It sounds like a small difference, but it makes a big difference to schools,” Willis added. “At 4 feet, some schools were not able to get all their kids into their classrooms at one time.”

The new guidance comes as campuses at all 116 Marin schools are open for at least 10% in-person learning. In addition, multiple Marin school districts have already increased their in-person instruction time dramatically — or are planning to do so after students return from spring break on April 12.

“It became clear early in the pandemic that for the good of our children we needed a plan for reopening schools as soon as it was safe to do so,” Willis said.

Willis said the county was following new guid

ance issued Friday by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The agency, which had previously recommended 6 feet of distancing, now says various studies indicate schools could reopen safely using 3 feet of distance between students if everyone wore masks and used various other safety precautions, such as sanitation and testing.

Willis is planning a public webinar to officially announce the new guidelines at 11 a.m. Tuesday. Access details are at bit.ly/3cVGfVO.

Some statewide teachers unions said they wanted to stay with the federal agency’s original 6-foot recommendations.

“We are concerned that our schools lack the time needed to now update other mitigation measures, including adjusting ventilation based on an increased number of students in classrooms,” Jeff Freitas, president of the California Federation of Teachers, said in an email. The union represents teachers in some Marin districts, including Tamalpais Union, Novato Unified and San Rafael City Schools.

“CFT will continue to advocate for 6 feet of distancing at the local level, because we know it adds to the safety of the classroom environment, we know our educators and students need stability, and we know

that it helps keep class sizes smaller to strengthen the connections between the educators and students in the classroom, especially during these times,” Freitas said.

The promise of vaccines for teachers was a factor in reaching the 10% level of in-person instruction at all schools, although many Marin schools started reopening in person before the county began mass vaccinations for school staff, Willis said.

“Most schools countywide had reopened following strict safety plans well before vaccines arrived,” Willis said. “Vaccines are offering another layer of protection to those working so hard to support the academic, social and emotional wellness of our children.”

The county offered mass vaccination events on Jan. 17 and Feb. 7 for about 1,200 front-line school workers. On March 6 and 13, first shots were offered to about 4,000 in-person teachers and staff. Second shots will be given Saturday and April 3.

The rest of Marin’s estimated 9,000-person school workforce is also being offered vaccines through local pharmacies or other providers.

“It is remarkable and reassuring that every single educator, which includes anyone working within a school site or district office, has received an opportunity for a COVID-19 vaccination,” said Mary Jane Burke, Marin County superintendent of schools.

“Youth-serving

organizations

directly providing sports, arts, academic enrichment and other programs so important to our children were also invited for a vaccine,” she said.

Marin school districts that are expecting to have expanded in-person models by April 12 include Novato Unified, LarkspurCorte Madera, Mill Valley and Reed Union.

In Larkspur-Corte Madera, officials reached agreement last week with the district’s teachers union, the Larkspur-Corte Madera Education Association, on a memorandum of understanding for this spring and next year, according to Brett Geithman, the district superintendent.

“On March 15, we were able to come to an agreement for an MOU through June 30, 2022 — as well as a tentative agreement through 2023,” he said Friday. Agreements have also been reached with classified staff.

The district has also purchased 500 single-student desks to replace the classroom tables so that students can be spaced farther apart, Geithman said.

Reed Union schools, which have been in an expanded in-person model for some time, will go back to all-remote for a week after spring break in order to enforce quarantines for possible out-of-county holiday travel, said Nancy Lynch, the district superintendent.

“To mitigate the spread of COVID on campus following break, we will be in distance

learning from April 12 to 16,” Lynch said. The district will resume a five-daysper-week, full-time schedule on April 19, she said.

The Mill Valley School District will go to full time, five days per week on April 12. Students will be in selfdirected distance learning April 1 and 2 so that teachers can have time to create the new schedules prior to spring break, which starts April 5.

At the Novato Unified School District, kindergarten through eighth grade will resume five days per week on April 12. Ninth through 12th graders will be in-person four days per week. Some district parents had lobbied for the expanded hours to start earlier, but trustees agreed last week that the April 12 date will give staff better breathing room over the holiday.

“Starting on April 12 gives teachers and staff adequate time to prepare for additional students, recognizes that many teachers and staff will receive their second vaccine dose around March 27, and allows time for the district to reconfigure classrooms,” said Leslie Benjamin, the district spokeswoman.

At the Tamalpais Union High School District, students will move from three to two cohorts after April 12 — meaning there will be expanded in-person learning time on school campuses for all students. The district plans for a full-time, fivedays-per-week reopening by the fall.