YCUSD to implement hybrid learning model
Yuba City Unified School District plans to have elementary-school-aged students return to a hybrid learning model – part distance learning, part in-person.
Superintendent Doreen Osumi said the district's governing board took action Tuesday and approved the return to the a.m./p.m. hybrid in-person learning model for preschool through fifth-grade students beginning Jan. 19. Students had started distance learning on Jan. 11 after the winter break.
“We all want kids back in school,” Osumi said.
Bi-county Health Officer
Dr. Phuong Luu said she sent Yuba and Sutter county superintendents and principals a letter on Dec. 23 which recommended schools continue with distance learning until spring 2021 – with exceptions for special student populations.
“Given the continued high community transmission of COVID-19 in Yuba-sutter, my letter to the Yuba County and Sutter County superintendents and principals sent out on
Dec. 23, 2020, remains in effect,” Luu said. “It is an advisory letter, not an order, so it is up to each school district to carefully review
and decide for their respective school district.”
Osumi said families have the choice to return to in-person learning through the hybrid model or choose to have their students remain on distance learning.
“For families who want their child to be on campus, it meets that need and it allows those who want to stay on distance learning (to do so),” she said.
With families making those decisions, Osumi said school sites have a bit of a puzzle to figure out with class configuration.
According to a letter sent to YCUSD families, all students in preschool through fifth will be required to wear facial coverings when attending school, on the bus or for all school functions.
Children are encouraged to bring their own but one will be provided if they arrive at school without one.
If a child has a medical condition
or disability that impacts their ability to wear a facial covering, a note from their primary medical provider will be required to determine if they meet the requirements for an exception.
Osumi said sixth through 12th graders are tentatively scheduled to return to the classroom on Feb. 1, however, the district's board plans to have a special meeting to discuss it further and make a final decision.
Gary Cena, Marysville Joint Unified School District superintendent, said students in the district are continuing to be on distance learning for the time being except for some in-person services for vulnerable populations.
“(We are) planning according to the guidance,” Cean said. “... A key point of focus is on vaccinations. We're serving staff and looking at plans for how to roll out vaccinations.”
Luu said educators are included in Phase 1B, tier 1, for vaccinations. She said it could begin in a couple of weeks
but with the state's push to vaccinate those 65 years and older, the timeline could be impacted.
“We know the people who want to get vaccinated want it now, but please realize the scale of this monumental effort,” Luu said. “It takes reliance on steady and robust shipments of the doses; trained staff to administer the vaccines; and of course the administrative side including inventory, training, and making sure those who already received the first dose also follow up with their second dose.”
Cena said each person needs two shots for the COVID-19 vaccine – with the second dose being administered a few weeks after the first.
“We're appreciative of everything everyone's doing to slow the spread of COVID-19, ensure the safety of students and staff, maintain relationships and facilitate student learning,” Cena said. “Those are the four things that drive what we're doing with public health guidance serving as our compass.”