PUSD working to get kids back in classroom

Hope to apply for K-6 waiver soon

Porterville Unified School District hopes to apply soon to Tulare County for waivers allowing students to return to the classroom in grades K-6.

In addition the district has also begun to take advantage of another provision allowing students who are having the most difficulty with distance learning to return to the classroom.

PUSD superintendent Nate Nelson said those students began returning to the classroom last week.

PUSD superintendent Nate Nelson said the district is putting together waiver applications for all of its elementary schools to begin inperson instruction for grades K-6. “We’re in the process of getting our waivers,” he said.

When asked about a timetable for when the waiver applications will be submitted, Nelson said, “I’m hoping it’s within the next week or so.”

Nelson said it’s obviously more difficult for a large district to put together the waiver applications than it is for smaller schools. He added when it comes to applying for the waivers at all the district’s elementary schools there are “different parameters in place at each school site.”

He said the district is still working on making sure students can return to school as safely as possible. And he stressed all those who are affected including parents, students and educators and their labor organizations are involved in the process.

The state has provided guidelines for schools to allow for students who are having the most dif

ficult time with distance learning to return to the classroom. Under these guidelines, those such as special education students, English learners and students who may

be foster children or may even be homeless have begun to return to the classroom in the PUSD district.

Nelson said more of those such students in the district having the most difficulty with distance learning would return to the classroom this week.

Under the guidelines a combination of 16 students and adults with up to 14 students are allowed in a classroom. “Our focus right now is the small cohorts,” said Nelson about students struggling the most with distance learning returning to the classroom.

The guidelines also allow for 25 percent of a school’s normal enrollment up to 250 students to return to the classroom. “We’re not approaching those numbers,” Nelson said. “We’re not approaching anything like that.”

But he said the district is focused on re

turning as many of its students as it can. “We want to bring them back as soon as possible,” he said.

He added the district is really focused on returning kindergarten and first grade students to the classroom. “It’s difficult to get the newer students accli

mated,” he said.

Nelson said once the district waivers are approved, it’s expected not all grades K-6 will return at first. “I imagine once again we would bring students back in stages starting with the younger students,” he said.