SDUSD DELAYS REOPENING AS COVID-19 SURGE GETS WORSE

District plans to release new reopening timeline on Jan. 13

San Diego Unified no longer plans to reopen for in-person instruction in January, because of the worsening COVID-19 crisis.

The state’s second-largest school district had announced in October that it planned to reopen schools on Jan. 4 to all elementary students and on Jan. 25 to all middle and high school students as part of its “Phase Two” of reopening. The district had planned for students to engage in hybrid instruction, learning on campus part-time and at home part-time.

On Tuesday the district announced to staff and families that it will not open on those dates. It will instead reassess and release a new reopening timeline on Jan.

13.

“The decision to remain online longer than we had hoped will be disappointing to the many students, teachers and others who are eager to be back in the classroom.

However, the current spread of the coronavirus in our community makes it unsafe to move forward with Phase 2 of our reopening at this time,” the district said in a sober message sent to staff and families late Tuesday night.

The move was not unexpected. The district had said in October that reopening would be contingent on San Diego County getting and staying out of the state’s most restrictive purple tier — which the county is failing to do.

COVID-19 is surging to its highest levels since the pandemic began. All but six of California’s 58 counties are in the purple tier because they have widespread levels of COVID-19.

On Tuesday, San Diego County reported passing the milestone of more than 1,000 COVID-19 deaths since the pandemic began.

The county’s COVID-19 positive test rate also has been continually rising and is now at 6.3 percent, more than double what it had been for months since the last coronavirus surge in July. New daily case totals also are rising; the county has been adding 1,000 or more cases every day.

County COVID-19 hospitalizations have more than doubled over November, and hospitalizations are expected to continue to rise, since hospitalizations lag behind new cases by weeks.

State officials this week predicted that by Christmas Eve, hospitals around the state will be over capacity.

San Diego Unified and county officials have said they are anticipating the state will impose drastic measures in the coming days in an effort to contain the coronavirus.

It’s unclear what those measures are and whether the state will restrict in-person school instruction. Most San Diego County school districts are open for in-person instruction at least partially.

San Diego Unified is currently in its “Phase One” of reopening. It is providing limited in-person support sessions to students who are struggling academically and students with disabilities who have high needs.

About 2,000 elementary students — or about 2 percent of the district’s enrollment — have participated in Phase One. A fraction of eligible students is participating partly because Phase One is voluntary for teachers. Families also may be opting out of Phase One.

The district said it will continue providing Phase One in-person support despite the COVID-19 surge.

On Monday it will expand Phase One to include eligible middle and high school students, preschoolers, infants and toddlers. Until this point, Phase One has been open only to elementary students.