Oakland set to phase in getting kids back in class

Classrooms will remain shuttered in Oakland when the school year begins next month, but not for long.

Schools plan to begin phasing in classroom instruction as soon as September, district officials said Friday, although the transition will depend on the ability to keep students safe during the coronavirus pandemic.

Students, parents and teachers have eagerly awaited the announcement of the district’s plan for the academic year that begins Aug. 10.

The first phase of distance learning will last up to four weeks, during which teachers and staff will be trained to safely implement classroom instruction, said John Sasaki, spokesman for Oakland Unified School District. The timeline and details of the next phases will be determined later based on science.

Blended learning means groups of students will rotate between going to school and completing virtual lessons at home. Each phase will progressively add more inperson instruction,

Sasaki said. Masks, deep cleaning, physical distancing and handwashing will be required to keep schools safe.

“We’re not going to be hasty in any decision that we make,” Sasaki said. “We’ve got another month to really figure out how we’re going to progress from one stage to the next.”

Superintendent Kyla JohnsonTrammell said the district’s decision aims to balance the risks of the coronavirus pandemic with those of social isolation and virtual learning for children.

“We want to have our students back in class as soon as possible, and welcoming them back to school has to be safe. But there is inherent tension between the everchanging science, keeping students and staff safe, and providing the services that students need,” JohnsonTrammell said. “The health and wellbeing of our students, staff and family members is, of course, paramount.”

The decision was made by the district’s COVID19 Action Team, which includes custodial and clerical staff, teachers, principals and district leaders. Public health experts were also consulted.

As students prepare for more virtual learning, the district is in the process of distributing computers and internet hotspots to students who lack them at home through a campaign that raised $12.5 million. The district’s Chromebook loaner program will also be extended, and officials are working on offering technology training for parents who need it, Sasaki said.

Districts across the state are facing the same dilemma in trying to balance health concerns and the social, emotional and academic benefits related to inperson learning.

Pediatricians and other health experts have increasingly called for education officials to get students back in class as soon as possible, while adhering to safety guidelines to help mitigate the spread of the coronavirus.

But it’s a balancing act, one based on the ability of each district to follow those guidelines, including social distancing in classrooms and enough teachers, nurses and custodians to reopen safely.

Some Bay Area districts plan to reopen full time to all students with health measures in place, while other districts expect to start the year with distance learning. Others have adopted a hybrid model, cycling groups of student for inperson instruction part of the day or week.

San Francisco students are unlikely to be back in class full time in the fall, but a formal plan isn’t expected until July 28, less than three weeks before the first day of school.

Like Oakland and other school districts, San Francisco is struggling with staffing and facilities challenges as well as shortfalls in funding to buy supplies like soap and hand sanitizer.

Whether to reopen schools to inperson learning has triggered a national debate among parents, teachers and politicians.

A new state law requires districts to reopen to students if allowed by county health officials — and if schools can adhere to requirements related to socially distancing, daily monitoring of symptoms, spacing on buses and daily cleaning and disinfecting.

And while many students and parents are urging schools to reopen, teachers in general have opposed inperson learning, especially as the number of cases continues to rise across the state and country.

“The recent surge in the infection rate and the closure of indoor activities in 26 counties gives us pause around the state’s preparedness for safe inperson school instruction in a short six to eightweek time frame,” said California Teacher Association officials in a letter to state legislators Wednesday. “Unfortunately, many local districts and communities don’t have the necessary resources or capacity to maintain even the most basic prevention measures of six feet physical distancing and limiting contacts, much less the other important preventative actions such as personal protective equipment, testing and tracing, or adequate ventilation and cleaning supplies.”

The Oakland plan was considered an administrative or operational decision and therefore did not go before the school board for a vote.

The district will host a virtual town hall at 5 p.m. Monday for community members to voice their thoughts and concerns.