Panama-Buena Vista unveils its plans for reopening schools

Panama-Buena Vista Union School District unveiled its board-approved outline for gradually bringing students back on campus.

Though district officials unveiled a plan against the backdrop of Kern County entering the less restrictive red tier, which allows schools to open their doors freely, the district of18,500 students in southwest Bakersfield is planning a gradual reopening. The last phase of bringing in general education students wouldn’t begin until the new year.

That’s not unusual for a district of PBVUSD’s size. BCSD, a larger district, is planning a slow rollout with no date set on bringing back a general education population. Greenfield, a smaller district, also has no date set on bringing back its general population.

PBVUSD has already started bringing in its special education students with the highest needs and English language learners who need assessment. The next phase begins soon: On Oct. 19, the district is scheduled to bring in preschool special day classes.

The next four phases all have tentative start dates. District administrators said that local conditions at schools or even in the county could affect the schedule of those dates. But the third phase is scheduled for Nov. 2: That’s when the district plans to bring in transitional kindergarten and kindergarten special day classes as well as kindergarten students in their sheltered English immersion program.

On Nov. 16, the district tentatively plans to bring in primary special day classes as well as foster and homeless youth, and English learners. On Nov. 30, the district plans to bring in the intermediate and junior high special day classes. This is also when the first group of general education students is expected to arrive: transitional kindergartners.

The final phase — when general education students K through 8 are expected to be brought in, starting with primary grades — is tentatively scheduled for Jan. 4.

Besides many of the guidelines required by the state health department, the district is installing a new air ionizer purifier system.

View the district’s reopening plans at https://www.pbvusd. k12.ca.us/apps/ pages/index.jsp or email the district questions here open@ pbvusd.k12.ca.us.