‘Long time in coming’
Eureka schools: Classes return to in-person learning for first time since March 2020 Superintendent: Plans for six-week summer school program are in the works now
Students attending Eureka City Schools return to class this week. All Eureka City Schools students interested in returning to in-person instruction had their first day of class on Monday with exception of Eureka High students who will return Tuesday.
“It’s fantastic,” Eureka City Schools Superintendent Fred Van Vleck told the Times-Standard on Monday. “I was out at school sites today, I had an opportunity to observe students in-person and it’s really nice to see it happening, it’s been a long time in coming.”
Approximately two-thirds of the district’s student body has returned for in-person instruction, Van Vleck said.
Fatima Naylor’s two sons Caden and Tate attend Eureka High and Zane Middle Schools. Both of her sons have special needs that have posed additional challenges to distance learning.
“The uncertainty was the roughest part of it all because we have two boys that thrive on routine,” Naylor told the Times Standard on Monday morning. “It’s hard to explain to other people but they expect to get up at a specific time to go to school to see their people and then we had to tell them that wasn’t happening and we didn’t know when. The worst part was just not knowing.”
Although in-person learning won’t be the same as it was prepandemic, Naylor said the faceto-face interaction with teachers and peers is vital.
“We told them it’s gonna look different but at the end of the day, the face-to-face interaction with their teachers and just being able to see kids is huge,” Naylor said. “Obviously, the kids that need individualized attention like mine, I mean this is the way to go. Again, it’s going to look different, but they were so happy that didn’t matter.”
Betsy Totten’s son Lincoln attends second grade at Washington Elementary and celebrated his 8th birthday on his first day back in class.
“When the board voted to
start A/B cohorts again, we told Lincoln and he started to cry tears of joy — we all cried, to be honest,” Totten said. “Lincoln told us last night that going back to school is ‘the best birthday present he could have ever asked for.’ It’s been a tough year.”
Totten said she is grateful for her son’s teacher Molly Schrum who has “made learning fun and engaging, even via the computer.”
“Distance learning for Lincoln on an academic level was fine,” Totten told the Times-Standard via email. “However, the hardest part of it all has been the lack of socialization which is so crucial for these growing minds. Local children as young as 6 are suffering from depression and I have heard from other parents that there are several children on suicide watch. While my son hasn’t suffered as much as hundreds of others, it has been very hard on him emotionally and mentally.”
Totten hopes this experience will highlight the importance of mental health for all ages and underscore the need for increased support of schools and their educators.
“The fact that gyms, restaurants and movie theaters were all open when kids could not go to school is beyond comprehensible and shows the lack prioritization when it comes to schools and our kids,” Totten said.
Totten praised Washington Elementary staff adding, “They are all truly heroes.”
During a state address on Monday morning, Gov. Gavin Newsom and state lawmakers provided an update on California’s school reopening efforts. A proposed budget package would provide $6.6 billion to public schools; $2 billion for safety measures to support in-person instruction such as testing, PPE and ventilation upgrades and $4.6 billion for expanded learning opportunities such as summer school, tutoring and mental health services.
“That means about $1.2 million for Eureka City Schools and for the Extended Learning Program that means about $2.7 million,” Van Vleck said, adding that the district has already begun advertising its summer school program. “Our plan right now is to at least have one site for elementary, one site for middle and then, of course, Eureka High School. Depending on the interest we have
in the community, we may expand beyond the single site for elementary or the single site for our middle school students.”
The summer school program would essentially extend the school year, similar to Newsom’s state proposal, Van Vleck said.
“We could talk about it multiple ways, right? A summer school program could be considered an extended school year program,” he said. “We’re looking at likely a six-week program ranging somewhere in the 120-hour range. We’re going to do both enrichment and remediation, that’s a fancy way of saying we’re going to be doing makeup classes and offering elective type classes. It will be the biggest summer school program we’ve had in decades.”
According to Newsom, the goal is to get public schools back to in-person instruction for grades K-2 and for high-needs students in all grades by the end of the month. California lawmakers will vote on the proposed budget package Thursday.
“I look forward, after that vote on Thursday, to quickly signing this and moving forward to celebrating the reopening for in-person instruction in schools all up and down the state of California,” Newsom said.
start A/B cohorts again, we told Lincoln and he started to cry tears of joy — we all cried, to be honest,” Totten said. “Lincoln told us last night that going back to school is ‘the best birthday present he could have ever asked for.’ It’s been a tough year.”
Totten said she is grateful for her son’s teacher Molly Schrum who has “made learning fun and engaging, even via the computer.”
“Distance learning for Lincoln on an academic level was fine,” Totten told the Times-Standard via email. “However, the hardest part of it all has been the lack of socialization which is so crucial for these growing minds. Local children as young as 6 are suffering from depression and I have heard from other parents that there are several children on suicide watch. While my son hasn’t suffered as much as hundreds of others, it has been very hard on him emotionally and mentally.”
Totten hopes this experience will highlight the importance of mental health for all ages and underscore the need for increased support of schools and their educators.
“The fact that gyms, restaurants and movie theaters were all open when kids could not go to school
is beyond comprehensible and shows the lack prioritization when it comes to schools and our kids,” Totten said.
Totten praised Washington Elementary staff adding, “They are all truly heroes.”
During a state address on Monday morning, Gov. Gavin Newsom and state lawmakers provided an update on California’s school reopening efforts. A proposed budget package would provide $6.6 billion to public schools; $2 billion for safety measures to support in-person instruction such as testing, PPE and ventilation upgrades and $4.6 billion for expanded learning opportunities such as summer school, tutoring and mental health services.
“That means about $1.2 million for Eureka City Schools and for the Extended Learning Program that means about $2.7 million,” Van Vleck said, adding that the district has already begun advertising its summer school program. “Our plan right now is to at least have one site for elementary, one site for middle and then, of course, Eureka High School. Depending on the interest we have in the community, we may expand beyond the single site for elementary or the single site for our middle school students.”
The summer school program would essentially extend the school year, similar to Newsom’s state proposal, Van Vleck said.
“We could talk about it multiple ways, right? A summer school program could be considered an extended school year program,” he said. “We’re looking at likely a six-week program ranging somewhere in the 120-hour range. We’re going to do both enrichment and remediation, that’s a fancy way of saying we’re going to be doing makeup classes and offering elective type classes. It will be the biggest summer school program we’ve had in decades.”
According to Newsom, the goal is to get public schools back to in-person instruction for grades K-2 and for high-needs students in all grades by the end of the month. California lawmakers will vote on the proposed budget package Thursday.
“I look forward, after that vote on Thursday, to quickly signing this and moving forward to celebrating the reopening for in-person instruction in schools all up and down the state of California,” Newsom said.