DISTRICT REVIEWS RETURN TO CAMPUS
Trustees, administrators evaluate first week of in-person learning
On Monday, most K-12 grade students in the Woodland Joint Unified School District flocked back to their respective campuses for the first day of in-person learning.
During a special school board meeting Thursday night, Associate Superintendent Elodia Ortega-Lampkin led trustees through an update on how the first week of phase three has gone and some of the next steps the district hopes to take in the weeks and months ahead.
Administrators at selected sites organized welcome back signs and balloons marking the festive occasion. Signage also filled the fences indicating where certain grade level students would enter the campus.
“Our administrators have been working really hard and preparing and making sure that the school’s sites are prepared,” Ortega-Lampkin said. “There was a lot of excitement, a lot of smiles, and a lot of buzz. It was just a wonderful first few days of having our students back on campus.”
In the classrooms, custodial staff spaced out desks to three feet. Other precautions and guidelines included mask-wearing, hand washing stations, opened up air conditioning vents and new filters, air purifiers in each classroom. These efforts were in addition to screening procedures and temperature checks before students entered their respective campuses.
“We felt our staff and principals did a good job of making
sure everyone was ready,” Ortega-Lampkin said. “Students were very cooperative and very willing to follow the protocols. Everyone was wearing their mask did a good job adjusting to this new way of being in school.”
According to Superintendent Tom Pritchard, asymptomatic testing of staff and then students could soon be part of the procedures.
“We are not there yet,” Pritchard said. “What we are doing is working with Healthy Davis Together to have that in place pretty quick within the next couple of weeks, ideally so we can do some asymptomatic testing for our staff.”
According to Pritchard, the district will look to get enough operational support to get testing going later this semester or early next school year for the students.
Any students who opted out of in-person learning who now feel like they are missing out or have just changed their mind had until Friday, April 16, to try to change their status. If any students miss the Friday deadline, their situation would be accessed by site principals on a case-by-case basis. Classroom space or availability would be a factor in getting the student back as well.
“No choice was a good choice,” said Trustee Rogelio Villagrana. “The best choice was to be in-person 100 percent, but because of the guidelines, we can’t do that. I wish we could without violating what we swore to uphold. This is the second-best thing right now that we could do. I’m very happy to see that reinforcement. In my eyes and heart, we made the right decision regardless of what anyone else said.”
The district administrators will soon be shifting their focus to phases four and five and any end-of-theyear activities and summer school plans. More information will be provided on those activities during the next regular board meeting.