Two California cities say school to start online
Some classes there to resume in three weeks
SAN FRANCISCO — San Francisco and Sacramento became the latest cities in California to announce that public school students will not return to classrooms when the new term begins because of surges in coronavirus cases and delays in getting test results back.
They joined Los Angeles and San Diego, the state’s two largest school districts, along with Oakland, Long Beach, Santa Ana, San Bernardino and others that have chosen to start the new term with digital learning amid strong concerns from teachers unions about the safety of staff on school campuses.
With three weeks until some districts go back to school, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond said he expected more districts to announce plans for distance learning, amid a surge of new cases in many parts of the state.
“In any place where there is uncertainty, we should proceed with caution. In many cases, that’s going to be opening in distance learning,” Thurmond said.
However, there is no one-size-fitsall template for reopening schools, and classroom learning can still happen in counties or districts where it can be done safely, he said.
Many small, rural communities argue they shouldn’t have to comply with the same rules as big cities, where infection rates are higher, and Thurmond indicated he agreed.
“We have some counties in this state where the number of cases is actually quite low,” he said. “Schools in those counties will actually be able to open and, if they’re following the guidance that our experts have provided — hand washing, 6 feet of spacing, maintaining physical distance and of course, everyone wearing a face covering — we believe that those schools can open safely.”
In other developments:
Utah Gov. Gary Herbert carved out an exception to virus restrictions Thursday to allow Salt Lake City schools to fully reopen rather than hold classes online. The capital city has higher case numbers than most other parts of the state and remains under stricter rules aimed at stopping the spread of the virus. Those rules would have meant online or distance learning rather than in-person classes for Salt Lake students.
Two of Georgia’s largest school districts — in Fulton and Cobb counties — announced Thursday that they will not allow students to return to classrooms when schools resume, but instead offer instruction online only because of the coronavirus.
Police on Thursday arrested at least 11 protesters who tried to block buses from picking up Detroit students, the fourth day of demonstrations against voluntary summer classes during the coronavirus outbreak. The Detroit school district this week began offering online or in-person instruction to students. Students and teachers must wear masks, and class sizes are smaller to reduce virus risk.