Livermore Schools Won't Reopen This Fall

LIVERMORE, CA — Gov. Gavin Newsom confirmed on Friday what Livermore Valley Joint Unified School District officials had already been considering: Local schools will return to distance learning models in the fall.

In order for a school district to open for in-class instruction, it must be in a county that has been off the state monitoring list for 14 consecutive days. Currently, Alameda County is among the 32 counties that are on the monitoring list. There are 58 counties in California.

On Wednesday LVJUSD officials said they were exploring either starting out the school year on August 25 via distance learning or a hybrid model involving part-time on-campus instruction. Parents surveyed indicated a strong desire to send students back to school, they wrote.

The distance learning model involves daily, scheduled online meetings with teachers and classmates through online learning platform Schoology, officials wrote. Curriculum will involve a mix of guided and independent learning.

Students can also participate in clubs through Schoology.

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Here's What CA Schools Will Look Like

All 6.15 million school age children in California will be governed by the guidelines, whether they attend public or private schools. The governor hinted that universities will follow the guidelines as well, once a new president is installed at the California State University System.

Newsom also noted that California's newly signed budget includes $5.3 billion additional funding to ensure quality education.

Masks will be mandated for students in third grade and above, and recommended but not required for younger students.

The physical distancing requirements for schools are the same as for the rest of California — six feet. That includes distance between desks, and distance between teachers and students.

Testing for coronavirus will be rigorous. It includes daily temperature checks, and a requirement to test staff regularly. At the outset of his new conference, the governor emphasized the importance of all staff members, from teachers to office workers to custodial staff. Contract tracers with rigorous training from UCLA and UCSF will be made available to schools.

Once a school district reopens, there is no guarantee that it will remain open. Individual classrooms may be sent home and schools may be required to close when an outbreak is detected. If enough schools in a district are impacted, the entire district will be required to close.

One of the most divisive arguments raging around the surge in coronavirus cases in California, and across the United States, has been what to do about the start of the new school year. Should children attend school in the classroom, online or a via hybrid of the two?

School districts up and down the Golden State have painstakingly drawn and redrawn plans this summer, with school start dates looming next month. Educators said they have to consider the children first — are they successfully learning online, is there enough technology for all students, how are children protected from COVID-19 in the classroom, and how can districts emphasize that special education students are not getting lost in the turmoil?

Teachers are also a major consideration — do they have the training and tools for distance learning, and should they be forced to return to the classroom if they have pre-existing health conditions that make them vulnerable to the coronavirus, or if they are family caregivers?

A point that has nothing to do with education, yet greatly impacts families, is the need for children to return to the classroom in order for some parents to return to the workforce.

The American Academy of Pediatrics said earlier this month that children belong in the classroom. In a joint statement with several education associations, it said, "We recognize that children learn best when physically present in the classroom. But children get much more than academics at school. They also learn social and emotional skills at school, get healthy meals and exercise, mental health support and other services that cannot be easily replicated online."

But the pediatrics group also said that reopening plans should be based on science and should be made at the local level: "For instance, schools in areas with high levels of COVID-19 community spread should not be compelled to reopen against the judgment of local experts. A one-size-fits-all approach is not appropriate for return-to-school decisions."

On Friday, Newsom imposed a one-size-fits-all approach on California schools. And the science behind the decision:

• 364,835 confirmed cases of coronavirus in California
• 7,490 coronavirus deaths in California

Patch editor Bea Karnes contributed to this report.

See Also:

• Coronavirus In California: What To Know
• Several CA Retailers Closing Due To Coronavirus

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