Will Sacramento City schools open classrooms in September? It’s looking ‘highly unlikely’
As California’s two largest school districts announced plans to continue distance learning only models in the fall, there is growing apprehension among teachers in the Sacramento City Unified School District about classroom instruction beginning in September.
The district has announced the resumption of in-person classes on Sept. 3, but some teachers say they are skeptical that the district has the capacity to reopen campuses safely and according to the guidelines.
The Sacramento City Teachers Association met virtually with district officials and said they urged a more robust distance learning program.
“The pandemic spike makes beginning any in-person instruction on September 3 highly unlikely,” read a statement from SCTA President David Fisher. “When the two largest school districts in California acknowledge the enormous safety concerns of resuming in-person instruction our district leaders cannot ignore the need to develop and improve our ability to teach remotely.”
Sacramento City Unified leaders said any future decisions would be grounded in public health recommendations.
“In addition to planning for an option of full distance learning which includes, assessments, accountability, and high-quality instruction, we are also preparing for a blended model where smaller numbers of students can attend school in-person, part of the time,” said Sacramento City Unified Superintendent Jorge Aguilar. “We will not implement a plan that is unsafe for our students or staff.
“While our goal is to Return Together with both a distance learning and blended model on September 3, we have been very clear that we must be prepared to adjust our plans based on public health conditions and recommendations from state and county health officials.”
Los Angeles Unified and San Diego Unified school districts, which combined educate more than 700,000 students, will continue distance learning from home to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus, which hit alarming surges in the past few weeks. Santa Clara Unified also cited the current surge in COVID-19 cases for its campus closures, and officials said the spike made it impossible to bring students safely back into the classroom. Late Monday, districts in Stanislaus County said they would do the same.
The situation remains dynamic for Sacramento County, changing as the case numbers spiked throughout the summer. Sacramento County Health Director Dr. Peter Beilenson said public health officials will be watching the case numbers.
On Monday, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced the re-closure of 30 counties, including Sacramento, Placer and Yolo. Gyms, salons, malls, and places of worship were all ordered to close.
Are schools safe amid COVID-19?
Last week, the California Teachers Association released a statement, calling into question the safety of re-openings, particularly given the rapid changes in case numbers.
“It is clear that communities and school districts have not come close to meeting the threshold for a safe return to in-person learning, even under a hybrid model,” said statement from the California Teachers Association.
Luther Burbank High School teacher Larry Ferlazzo said teachers want to return to their classrooms, but some are skeptical of the district’s commitment to safety.
Ferlazzo said before the school closures, teachers and students were consistently helping with keeping classrooms clean and sanitized.
“It’s not that custodians didn’t do their job; they are just stretched too thinly,” he said.
Burbank’s ZIP code, 95823, has the highest number of infections in the county, though students from adjoining ZIP codes also attend the school. The increase in reported cases there was due in part, health officials said, to a testing site which opened a month ago.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if we go to distance learning, but I do hope that we still have limited face to face instruction with the most vulnerable student groups, like (English-language learners) and special ed,” he said. “I’d feel comfortable going to school to teach ELLs with small numbers of students on campus and the present number of custodians we have, assuming we have social distancing and mask requirements.
Currently, the Sacramento County Office of Education’s guidelines, which were released June 1, state that families are recommended to take a child’s temperature daily before they leave for school. Anyone with a fever of 100.4 degrees or higher should not go to school, according to the guidelines.
Beilenson said his conversations with County Superintendent David Gordon have included guidelines on masks, buses and testing.
“We can’t test that frequently, we can’t test every day. We are going to run into problems pretty quickly. We are writing guidance on who really needs testing,” he said. “Parents are going to want their kid to be tested (if someone in their cohort is positive). The teacher will want to get tested. We’re afraid that will affect attendance.”
Gordon said the Office of Education relies on guidance from Beilenson and Dr. Olivia Kasirye, who he says have been very accessible.
“We always try to be guided by the science and good advice of our medical professionals and will continue to do so in the future,” Gordon said.
Ultimately, it’s up to the district superintendents and their school boards to decide how they will structure their cohorts and plan their schedules. Some of the guidelines, such as physical distancing between students, must be followed.
Masks, buses, social distancing
Beilenson said masks must be worn on school grounds, in class and outdoors by students, parents and staff. There are exceptions. Younger students would not be required to wear masks, and students who are sports training will not be required to wear them on the field.
Students who ride the bus will sit in a “Z” format, a zigzagging seating arrangement to maintain 6 feet of distance, Beilenson said.
While Sacramento City Unified has not yet released reopening plans that include school schedules, it has released a detailed list precautions and recommendations it will take to open schools safely. The school board meets virtually on Thursday to continue discussing its plans for reopening. All school boards in the region are still meeting virtually.
Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg said he anticipates students would return to campuses slowly.
“We are going to have to have at least some significant element of continued distance learning,” he said Monday. “Hopefully everyone has learned from the experience with very little preparation time over these last couple of months, and distance learning itself could be improved in ways that help ensure that students get as much as a full educational experience as possible.”
Several of those school districts began sharing their reopening plans for the fall, just before the spike of cases began in the last few weeks.
Elk Grove Unified is offering students two new educational models for the school year: a transitional and a full distance learning model. Students who choose to return to the classroom will be back on campus two to four days a week, depending on grade level.
Some school districts, including Folsom Cordova Unified, are bringing students back to campus four days a week. Districts which have released reopening plans are also providing distance learning options for students.
This story was originally published July 13, 2020 at 4:15 PM with the headline "Will Sacramento City schools open classrooms in September? It’s looking ‘highly unlikely’."