On Tuesday, Fresno Unified Trustee Veva Islas said she’s “not in favor” of schools reopening, and it’s “unlikely” that students will return to campuses next month.

“However, we can not allow education to fail,” she said on her Facebook page.

Islas’ comments came just hours before the president of the Fresno teachers union said it was “very clear” schools could not safely reopen by Aug. 17, the first day of classes.

Islas said keeping the district’s 74,000 students six feet apart per social distancing guidelines was “impossible.”

“We will never be able to safely reopen until there is better control in our community,” Islas said. “The landscape today was much different than in March when we were all hopeful that our infection rate was decreasing.”

The remarks also follow comments on Monday from Superintendent Bob Nelson, who said schools were considering keeping classes online, at least to start the school year.

“For the past two weeks, in light of the recently-increasing COVID-19 case counts in Fresno County, we have also been discussing a fully digital instructional model to begin our school year,” Nelson said.

Fresno Unified hasn’t made a formal decision, but Nelson said people could expect an update on Friday.

Parents who have spoken with The Bee have mixed feelings about how schools should operate this fall.

As COVID-19 cases rise in the central San Joaquin Valley, some parents say they are afraid schools won’t be safe to reopen in the fall. But other parents say they’re even more worried about their children falling behind if campuses remain shuttered and students are forced to take classes exclusively online.

The Education Lab is a local journalism initiative that highlights education issues critical to the advancement of the San Joaquin Valley. It is funded by donors. Learn about The Bee’s Education Lab on our website.