The Selma Unified School District will start the 2020 school year all online after trustees voted Tuesday to pivot from recent plans that would have put students on campus a few days a week.

Superintendent Tanya Fisher brought the plan to the board after a lengthy meeting with other school officials in Fresno County, doctors from Valley Children’s Hospital, and public health officials.

“We clearly believe having students return to campus in a traditional model of all five days a week is optimal,” Fisher said, “however, unfortunately, this is not an option for us at this time due to increased spread of the COVID-19 virus and very high-risk levels.”

Selma Unified’s vote came on the same night as the Central Unified School District’s decision to start school the same way.

In both districts, officials say that as soon as it is safe to do so, they want to transition kids back to school. Other school districts in the county are expected to make their decisions soon, including Fresno Unified.

It’s been a rollercoaster of change, as school officials only recently rolled out plans that would have sent children back to school for up to two days a week.

“We have been consistently reminded that our plans are subject to change based on public health conditions,” Fisher said.

Nearly 60% of parents pre-registered their children when the hybrid model of learning was still on the table for fall, Fisher said, and of those, almost 40% indicated a preference for off-campus learning.

“I want to be clear that distance learning for the fall will look dramatically different than it did when we went out in March,” Fisher said.

After the vote, Fisher acknowledged that a more comprehensive plan would have to be rolled out soon, including more information for parents and teachers.

One of the district’s changes will likely include all employees, excluding those with chronic health conditions or who over 65, should return to the campus, trustees agreed. This includes teachers who will teach from their classrooms.

The district will also pay for internet for families who do not have it at their homes and distribute hotspots for families in rural areas who are out of coverage areas.

The first day of school is scheduled for Aug. 11.

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This story was originally published July 15, 2020 at 1:01 PM.