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Clovis schools will give parents a choice to send their children back to campus full time to start the school year or keep them home for online education.

Enrollment announcements are expected in the coming days. Classes begin Aug. 17.

Parents can choose to let their children return to classes on campuses five days a week. A variety of health precautions will be taken on campuses, including mask-wearing and social distancing, officials said.

Parents not comfortable with in-person classes amid the growing coronavirus pandemic can decide to enroll their children in online education full time.

Fresno County reported 123 new cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday. Fresno County leads the counties in the central San Joaquin Valley with 8,941 cases, the state numbers show. A total of 91 people have died in Fresno County in connection with the virus.

The move bucks a growing trend of California public schools beginning the school year online. Other large districts across the state, including Los Angeles, San Diego, Sacramento, and Bay Area school, also decided to keep students online to start the school year.

This week, Selma Unified and Central Unified in Fresno also voted to keep students at home to start the school year. In both districts, officials say that as soon as it is safe to do so, they want to transition kids back to school.

However, in Clovis, most parents surveyed by the district — more than 70% — favored returning to students to campuses, officials said Wednesday.

“We’re not doing what everyone else is doing,” Clovis Trustee Steven Fogg acknowledged.

Other school districts in the county are expected to make their decisions soon, including Fresno Unified on Friday.

A Fresno Unified elected trustee said social distancing for students would be “impossible” on campuses. Fresno Unified is expected to announce its fall semester plans on Friday.

School leaders acknowledged uncertainty going forward.

“I’m not going to be sitting up here and saying that everything is going to be perfect,” Superintendent Eimear O’Farrell said.

For more information on Clovis’ developing fall plans, check back Thursday morning at fresnobee.com.

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.

This story was originally published July 15, 2020 at 10:12 PM.