Fresno schools are considering keeping all classes online for the fall, but no decisions have been made.

Parents who spoke 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 debate grew Monday as Los Angeles Unified, the largest school district in California, and San Diego Unified, the second-largest school district, announced classes would remain online in the fall amid the spike of coronavirus cases in California.

The California Teachers Association has also been pushing back against reopening schools too soon and possibly endangering students, teachers and staff.

President Donald Trump urged schools to reopen in the fall and threatened to withhold federal funding otherwise but didn’t say how he would legally cut off the money.

Since early June, COVID-19 cases have climbed 68% in the Valley.

What will Fresno-area schools do amid pandemic?

For Fresno Unified, the state’s third-largest school district, fall plans remained unclear Monday, but Superintendent Bob Nelson said parents could expect an announcement on Friday.

“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.

Clovis and Central Unified schools were expected to discuss their plans during their respective board meetings Tuesday and Wednesday.

Nelson took to social media on Monday, saying he was working with trustees and health department officials “to create a more coordinated effort and response.”

Nelson said if distance learning continues, it will look different than it did during the school shutdown in March.

“We recognize that our students, families, and community members need a high-quality, structured learning environment in which our kids can thrive,” Nelson said.

Teachers in Fresno County also are concerned about the possibility of schools opening. In a letter posted online, the Fresno Teachers Association said schools around the country, including Fresno, would not meet the CDC requirements to reopen schools safely.

On Tuesday, the Fresno Teachers Association will host a virtual community meeting to discuss reopening schools.

Classes resume Aug. 17 in Fresno.

Schools have outlined three possible approaches – resuming traditional in-person classes, remaining exclusively online or the so-called “hybrid” model that would mix online and on-campus courses.

However, Nelson last week said Fresno Unified was not offering the hybrid model.

“There is no easy option, there is no path available without risk,” Nelson told reporters during a news conference on Thursday.

Last week, Fresno schools set a July 31 deadline for parents to decide whether to keep students home or return them to campuses fulltime.

But some parents who spoke to The Bee criticized Fresno school leaders for not giving parents more information about how campuses would operate in the fall. Parents said the decision required more details from Nelson’s office about plans for social distancing, cleaning, and other safety measures.

Can Fresno-area students stay safe amid COVID-19?

Parents said while in-person education remains the most effective model for students, the recent surge of COVID-19 cases leaves students and teachers more vulnerable to infection.

Comments from parents came during a listening session last week hosted by The Bee’s Education Lab.

“I think it is unsafe to just reopen as normal. I think it could harm students, staff, and our whole community,” Clovis parent Calvin Fleming said. “I mean right now we’re looking at letting parents decide what they prefer, which I think is good.”

Some parents who spoke with The Bee said they believe a school-based outbreak would be inevitable if campuses reopen.

“I have to think about how I’m going to feel when I get the call from our elementary school that someone tested positive for COVID-19,” Fleming said. “Will my kids be OK? Will their teachers be OK? What happens if they test positive, but are asymptomatic and gave it to me? Did they give it to their grandma who lives with us and is a cancer survivor?”

School officials have said reopening campuses would mean increased cleaning efforts, mandatory masks, social distancing and a slew of other precautions.

However, those precautions don’t sit well with everybody. Clovis parent Kim Sherman, a mother of three who described herself as very conservative and very pro-Trump, told the Associated Press she was opposed to mask requirements.

“Don’t tell me my kid has to wear a mask,” Sherman said. “I don’t need to be dictated to tell me how best to raise my kids.”

Teri Green teaches preschool in Fresno and said she wants students to return to campus because distance learning with 3-year-old and 4-year-old children is extremely challenging, especially for students with special needs.

Green said she “can’t imagine” mask-wearing for that age group would be practical.

“I really hope to go back,” Green said, “but with everything getting worse in Fresno, who knows what it’s going to be like? I just worry.”

Fresno-area parents also fear distance learning

However, other parents said hybrid models could potentially be more hazardous in spreading the virus and could also become a financial burden on working parents who would have to find childcare during off days.

“Personally, I feel like it needs to be five days or zero days. I think anything in the middle is problematic for childcare circumstances,” said Clovis parent Chris Westergaard. “There is not enough childcare to accommodate kids only going to school half time. And all you’re doing is pushing any potential outbreak issues to childcare facilities instead of schools.”

Westergaard said he’s also worried about the possible academic slide and mental health repercussions he fears could happen with extended distance learning.

“Putting kids in front of computers and TVs and losing that in-person socialization is, in my opinion, more devastating than the small chance of them contracting an asymptomatic case of COVID,” Westergaard said.

Parents said, should classes remain exclusively online, school officials need to do more to help keep kids connected socially.

“Socially, my older son will Facebook message his friend, and that’s helpful for him. Maybe somehow connecting the kids with each other more, not just on Zoom when the teacher is there,” Fleming said. “I think the elementary school kids still need that interaction.”

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 13, 2020 at 4:51 PM.