Some Fresno Unified students could return to school in a few weeks. What you need to know

Although COVID-19 cases are easing across the region, bringing with it the optimism that schools could soon open again, Fresno Unified Superintendent Bob Nelson offered words of caution on Wednesday night during a town hall meeting: Not so quick.

The earliest that schools could open is Oct. 13, and that’s if coronavirus metrics in the county meets health department standards and schools have all the plans worked out, he said.

Nelson, along with the Fresno County Health Department’s Dr. John Zweifler and David Luchini, explained Wednesday night to the community how and when schools might safely open.

Even now, officials said, schools are not ghost towns anymore.

Some schools are already allowing some at-risk students to return in small cohorts. It isn’t for “traditional instruction,” but for after school programs and daycares, Luchini said. Students in special education classes are also going to campuses for appointments.

Now that COVID-19 cases have lowered, elementary schools that have submitted waivers will begin reopening as well. Those schools must submit plans to keep the virus from spreading. Fresno Unified officials said last week that they plan to submit a waiver to reopen elementary schools. Middle and high schools must remain closed.

That could change soon as COVID-19 cases trend downward. To reopen K-12 schools, there must be fewer than seven cases per 100,000 residents per day per week, Luchini explained. That’s about 70 cases a day for all of Fresno County. Although Fresno is hovering right at that mark, it must remain there for at least two weeks.

But when schools begin to reopen, “you can anticipate that we will try to bring small cohorts back before we bring kids back en masse,” Nelson said. “We are discussing quite literally this every single day with our labor partners and our trustees alike.”

Students, teachers, and staff would still have to follow guidelines, such as handwashing, social distancing, and mask-wearing while on campus and will be screened for symptoms.

But the health department is not yet sure if it will mandate baseline testing, Zweifler said.

“We’ve been working closely to identifying various testing resources,” Zweifler said. “I’m confident that we will have the ability to do the testing that’s required that we come up with, whether it’s 25% every two weeks, (but) that’s a lot.”

One question from the community: would schools automatically have to close again if coronavirus cases climb back over the 70 cases per day?

The answer is no, health department officials said. It would be determined on a case-by-case basis, depending on how affected each school is.

If there are several cases in the schools, then the health department and contact tracers would work with the schools to determine whether the school must close.

Anyone who is symptomatic or has come into contact with someone who tested positive would be asked to quarantine for 14 days. But, Zweifler said, walking in the same building is not considered close contact. Being less than six feet away from someone for more than 15 minutes would be, officials said.

Although Nelson could only speak for Fresno Unified, he said the district is always working with other schools because it would be a mistake to jump ahead or get left behind.

At the end of the town hall, there were still 100 unanswered questions from the community, school officials acknowledged. District officials promised to publish answers to those questions in the coming days.

Nelson said opening is “not as simple as just throwing the doors open and saying, ‘Hey, everybody, come back.’”

It’s complicated in many ways, including the fact that some high-risk groups will still not be able to return, and that includes teachers. That could mean all students in one class would have to switch teachers during the school year.

“It’s hard because people want everything quickly,” he said, “and I understand that people are exhausted by the whole Groundhog Day reality of waking up every day and having the same experience over and over and over. That being said, we have to balance safety stability for kids.”

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. Read more from The Bee’s Education Lab on our website.

This story was originally published September 24, 2020 at 9:30 AM.