Fresno elementary schools cleared to reopen regardless of county’s COVID-19 status
The Fresno Unified School District was granted a waiver Wednesday afternoon to reopen elementary schools, officials announced.
The waiver allows transitional kindergarten through sixth-grade students to return to in-person instruction with strict coronavirus-safety precautions even if positive cases start to spike in Fresno County.
However, all schools were cleared to reopen Tuesday because Fresno County remained in the red Tier 2 for 14 days under California’s color-coded Blueprint for a Safer Economy.
School districts in the county have continued to submit waivers as a safeguard in case Fresno County backslides into the most restrictive purple again before campuses have reopened.
Small cohorts of students with special needs in Fresno Unified, Clovis Unified, and Central Unified, have started to return to campuses this week.
Like many other districts in the state, Fresno Unified submitted its waiver while the county was still in the purple Tier 1, so the district could move forward with reopening plans in case the county stayed in the purple tier.
Fresno schools have yet to set a date for reopening. Officials are working with labor unions to determine when students could return to campuses.
“We’re going to take a methodical, phased in approach for returning our students to in-person instruction, with a focus on safety, stability and high-quality instruction,” Fresno Unified Superintendent Bob Nelson said in a statement.
Clovis Unified submitted a waiver while the county was still in the red tier as a precaution in case the county flipped back to the purple tier before the 14 days were up. Waivers need to be approved by the county and state health departments.
“Right now, and for the remainder of the semester, Fresno Unified remains focused on returning small, stable cohorts of its highest-need students to campuses in phases,” district officials said in a news release. “With the required safety practices, including physical distancing, the district continues to work with its labor partners to identify a path forward that provides the opportunity for all students and staff to eventually return to campus.”
Dozens of schools in The San Joaquin Valley have been approved for waivers since early October. Clovis Unified was also approved for a waiver on Wednesday.
In a statement late Wednesday, Clovis officials said they expected to finalize a return date next week. District officials are in the process of surveying parents to get their input on a reopening timeline.
Clovis Unified Spokesperson Kelly Avants told The Bee the quickest return for elementary students would be in early November, and another option would be in January after winter break. Middle and high school students would be returning sometime after.
“Young children are learning how to hold a pencil correctly, and learning how to read it’s critically important to find a way back to school for families who want to do that,” Avant said.
Central Unified elementary students won’t be returning to campuses until January, the board decided during its Tuesday night meeting. Middle and high schoolers could return in the spring, but it’s not a definite.
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.