COVID infections rise among students, staff in Fresno-area schools. Here are the numbers

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It wasn’t a perfect start, but after 18 months of learning from home, thousands of local children are back in school full time.

As the delta variant drives yet another surge of coronavirus infections, it would be easy to overlook the fact that returning millions of students to schools across the nation is a significant achievement during this pandemic.

There were setbacks, of course.

As health officials predicted, reports of coronavirus infections are already climbing among students and school staff. So far in August, Fresno schools have seen 252 cases among students and staff, as of Friday afternoon. Clovis Unified has seen 80 cases. Central Unified reported 78.

Nearly a dozen elementary school classrooms in Fresno were forced to quarantine at home just days into the new school year. (You can read about the issue and the district’s scramble to implement the so-called “modified quarantine” here.)

Nikki Henry, an FUSD spokesperson, acknowledged the climb in cases is “not surprising,” given the latest nationwide surge. She also said the district hasn’t been immune to other coronavirus-related challenges seen nationally.

“Just like we’re hearing in other industries, we’re having a hard time filling positions and are in major need of substitute teachers, bus drivers, paraprofessionals, and clerical staff,” Henry said in a statement to The Bee’s Ed Lab.

But there were no reports of angry anti-mask confrontations during the first days of class in Fresno and Clovis schools. Several school officials have suggested that the masking rule is a more contentious issue for parents than for students.

“Students are doing great with following the safety guidelines,” Henry said, “in fact, we see that many students choose to keep their masks on even while outdoors, which is optional.”

The same was true in Fresno’s Central Unified schools, according to spokesperson Gilbert Magallon, who said students and families were “very respectful” of the coronavirus rules.

“The use of face masks was not an issue,” Magallon said. “Staff throughout all of our school sites were prepared for the return of our students and handed out masks to any student or parent in need of one.”

Magallon pointed to Central Unified’s online home school as an early win for the district. The program provides continued distancing learning options for students choosing to remain home. Central’s independent studies program has enrolled about 400 students currently.

As students and teachers confront a third school year affected by the coronavirus, reopening classrooms is a relief.

“One of the major wins we’ve seen so far is how happy our staff and students are to be back on campuses,” Henry said. “The joy and positivity is high, and anecdotally many teachers have shared that they’re finding their students are academically and emotionally ready for the year.”

Rougher start for other schools in California

As The Bee’s Editorial Board recently noted, “things have started off much worse at schools elsewhere in the nation.”

But infections and exposures weren’t the only challenges.

An angry Northern California parent reportedly assaulted a Sutter Creek teacher during an after-school argument over masks.

Some California schools were plagued by wildfires.

Teachers at Schurr High School in Montebello had perhaps the nastiest welcome back. They were greeted by a massive rat infestation that forced the district to delay to start of school.

(There’s a pretty wild video of a rat jumping off a classroom bookshelf. Not wild by internet standards, but for some poor teacher returning to school after 18 coronavirus months — yeah, that’s wild.)

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This story was originally published August 23, 2021 at 9:03 AM.