A Fresno County school defied orders and opened classrooms. Here’s why that’s wrong
The latest COVID-19 fight in Fresno County pits a private school against public health officials.
In one corner is Immanuel Schools, a Reedley-based, kindergarten-through-12th-grade program that educates just over 600 students.
In the other are county public health leaders who fault the campus for opening while the county remains on the state’s watch list for places where the coronavirus outbreak is most serious.
Competing purposes have brought this conflict to a head, with county officials promising to go to court for a restraining order and injunction to close down the school until conditions improve.
Complicating matters is the fact that Immanuel is a Christian-based school, and an attempt to stop operations could be interpreted as violating the school’s free exercise of religion.
Both sides of the argument are sincerely held, and leaders want to do what is right. In this case, however, Immanuel’s mission is to serve its students, while the county public health officials care about the community at large. They have to do what they think best to limit the spread of COVID-19 infections.
Put another way, any infections stemming from Immanuel being open threaten everyone beyond the campus.
Lessons on computer screen
This week marks the start of the academic year for Fresno and Clovis school districts. Combined, the districts have more than 110,000 students. In both districts, instruction is being done online.
By state order, K-12 schools in Fresno, Kings, Tulare, Merced and Madera counties are barred from opening campuses. Waivers can be granted, but only to elementary programs.
For now, the only schools Fresno County health officials can allow to meet in person are tiny ones in isolated parts of the Sierra Nevada — Hume Lake Charter and Big Creek Elementary. Their enrollments are miniscule and their remote locations limit contact with the larger community. Big Creek was set to open on Monday.
Immanuel, by comparison, is in the heart of farm country and its students, parents and teachers have lots of chances for daily contact with others.
In a statement on Facebook, Immanuel’s board and Superintendent Ryan Wood said parents of their students want in-person learning for their children. “If they desire an on-campus education, why should they be denied that right?” Immanuel would not take any questions, referring to the statement as the final word.
True to it, Immanuel classes began last week.
As of Monday, Fresno County had 21,010 cases and 203 deaths. It has had more cases than another other county in the central San Joaquin Valley.
Nothing is ideal
Children learn best in person with their teacher, notes the federal Centers for Disease Control.
But in Fresno County right now that model risks too much chance for spread of the highly infectious virus. Even if children are not as susceptible to the illness, adult carriers could pass it on to others they come in contact with at the campus, which heightens the opportunity for spread off campus. That possibility makes fighting COVID-19 harder.
For now, Immanuel should revert to online-only schooling until the health experts deem it is safe for classroom instruction to resume. It is not ideal, but it won’t last forever.