CALIFORNIA — State education officials on Monday unveiled a new set of guidelines for public schools that reopen in the fall amid the coronavirus pandemic, with recommendations including face coverings for all students and teachers, social distancing inside classrooms and the continued presence of distance learning.
The guidelines do not include any required changes, nor do they have any suggestions for when school districts should reopen. That will be up to each of the state’s nearly 1,000 districts to decide for themselves, state schools Superintendent Tony Thurmond said during a Monday morning news conference.
Distance learning is likely to be paired with in-person classes, creating a “hybrid model” in many districts, Thurmond said.
And even as schools prepare to reopen within months, they could potentially shut down again if another wave of COVID-19 cases arrives in the fall, Thurmond conceded.
“We have to prepare” for a possible return to distance learning, he said.
Released online Monday, the 62-page guidebook includes a number of recommendations that would make California’s schools look drastically different from before the coronavirus crisis. All students and staff should wear face coverings, the state says, including on school buses and while entering or leaving campuses.
Classrooms should be rearranged to provide at least 6 feet of distance between students, and schools should minimize movements during the day by students and staff, the state recommends.
Fewer students may need to come to school each day, in order to maintain distancing inside, according to state officials, meaning class sizes may be reduced. The state is also considering rotating schedule models — for example, students in kindergarten through third grade could attend school Mondays and Wednesdays, fourth through sixth grades would attend Tuesdays and Thursdays, and Fridays could be reserved for distance learning.
Alternatively, younger students in kindergarten through third grade may continue attending school because reading instruction is most effective in-person, while older students would continue with distance learning, Deputy Superintendent Dr. Stephanie Gregson said Monday.
Funding remains an issue
As state legislators continue to negotiate next year’s state budget, Thurmond said Monday he was hopeful that cuts to K-12 education would be spared.
Still, Thurmond said, California is asking Congress to help the state cover its education costs.
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